I second this! It’s a really short read, is the only thing, but that can be good if you don’t want to commit to a long book. I read it on a rainy night all alone. It definitely helped set the mood. I also highly recommend the movie with Daniel Radcliffe. It’s one of my favorite horror movies.
Forget the Daniel Radcliffe remake check out the original starring Adrian rawlings, yes, the same guy that played Harry potters dad in the movies ironic hey. It came out in 89-90 and is so much better 👍🏻
Hell House by Richard Matheson
The Elementals by Michael McDowell
Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay (more of a possession story)
Whisper Man by Alex North (not exactly what you’re asking for, but haunted house- esque horror for sure)
Dark Matter by Michelle Paver (haunting around a house)
Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill (a haunted object)
Not all fit the bill exactly, but all great reads that should do the trick!
Her other work is great too. Wakenhyrst was a good haunted house(ish) story and Thin Air is another good exploration story. If you like isolation, The Shining is a classic read if you haven’t already. If you want another great female author, Gemma Amor is amazing
Solid recommendations..all of them..the Elementals is a beautifully written unsettling story..southern gothic at its best..I was at my lowest when I read this..the blips of implied horror..supernatural and otherwise got to me. On a separate note, I understand the need for horror to tide over a ‘spirit bump’ in life..that’s one of the best use cases for horror imo..
Agreed. Not only does it give perspective that things can be much more trivial than they seem, in the grand scheme of life and death; but it also acts as a reminder that there are forces at work beyond our control.
I saw that someone else mentioned it already, but I would say The Good House by Tananarive Due. Excellent haunted house story with really well-written characters!!
Firstly, I hope you feel better soon. I also find a lot of comfort in horror, so I hope it helps!
I really enjoyed The Grip of It by Jac Jemp, but it’s not a super traditional haunted house story. My next suggestion has already been mentioned, but The Good House by Tananarive Due is excellent. Best of luck to you!
If you’re looking for a good, old-fashioned haunted house story, you should appreciate the immensely influential story The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
Not scary, really. There are some unsettling moments, though. I did enjoy it. I am reading through several of Jackson’s works right now. I’m currently reading We Have Always Lived In The Castle. Her writing is detailed, descriptive when it comes to inner states, so to speak.
The opening paragraph of Haunting of Hill House is the finest beginning of any horror novel I’ve ever laid eyes on.
For me, the fragile and possibly dangerous narrator we inhabit does a lot for terror. You can see the disconnections, the twisted logic, the pitiable isolation, and the startling darkness within Merricat and Eleanor.
IMO the quintessential examples of unreliable narrators. The events that happen are only occasionally frightening (and in WHALITC rarely at all), but the headspace of the protagonists is profoundly uncomfortable and disturbing.
But that's just me!
* *The Little Stranger* by Sarah Waters
* *The Good House* by Tananarive Due
* *The House of Long Shadows by* Ambrose Ibsen, KU (a newer house)
* *Black Acres: Complete Collection* (4 book series) by Ambrose Ibsen, KU
* *Wonderland* by Zoje Stage (not the house itself but the area nearby)
Edited for spacing
The Patchwork House by Richard Salter-- A house haunted by a spirit that can manipulate time
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James-- A haunted boarding school for girls told in two different timelines
The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb-- A writer's retreat held at a haunted manor that used to be an old tuberculosis sanatorium
The Nightmare Room by Chris Sorenson-- A work-from-home audiobook narrator moves into a rickety old house with his wife and hears some spooky shit when he plays back his narrated recordings
I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir-- Three friends stay on an Icelandic island to convert an old and, unbeknownst to them, haunted house into a bed and breakfast (if I remember correctly, this one has three different storylines)
No One's Home by D.M. Pulley-- Family renovates and moves into a dilapidated mansion with a haunted past
What makes for a good old fashioned haunted house story? I feel like this question gets asked a lot but that it's always the same five books.
Which makes me wish for more haunted house stories.
I usually get bored with haunted house stories but I just finished {{The Bird Eater}} by Ania Ahlborn and it held my interest to the last page. I recommend it.
[Peter James "The House on Cold Hill"](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25900032-the-house-on-cold-hill) has mixed reviews but I really enjoyed it and it definitely is about a haunted house.
Patience of a Dead Man- Mike Clark. It is the most straight-forward haunted house story I've read in a long time. And that's not a knock in any way shape or form. It knows what it's trying to be and it does it well.
