Novels like A Guide to Performing in Horror Films
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as A Guide to Performing in Horror Films, best match first.
- 1 The Strange Case Receipt 诡录回执 A blank receipt appears out of nowhere and is randomly delivered into the hands of ordinary people. The moment you touch it, you are forcibly pulled into a strange exam-room instance. There are no mindless monsters chasing you here, only deadly rules nested within one another, where truth and lies are turned upside down. Everyone thinks that following the rules obediently is the way to survive. Keep your head down, stay silent, trust your deskmate, avoid the hallways... But no one knows that tho 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 2 The Silent Theater: Weaving Illusions in a Cage of Rules 缄默剧场：我在规则囚笼里编织幻 The Silent Theater, where all living souls are pieces on a board. There is no freedom here, only layers of nested cages made of rules; no salvation, only an endless cycle of death and reset. In the upper-level Divine Curtain District, the Twelve Curtain Masters wield the rules, feeding on the mental energy of those below to nourish the ultimate illusion; In the middle-level Curtain District, the privileged abet the wicked, using their fellows' despair as a ladder to advancement; In the lower-l —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 3 Rule Horror: Every Infinite Dungeon Is a Trap 规则怪谈：无限副本全是陷阱 Rule Horror: Every Infinite Dungeon Is a Trap —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 4 Rule Horror: The Company’s Haunting 规则怪谈：公司诡事 A mysterious media company. All kinds of people. They're drawn into bizarre tales of the supernatural. Watch as they overcome one obstacle after another. The story contains plenty of horror, so read with caution. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 5 I Suspect My Wife Has Been Possessed by a Malevolent Spirit 我怀疑我的妻子被诡夺舍了 [Infinite flow + survival + mild horror + thrills + twists + one heroine + bizarre elements + the heroine barely appears in the dungeon arcs] Ever since his wife returned from a business trip, Lu Chen has been certain that the Su Qingyan before him is no longer his wife. He goes to see a psychiatrist, trying to convince himself that it’s all just a hallucination. But the liquid the doctor sips is a blood-red drink with a raw, fishy smell. “Only those chosen by ghosts can see them.” “You have now 9Reads—Score—Shelves
- 6 Guiyuan: Hong Kong Under Siege 归元HK围城 Lin Zhao woke up in a morgue's refrigerated drawer with only one number on his wristband: LY-0001. He didn't know who he was. All he knew was that his right hand could transform into a black jade bone blade, and that devouring the infected let him read their memories. In the post-apocalyptic city of HK, the infected weren't mindless zombies. They shared a hive mind, and each one was a tendril of some ancient entity. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 7 Binhai City Crime Files 滨城罪案 [Bincheng Crime Cases / Urban Criminal Investigation / Humanity Shrouded in Fog / Chilling Suspense / Multi-Case Series] Bincheng is rainy and foggy, with a river winding through the city and dampness hanging over the night. Every downpour seems to wash something away: Some hide their wounds, some erase their traces, and some sink their crimes to the riverbed. The alleys of the old district, abandoned factories, bridges stretching into the night, and ordinary people who keep silent... One murd 97Reads—Score—Shelves
- 8 The Eerie Elevator: I Became the Instance Master 诡异电梯：我成了副本主人 [A strange-tale livestream descends, and each of 196 countries around the world selects one chosen participant.] [Rule One: If a chosen participant dies, a strange tale descends upon their country.] [Rule Two: The livestream is broadcast worldwide and cannot be turned off.] [Rule Three: There are no rewards, only punishments.] Chen Mo was among the first chosen participants. He survived the first instance, “A Happy Home,” becoming the first person in the world to escape a strange tale. Not thr 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 9 Rule Horror: The Smiling Granny 规则怪谈：笑脸婆婆 No one told Mo Qing that the price of being reborn was carrying the suffocating sensation of being sewn into a doll by the “Smiling Granny” and the agony of being torn apart by the reflection in “Mirror Alley,” only to stand once more in the morning