For the characters of my favorite historical horror novels, something even more sinister often prowls the horizon. Colonialism, with its oppressive racist structures, diseases and massacres, can be crueler than any serial killer or Slender Man that stalks contemporary horror. Many of these books wield the themes and motifs of the subversive Gothic tradition to challenge traditional power structures. Their plots excavate histories long suppressed by dominant narratives — both official and fictional — and give voice to characters whose tragedies and triumphs traditionally have not taken center stage in mainstream horror. Here, they step into the light.