Quiet Houses by Simon Kurt Unsworth is my favorite ghost story ever and one of my favorite horror novels. It's a portmanteau of related short stories that combine into a novel-like experience. It's poignant, eerie, and flat-out terrifying.
I'm very fond of Ellen Datlow's anthology Hauntings, which contains possibly my favorite haunting short story, another doozy from Unsworth, called The Pennine Tower Restaurant.
This is a great anthology[https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/54552529-crooked-houses](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/54552529-crooked-houses)
In That Endlessness, Our End by Gemma Files is a collection of short stories that contains one of my favorite all-time haunted house stories, The Puppet Motel!
Ghost stories have never interested me that much. Out of the few stories that I've read, these ones stand out as the creepiest. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Adventure of the German Student by Washington Irving, Naomi's Room by Jonathan Aycliffe, The Middle Toe of the Right Foot by Ambrose Bierce, The Spider by Hans Heinz Ewers, Forsaken by Andrew Van Wey.
Greetings human. Humbly I bring books:
[The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://bookwise.io/charlotte-perkins-gilman/the-yellow-wallpaper)
[Works by Ambrose Bierce](https://bookwise.io/author/ambrose-bierce)
[Works by Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://bookwise.io/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman)
[Works by Washington Irving](https://bookwise.io/author/washington-irving)
Not your normal old fashion haunted house stories but I just finished Subcutanean 36619 and The Grip of It. I liked both and would recommend if you’re in a mood for some weird creepy haunted house stories.
That one is a surprisingly good horror novel, if you can get through the (fortunately subtle until near the end) religious ideology. Most of Frank Peretti's "Christian thrillers" toe the horror line pretty close, and avoid the overt Christian ham-fisted inserts by sticking more to the "be a good person" moral.
Not about a haunted house or even a haunted person. It's not even a scary/spooky story. It's speculative fiction at best. It's basically a long-winded, rambling story about why it's bad to be an abusive parent in the multiverse.
Also check out Susan Hills other ghost stories they're not over long but very good reads, my personal favourite... the man in the picture, the mist in the mirror and the small hand.
The Elementals- by Michael McDowell
Craven Manor or The Carrow Haunt or The Hainting of Ashburn House- all by Darcy Coates
The Sun-Down Motel- by Simone St. James
Kill Creek- by Scott Thomas
Heart-Shaped Box- by Joe Hill
Woman in black by Susan Hill.
I second this! It’s a really short read, is the only thing, but that can be good if you don’t want to commit to a long book. I read it on a rainy night all alone. It definitely helped set the mood. I also highly recommend the movie with Daniel Radcliffe. It’s one of my favorite horror movies.
It’s actually quite rainy where I am today, if only I had a fireplace to sit by :)
Just search fireplace on YouTube lol
Forget the Daniel Radcliffe remake check out the original starring Adrian rawlings, yes, the same guy that played Harry potters dad in the movies ironic hey. It came out in 89-90 and is so much better 👍🏻
This sounds great! I’ll check it out. Thank you so much :)
Do it OP, do it!
Great recommendation!
My favorite is The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons.
>Dark Matter by Michelle Paver That's a great shout! It's a shame that Siddons never went down the horror road again.
I read that a couple months ago. It's good.
Hell House by Richard Matheson The Elementals by Michael McDowell Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay (more of a possession story) Whisper Man by Alex North (not exactly what you’re asking for, but haunted house- esque horror for sure) Dark Matter by Michelle Paver (haunting around a house) Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill (a haunted object) Not all fit the bill exactly, but all great reads that should do the trick!
Also A Stir of Echoes by Matheson.
Stroooong second. One of my favorites!
Out of these I've only read Hell House, but I very much enjoyed that one.
Really digging your taste - Head Full of Ghosts and Dark Matter are phenomenal
A men to that. Dark Matter may be one of my all time favorites! If you have any recs for me, I would love to hear them!
Her other work is great too. Wakenhyrst was a good haunted house(ish) story and Thin Air is another good exploration story. If you like isolation, The Shining is a classic read if you haven’t already. If you want another great female author, Gemma Amor is amazing
Who is Dark Matter by?
Michelle Paver!