light of July 15. He clutched the burning safety pendant and looked back. Bai Yu was bent over an old, yellowed notebook. The scribbled words they had never managed to decipher before they died were now highlighted in red by his brother: “Don't touch —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 10 Ten Days of Godly Madness 十日疯神 #No-Sanctimonious Saint# Paranormal Survival #Suspense and Horror #A Battle of Human Nature #Coolheaded Male Lead #Survival Challenges #Karma-Driven Plot Trapped by mistake in a bizarre ten-day prison, the suspicious die by their own hands and the greedy meet their end. I watch the game unfold with cold eyes. All evil spirits bow before me, and the mad god’s fate is sealed. 9Reads—Score—Shelves
- 11 The Haunted House of Seven Days 七日诡宅 [No clichés, no invincible hero, no brainless plot, no feel-good wish fulfillment. Enter at your own risk.] ☜ In the village of the living, where miasma hangs thick in the air, every raindrop reeks of blood. Returning to his hometown on a stormy night, Lin Huaisheng never imagines that the name on the final page of the ancestral register will be written in the blood of his own kin! Seven Days to Die On the seventh night, lanterns hunt souls and flay the living. Before dawn, shadows multiply in —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 12 My Family Vanished After the Car Crash 车祸后我的家人都消失了 My Family Disappeared After the Car Accident 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 13 Reading Memories 窥视记忆 Chen Yuan’s life followed a routine precise to the minute: he woke at the same time every morning, every object was placed with millimeter accuracy, and everything had adhered to the same order for five years. Until one morning, the routine began to go wrong. His cup was two centimeters out of place, the coffee machine’s settings had been altered, and the familiar cityscape was completely askew. In his orderly world, these tiny anomalies were cracks hinting at a far deeper collapse. At the cent —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 14 Abyssal Viruses and Abyssal Nightmares 深渊病毒与深渊噩梦 [A nontraditional infinite-flow novel, one heroine, mild horror, original short scenarios, not a power fantasy and no invincible protagonist] [Every scenario is full of hints and metaphors. Feel free to overanalyze them] Have you ever wondered if your nightmares are actually gateways to another world? Have you ever wondered if your nightmares are real? Have you ever wondered if one day, the monsters from your nightmares might appear in real life? In this book, you’ll uncover the truth behind eve 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 15 Rule Horror: From the Start, in the Kingdom of Women 规则怪谈：开局女儿国 [Infinite instances + survival + not overpowered + not brainless + deduction + suspense + one heroine] In the mysterious Spirit Realm, created by an unknown force, anyone unfortunate enough to be drawn in must complete terrifying tasks where failure means death, at regular intervals. Zhang Yihong is unlucky enough to be pulled into the Spirit Realm, yet fortunate enough to become a Realm Breaker. What choices must he make... to make it to the end and see the light of day again? —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 16 Rule Horror: Abyss Metro 规则怪谈：深渊地铁 [Rules-Based Horror + Infinite Flow + Suspenseful Mysteries + Deduction and Puzzles + Character Growth] The ticket gate spat out a blood-red ticket. It read: Welcome aboard the Abyss Metro. This train is bound for Level 18. That was the first time Cheng Chi learned that the subway he crammed onto every day could take him to hell. Every station brought new rules. The rules could change, deceive, and contradict one another. Some died in the glass reflections on the Mirror Platform. Some walked 6Reads—Score—Shelves