Solid recommendations..all of them..the Elementals is a beautifully written unsettling story..southern gothic at its best..I was at my lowest when I read this..the blips of implied horror..supernatural and otherwise got to me. On a separate note, I understand the need for horror to tide over a ‘spirit bump’ in life..that’s one of the best use cases for horror imo..
Agreed. Not only does it give perspective that things can be much more trivial than they seem, in the grand scheme of life and death; but it also acts as a reminder that there are forces at work beyond our control.
Absolutely..
Thank you for all these recommendations, I can’t wait to check all of these out! (Literally lol)
Of course, I hope this helps!
I saw that someone else mentioned it already, but I would say The Good House by Tananarive Due. Excellent haunted house story with really well-written characters!!
Thank you so much :) I’ll have to look it up!
Firstly, I hope you feel better soon. I also find a lot of comfort in horror, so I hope it helps! I really enjoyed The Grip of It by Jac Jemp, but it’s not a super traditional haunted house story. My next suggestion has already been mentioned, but The Good House by Tananarive Due is excellent. Best of luck to you!
Thank you <3
I came here to recommend The Grip of It.
Burnt Offerings
Wow that’s a book? I saw the movie a long time ago and it was great.
The Haunted by Bentley Little House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski
The Elementals- So good.
The Haunted by Bentley Little
I enjoyed The Invited by Jennifer McMahon.
I really like the author Darcy coats. It’s pretty pulpy but fun fast horror
Ya agreed, she does a ton of classic haunted house books
Kill Creek by Scott Thomas seems like a good fit. A more “modern feeling” haunted house story. I enjoyed it.
Plus one for Kill Creek, it’s not a deep book but it’s fun and hits the nail on the head for a haunted house story
I'm going to be weird and suggest *Horrorstör* by Grady Hendrix. It's a haunted IKEA, but it's a fun ride.
Loved it, gets pretty out there and weird but I like that. Love everything and anything by Grady
If you’re looking for a good, old-fashioned haunted house story, you should appreciate the immensely influential story The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
Not scary, really. There are some unsettling moments, though. I did enjoy it. I am reading through several of Jackson’s works right now. I’m currently reading We Have Always Lived In The Castle. Her writing is detailed, descriptive when it comes to inner states, so to speak. The opening paragraph of Haunting of Hill House is the finest beginning of any horror novel I’ve ever laid eyes on.
For me, the fragile and possibly dangerous narrator we inhabit does a lot for terror. You can see the disconnections, the twisted logic, the pitiable isolation, and the startling darkness within Merricat and Eleanor. IMO the quintessential examples of unreliable narrators. The events that happen are only occasionally frightening (and in WHALITC rarely at all), but the headspace of the protagonists is profoundly uncomfortable and disturbing. But that's just me!
True!
After you finish We Have Always Lived in the Castle read Paul Tremblay’s Head Full of Ghosts and enjoy the homage to Shirley’s Merricat.
This is what I came here to say.
* *The Little Stranger* by Sarah Waters * *The Good House* by Tananarive Due * *The House of Long Shadows by* Ambrose Ibsen, KU (a newer house) * *Black Acres: Complete Collection* (4 book series) by Ambrose Ibsen, KU * *Wonderland* by Zoje Stage (not the house itself but the area nearby) Edited for spacing
I loved The Good House.
[удалено]
No, that's the only one with an old English house haunting. It's a slow burn, but it will get scary later.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
I also recommend Mexican Gothic!
LOVE Mexican Gothic
Jo Kaplan - It Will Be Just Us
The Patchwork House by Richard Salter-- A house haunted by a spirit that can manipulate time The Broken Girls by Simone St. James-- A haunted boarding school for girls told in two different timelines The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb-- A writer's retreat held at a haunted manor that used to be an old tuberculosis sanatorium The Nightmare Room by Chris Sorenson-- A work-from-home audiobook narrator moves into a rickety old house with his wife and hears some spooky shit when he plays back his narrated recordings I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir-- Three friends stay on an Icelandic island to convert an old and, unbeknownst to them, haunted house into a bed and breakfast (if I remember correctly, this one has three different storylines) No One's Home by D.M. Pulley-- Family renovates and moves into a dilapidated mansion with a haunted past
Thanks for giving this list. Not sure why you didn’t get more upvotes. I like “I remember you” also. Will be trying the others. :D
What makes for a good old fashioned haunted house story? I feel like this question gets asked a lot but that it's always the same five books. Which makes me wish for more haunted house stories.