- 17 A Dreamlike Life: What Do You Mean I'm a Nightmare? 浮生入梦，什么叫我是梦魇？ [Infinite Flow] [Fantasy] [May Have a Female Lead] [Not Mindless] [Mild Horror] A quiet day, a fleeting night: this is one person's day. A quiet day, nightmares at night: this is Bai Ye's day. On an ordinary afternoon, Bai Ye receives a message from an online acquaintance, and the nightmare that once belonged only to him begins to spread. He peels back the trappings of the dream. The truth hidden for years lies inside that old, peeling notebook. At the top of the stairs on the rooftop, his h 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 18 I Run a Lifestyle Channel in a Horror Game 我在惊悚游戏里当生活区UP主 With 1.2 million yuan in debt, Lin Bei gets dragged into a horror game. While others flee, I film; while others scream, I livestream. The head nurse is chasing me with a knife? Perfect footage! Zombies are closing in? Let's dance together. I edit terrifying scenarios into comedy shows, pay off my debts with tips, and clear stages by putting on a show. The ghosts become my cast, and the audience becomes my backup. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 19 The Curse of Sorrowful Love Lake Island 悲恋湖岛的魔咒 A tragic love affair haunts the island on Lake Sorrow, where a century-old curse follows like a shadow. Is David Crane's million-dollar prize a gift from fate, or an invitation to the abyss? An ebony bracelet conceals a mystery, a key of ultraviolet light opens a forbidden door, silicon-based blood algae whisper in the dark, and the shadow of a sacrificial ritual quietly descends. Science and witchcraft clash fiercely, while the line between reality and illusion blurs. To escape their family's f 2Reads7.7Score—Shelves
- 20 Supernatural Affairs Receiver 灵异接收员 It all began with a dark story. If my special abilities can save others, then I'll do whatever it takes. And so the strange tale begins. The most terrifying thing isn't ghosts. It's the human heart. The world doesn't have that many chosen ones with plot armor. After all, we're all human, not immortals. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 21 The Germaphobic Detective Is Dragged into a Mechanical Killing Trap by His Mad-Dog Deputy 洁癖探长被疯狗副手拽入机械杀阵 A fastidious detective is dragged into a mechanical killing trap by his rabid deputy. 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 22 The Midnight Photo Studio: I Take Portraits of the Dead 丑时照相馆：我拍亡魂照 [Use the living soul as a lure, and capture the lingering image of the dead] Hidden in the shadows of the city, the photo studio opens only during the Yin hours. Its owner wields a Republic-era camera, taking portraits of the dead’s fading silhouettes, but the price is a sliver of a living person’s soul. Every photograph is a prison for a departed soul’s obsession: if the obsession remains, the soul is trapped in the photo; if it is resolved, the lamp of rebirth is lit. When a young girl enters —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 23 You Think College Makes Life Easy? 上了大学就轻松了？ Infinite-loop horror + slow burn + no golden finger + challenges + rule-based horror + the supernatural + instances + conflict An ordinary school suddenly turns into a “meat grinder”! All kinds of deadly rules: ignore the “teachers,” don't run, follow the schedule to the letter... All kinds of bizarre instances, movie scenes, teamwork, and going it alone... Ten universities compete online. Staying alive is the only hope! When you graduate from your senior year of high school and take the college 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 24 Rule Horror: I Stay Alive by Solving Murder Cases! 规则怪谈：我以破解凶杀案续命！ With my life running short, I searched for the secrets of life so I could keep living! I stumbled into a murder case. After solving it, I unexpectedly gained more time to live. From then on, I walked in the darkness, searching for clues to survive and bringing the truth to light. As for me, as long as I stay within the rules, I will live forever! 73Reads—Score—Shelves
- 25 Ghost Story Livestream: Earning Points in Journey to the West 怪谈直播间：我在西游赚积分 [No national fate system + infinite-flow horror + rule-based mysteries + modern reimagining of Journey to the West + one heroine] Li Zhou is transported into an apocalyptic prophecy novel. On New Year’s Day, 2026, the supernatural arrives right on schedule. The homeroom teacher’s head spins 180 degrees on the lectern, and a classmate’s face grows out of their throat. He accidentally binds himself to a horror livestream System: the more frightened the viewers are, the more points he earns. So 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 26 The Ghost Car: A Road to Survival in the Blood Realm 诡车：血境生路 [Mystery and Deduction] [Horror and Strange Tales] [No System] [Light Brain Teasers] Si Chen wrote a novel called Strange Train. One day, when his inspiration ran dry, he inexplicably found himself inside the book. Aside from the rules of the setting, the story had changed beyond recognition! Passengers enter the train for all sorts of reasons, but they all share one name: Children of Calamity! Behind this train lies a Sin Gate, inside which is a New Era Pawnshop. It can be used to exchange not —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 27 Train Survival: My Charm Stat Went Through the Roof from the Start 列车求生，开局魅力值拉爆 [Infinite Flow + No Romance + Ensemble Cast + Power Fantasy + Lighthearted Comedy] Liu Zhaozhao, a young girl, is swept into a brutal survival game called the Infinite Train. From the start, her charm stat skyrockets to 999, activating the seemingly useless legendary talent “Natural-Born Leader Aura.” On this Infinite Train, which stops at eerie stations every week and forces passengers into bloody instances every month, she soon discovers that her absurdly high charm stat is far more than it s —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 28 Severing the Dragon Vein 断命龙脉 The men of the Gu family never live past forty. After his father, Gu Mingyuan, dies, Gu Chenchuan follows a train ticket to Baihe, a bloodstained compass, and a few unfinished last words into the old trails of the Changbai Mountains. But the deeper he digs, the more he realizes that the Gu family has not simply been haunted or cursed. They have been caught in a living account, buried for many years, that refuses to let go. From Baihe to Tamen Peak, from the Changbai Mountains to an old well in t 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 29 Rule Horror: I Call the Paranormal Entities “Dad” from the Start 规则怪谈：开局我喊诡异爸爸 Cui Fei enters a rule-based horror scenario and gets a Relationship System. Other people's systems are for showing off and getting stronger, but Cui Fei's System makes him call the supernatural entities "Daddy," turns him into their beloved first love, and makes him their love rival! 77Reads—Score—Shelves
- 30 I Became a Skinner After Moving Into the Apartment 入住公寓后成了剥皮匠 On the day I moved in, the building manager handed me a rusty key and a yellowed set of house rules. “Light the red lantern in the living room every night. If it goes out, hide under the bed immediately.” Next door lived a qipao-clad female ghost who loved to sing. Downstairs was a doctor with a peculiar taste for blood. To stay alive, I lit the lantern on time every day, until the power went out on the seventh night. The instant the lantern went dark, I saw the dried corpses of the previous ten 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 31 Cha Mi High School 茶靡高校 [Infinite Flow] [Instance-Based Story] [Original Horror Instances, Mildly Spooky] My name is Lin Fen. A bizarre car accident turned my peaceful life upside down. That day, my mother and I were crossing the street. A speeding car came hurtling toward us. My mother pushed me out of the way at the last moment and was struck dead by the roadside. I watched in terror. Then I remembered: I didn't have a mother at all! I, Lin Fen, had only ever known busy caregivers since I could remember. I was a chil 8Reads—Score—Shelves
- 32 Urban Legends Invade: I Slay Demons with Divine Blessings 怪谈入侵：我用神明祝福斩鬼 From Chapter 102 onward, the story enters dungeons, with people from other worlds joining the main cast in them. The world within a world includes science fiction. Also known as: Gods and Ghosts Run Rampant: I Wield the Power of the Gods to Slay Ghosts [Fairly satisfying] [A whole lot of killing] [Chinese-style supernatural tales] [Legendary monsters] [System-driven] [System] [Urban supernatural powers] [Mystery] [Some Infinite Flow dungeons] [Slay Ghosts] [Slay the Gods] Do you believe ghost —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 33 When Ghostly Calamities Strike: A Paranormal Escape Begins with a Séance 诡灾降临：灵异逃生从招魂开始 [Infinite Flow + No Female Lead + Original Instances] “Welcome to the Supernatural Forbidden Zone, dear Apostles!” “This world is nearing its end, so struggle as much as you like!” As paper ash blankets the world, reality and the supernatural begin to overlap. In a dilapidated clan apartment building, a drowned ghost child knocks at the door. In the vanished School Building No. 7, a headless corpse wanders in confusion. In a dim Taoist temple, gleaming statues of the gods weep tears of blood... 975Reads8.1Score101Shelves
- 34 Thriller Game: Everyone Struggles to Survive, While I Ascend to Godhood Alone 惊悚游戏：众生苟存！我独自封神 [Wish-Fulfillment] + [Rule Horror] + [Eerie] + [Infinite Flow] + [Mind-Bending] + [Play the Pig to Eat the Tiger] + [Roleplay] + [Hacking the Backend] Welcome to the [Multiverse Horror Show]! This is a death livestream that uses human fear to drive its ratings, and the lives and deaths of billions of beings to entertain higher-dimensional civilizations. Here, players either scrape by with divine artifact inheritances or become ratings fodder beneath the claws of vengeful ghosts. Earth's survival —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 35 Arrival in the Infinite Rules 降临在无限规则 A powerful female lead with bipolar disorder, and a male lead who’s an emotional desert. An enchanting, eerie, dreamlike style, with a suspenseful romance and a vast, mysterious world pieced together like a puzzle. You could believe it’s all just the uncontrolled fantasy of a female lead whose bipolar disorder has progressed to schizophrenia, brought on when her mind went blank after a round of electroconvulsive therapy. But perhaps Earth really is just a prison for souls, keeping us from ascen 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 36 Rule Zero 第零规则 [Infinite Flow] [Rule Horror] [Cerebral mind games] [Identity reversals] [Ensemble cast] Shen Zhou wakes up on the subway with a note in his pocket. The handwriting is his own, and it bears five words: You forget every time. Then he’s dragged into a deadly game ruled by rules. The rules are cruel, meticulous, and seemingly flawless. Until he realizes that some of them feel strangely familiar. But he can’t remember anything. When the rules are finally revealed, everyone is searching for a way 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 37 Rule Horror: I Can See the Deleted Rules 规则怪谈，我能看见被删除的规则 Rules horror descends upon the world. The Midnight Convenience Store, Happy Apartments, Red Umbrella School, and Abandoned Subway appear one after another. All survivors must follow the rules to stay alive. Break them, and you die. But Lu Chen, a night-shift clerk, discovers he can see the deleted Rule Zero. From then on, he stops passively struggling to survive. He analyzes the rules, turns them to his advantage, and strikes back against the horrors. Until one day, he discovers that every horro 16.4kReads5.4Score1.9kShelves
- 38 Chaos Invades the World, and I Become a God by Mediating Disputes 全球混沌入侵，我靠调解成神 Light is not necessarily pure, and darkness may hold warmth. The answer lies in a truth deeper than the abyss. When the only hope of saving the world points down a dead-end path with no chance of survival, will you still have the courage to wager everything on a faint glimmer of light? 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 39 A Bewildering Labyrinth of Strange Tales 诡谲迷迭 [Infinite Flow] [No Golden Finger] My name is Wang Hong. My younger sister has gone mad. She's been haunted by a ghost. When I started searching for the truth, I was haunted by a ghost too. I should have realized sooner. Now, there's no going back. And ghosts are like a plague. I was the one who brought them into the lives of those around me. Believe me, I didn't mean to. If she comes to find me, it'll be inevitable once she comes to her senses. Anyway, while I was still more or less lucid, I le 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 40 You Were Supposed to Join the Horror Game, Not Become the Horror! 让你参加怪谈，没让你成为怪谈！ [Rule Horror] [National Fate] [Livestream] [Infinite Flow] Rule Horror descends, National Fate is bound, and the whole world is watching on Livestream! Those chosen must fight for humanity’s survival in eerie dungeons. Lu Jin, a library employee, becomes Longguo’s chosen one. While the other chosen ones struggle to survive, he exploits game bugs. By analyzing the rules and manipulating people, he steals energy from the dungeons instead. In the eyes of the world watching the Livestream, he p 247Reads—Score101Shelves
- 41 Sin Fetish I 罪癖I 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 42 I’m Socially Anxious, Yet I Became a God in the Haunting 社恐的我，在怪谈里封神 This isn’t cookie-cutter or fast-paced. If you like quick reads, this isn’t for you. This is real rule-based horror. I’ve worked on the ideas until my brain was smoking and sparking, so please add it to your bookshelf. It’s a great novel, written with care. _ At first, no one knew what it was. It was like a silent tide, quietly spilling across the borders of the world. There was no earth-shattering roar, no vision blotting out the sky. It was just that, after some ordinary evening, the “rules” 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 43 My Game Isn't That Scary, Really 我的游戏真没那么吓人 I hate horror. The hurried footsteps racing up behind me, the soft whispers circling my ears that send chills down my spine… Every bit of it. I hate it all. I hate it so much that once it reaches a certain point, I throw up. But I’m a horror game developer. So, since I’m not cut out for this, I’ve decided to quit. And yet… [Congratulations! You have activated the Horror Game Developer System] No, I don’t want it. Let me quit. ※Warning: Your world may undergo some changes. This is the story of a 14Reads—Score—Shelves
- 44 Great, the Whole Village Is Haunted, and I’m Beyond Saving 太好啦，全村都是诡，我没救了 [Horror + Body Collection + Comedy + Plot Twists] On the day I graduated from college, I got a call saying my dad had skinned himself and died. My mother said she had to meet her daughter-in-law before my dad was buried, so I had no choice but to pay a fortune to hire the campus belle to pretend to be my girlfriend. But when I returned to the village, I discovered that no one there was human! They were all corpses... After narrowly escaping death, I became a corpse collector. The first one I col 982Reads5.6Score107Shelves
- 45 Rule Horror: I Can See Echoes of the Old Days 规则怪谈：我能看到旧日余响 [Linked Instances + No Romance + Tracing the Origins of the Rules + Unconventional Rule-Based Horror] (If rules have a past, they must have left behind truths that were forgotten.) The bizarre has invaded reality, and the Chosen Ones are sent into an old world that has already been destroyed. Shen Yan gains the talent [Witness], which lets him see echoes of the past connected to the rules. When others face a strange tale, all they can do is guess which rule is false. Shen Yan discovers that the 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 46 With the Honor of Kings System, I Slaughter My Way Through the Horror World 带着王者荣耀系统，杀穿恐怖世界 Other people transmigrate with a golden finger. Wei Feng transmigrates with... the complete Honor of Kings package? The Survival System forces him to check into "Anaconda", "The Mist", "Ju-On"... all kinds of hell-level horror movies every month! When he’s pushed to the brink, he can actually summon Honor of Kings heroes! Watch Luban No. 7 mow down hordes of monsters with a rat-a-tat-tat, while Zhuang Zhou’s Kunpeng soars through the depths of the Cthulhu abyss... When horror movie bosses fa 37Reads—Score—Shelves
- 47 Beyond the Constant 恒定之外 [Infinite-Rounds-esque] [Mystery] [Supernatural] [Wild Imagination] [Mystery and Wild Imagination] Beneath the Constant, all living beings are pieces on a chessboard. Fate, the script, the favor of destiny, or a predetermined outcome. What people call being reborn and turning your fortunes around is merely a plot the rules have permitted. Whether you lose or break the game, you have only gone from a cage in one script to a cage outside another. Welcome to Beyond the Constant. And I, too, am beyo —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 48 The Horror Exam 恐怖考试 One exam, one cycle of rebirth, a battle between life and death, all for a brilliant tomorrow! Do you have the courage to face this endless nightmare? The Horror Exam awaits your challenge! 88Reads6.8Score—Shelves
- 49 The Chosen Game: I Only Wanted to Be a Doctor 神选游戏：我本来想当个医生 The gods initiate a selection, and Luo Yan, a second-year medical student, is trapped in a classroom surrounded by a gray barrier. Along with 180 classmates, he is thrown into a deadly solo survival trial. Monsters keep coming, and the rules are cruel and cold: the longer you survive, the later you return to the classroom. When Luo Yan opens the classroom door as the last person in his class to return, only 43 of the 180 students are still alive. On the surface, he is gentle and modest, a relia 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 50 The Three Months I Was Trapped at My Girlfriend's Best Friend's Home 我被困在女友闺蜜家的那三个月 My girlfriend’s eerie home is the stuff of nightmares. This time, I’ve mysteriously found myself trapped in her best friend’s house, where she makes an utterly baffling demand... Two heroines + well-crafted suspense + scheming characters + sweet romance + twists + written by the author, not AI 1Reads—Score—Shelves