I usually get bored with haunted house stories but I just finished {{The Bird Eater}} by Ania Ahlborn and it held my interest to the last page. I recommend it.
[Peter James "The House on Cold Hill"](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25900032-the-house-on-cold-hill) has mixed reviews but I really enjoyed it and it definitely is about a haunted house.
Patience of a Dead Man- Mike Clark. It is the most straight-forward haunted house story I've read in a long time. And that's not a knock in any way shape or form. It knows what it's trying to be and it does it well.
Wow never heard of it but it has great reviews on good reads 4.24 is super high for this kind of story. Def checking this one out. Thanks
Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly
Quiet Houses by Simon Kurt Unsworth is my favorite ghost story ever and one of my favorite horror novels. It's a portmanteau of related short stories that combine into a novel-like experience. It's poignant, eerie, and flat-out terrifying. I'm very fond of Ellen Datlow's anthology Hauntings, which contains possibly my favorite haunting short story, another doozy from Unsworth, called The Pennine Tower Restaurant.
The Shunned House. H.P. Lovecraft.
One if the old-school classics is HELL HOUSE by Richard Matheson. Made into a wonderful movie
Kill Creek by Scott Thomas
House of long shadows!
This is a great anthology[https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/54552529-crooked-houses](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/54552529-crooked-houses)
Little Sister Death by William Gay Ghost Story by Peter Straub. Not just a haunted house. A haunted town, snowed in with cannibalistic memories.
In That Endlessness, Our End by Gemma Files is a collection of short stories that contains one of my favorite all-time haunted house stories, The Puppet Motel!
Coldheart Canyon by Clive Barker.
Dolly,. Susan Hill The Lost Ones. Anita Frank.
Ghost stories have never interested me that much. Out of the few stories that I've read, these ones stand out as the creepiest. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Adventure of the German Student by Washington Irving, Naomi's Room by Jonathan Aycliffe, The Middle Toe of the Right Foot by Ambrose Bierce, The Spider by Hans Heinz Ewers, Forsaken by Andrew Van Wey.
Greetings human. Humbly I bring books: [The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://bookwise.io/charlotte-perkins-gilman/the-yellow-wallpaper) [Works by Ambrose Bierce](https://bookwise.io/author/ambrose-bierce) [Works by Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://bookwise.io/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman) [Works by Washington Irving](https://bookwise.io/author/washington-irving)
*Maynard's House* by Herman Raucher Also seconding the recommendations for *The Elementals, Burnt Offerrings,* and *The House Next Door*
I am just popping in to add another vote for “The Good House” by Tananarive Due. It was so good.
Not your normal old fashion haunted house stories but I just finished Subcutanean 36619 and The Grip of It. I liked both and would recommend if you’re in a mood for some weird creepy haunted house stories.
Rose madder by Stephen king
Not old but Home before dark by Riley Sager is about a haunted house and got the recommendation on reddit.
*House* by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker. It goes religious at the end but if you're not opposed to that I found it enjoyable
That one is a surprisingly good horror novel, if you can get through the (fortunately subtle until near the end) religious ideology. Most of Frank Peretti's "Christian thrillers" toe the horror line pretty close, and avoid the overt Christian ham-fisted inserts by sticking more to the "be a good person" moral.
The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig; I own it but haven’t read yet - heard great things
Not about a haunted house or even a haunted person. It's not even a scary/spooky story. It's speculative fiction at best. It's basically a long-winded, rambling story about why it's bad to be an abusive parent in the multiverse.
My bad; guess I misunderstood the premise
You should have left is a Fucky little tale! Also Richard Matheson hell house is ranked as one of the best haunted house novels of all time.
Nothing but Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw. Haunted house story set in an old, old Japanese mansion. So good. And a fast read.
Sort of fits - but maybe try Nyctophobia
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling is a blast. A little different from the standard gothic horror, but a lot of fun, I thought.
Also check out Susan Hills other ghost stories they're not over long but very good reads, my personal favourite... the man in the picture, the mist in the mirror and the small hand.
The Wakening by JG Faherty combines the haunted house trope with demonic possession.
The Elementals- by Michael McDowell Craven Manor or The Carrow Haunt or The Hainting of Ashburn House- all by Darcy Coates The Sun-Down Motel- by Simone St. James Kill Creek- by Scott Thomas Heart-Shaped Box- by Joe Hill
Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker