Best haunted house novels?

Fiona · May 22, 2013

My favourite stories are usually haunted house stories - like "The Woman in Black" "Apartment 16" or "The Secret of Crickley Hall."

I wondered if you would mind listing some of your favourite haunted house novels here - as I am itching to order some books from Amazon and don't have any ideas so far!

alleycat · May 22, 2013

One of the most popular is The Haunting of Hill House.

One book that got some good press from Stephen King is The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons. I'm afraid I'm not a fan of Ms. Siddons' writing so I've never read it, although I've been tempted.

Diem_Allen · May 22, 2013

Some lesser known that I enjoyed were; Chris Bohjalian's The Night Strangers and Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box

Slicklines · May 22, 2013

The Haunting of Hill House is considered one of the true classics of the field. I believe it is available free electronically.

Shakesbear · May 22, 2013

The Haunting by P. C Doherty.

Calla Lily · May 22, 2013

The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson. Excellent stuff.

666 by Jay Anson (I think)--fun shlock 80s horror.

WaveHopper · May 23, 2013

Slicklines said:
The Haunting of Hill House is considered one of the true classics of the field. I believe it is available free electronically.

I read Haunting of Hill House twenty years ago, and I still remember my reaction when I finished it. I was shaking.

A recent novel is by the sadly departed James Herbert - The Secret of Crickley Hall.

phineas12gauge · May 24, 2013

I've been listening to Kevin Lucia's horror 101 segment on the tales to terrify podcast lately. He had a good episode on the haunting hill house and witch house awhile back (http://talestoterrify.com/tales-to-terrify-show-no-64-andrew-horror-101/).

He also provides a pretty extensive reading list for "the house" motif here -> http://www.kevinlucia.com/2013/04/horror-101-exploring-roots-of-horror.html

Rhoda Nightingale · May 29, 2013

In addition to the ones previously mentioned, I quite enjoyed The Ghost Writer by John Harwood. It's sort of a story-within-a-story kind of thing, with the main character finding out letters and short stories that another character used to write--all old-school Gothic stuff--and tracks them down to this one house where Bad Things Happened. Kind of predictable, if I think about it now, but I don't read haunted house stories to be surprised, honestly. I read them for the atmosphere.

virtue_summer · May 29, 2013

Since The Haunting of Hill House was already mentioned I'll add:
The Good House by Tananarive Due
The Shining by Stephen King (even if it is a hotel) and also Bag of Bones (my personal favorite King novel)

shakeysix · May 29, 2013

The Turn of the Screw. I read that story fifty years ago and still avoid looking out windows at night because Peter Quint might be looking back! -s6

joehempel · May 30, 2013

I really couldn't stand The Woman in Black, just waay to slow for me, but Amityville Horror I liked, and Apartment 16 was pretty cool too!

victoriajakes · May 30, 2013

Jumping in to add Hell House by Richard Matheson.

KTC · May 30, 2013

Yes, The Haunting of Hill House is fantastic. The house is truly a central character in the novel.

GradyHendrix · Jun 1, 2013

Sarah Langan's Audrey's Door is a fun take on the haunted house book, and I love The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons. Also, check out Luna Park by Brett Easton Ellis for a truly meta hall of mirrors. And House of Blue Leaves is not to be underestimated.

FOTSGreg · Jun 1, 2013

The novelization of Alien and Aliens by Alan Dean Foster. Who Goes There by Campbell. The novelization of The Thing again by Alan Dean Foster. Event Horizon.

redfalcon · Jun 23, 2013

Peter Straub: Lost Boy Lost Girl
Stephen King: 1408

stormie · Jun 23, 2013

Two of my favorites (even though one is a hotel) have already been mentioned:

The Haunting of Hill House

The Shining

I remember reading The Amityville Horror years ago and being scared.

Cathy C · Jun 23, 2013

Also by King/Straub (jointly) is Black House

Rachel77 · Jun 24, 2013

House of Leaves, by Mark Danielewski

And seconding The Ghost Writer by John Harwood (Just be warned, the ending is less than stellar. I recommend timing the read so that it's after midnight by the time you hit the last five pages, so you'll be too thankful you can sleep with the lights off to be irked at the sudden shattering of the suspense.)

williemeikle · Jun 24, 2013

A couple of personal favorites

Naomi's Room by Jonathan Aycliffe
Cast a Cold Eye - Alan Ryan
The Influence - Ramsey Campbell
The Elementals - Michael McDowell
Haunted - James Herbert

Rhoda Nightingale · Jun 24, 2013

Hang on a sec--you guys that have mentioned House of Blue Leaves. Is this a different book than House of Leaves?

Rachel77 · Jun 25, 2013

Rhoda Nightingale said:
Hang on a sec--you guys that have mentioned House of Blue Leaves. Is this a different book than House of Leaves?

Yes, they're different. House of Blue Leaves is a play by John Guare. House of Leaves is a horror novel by Mark Danielewski. (I had a similar conversation with a friend of mine, when I was telling her about the book. "Oh, I already saw that play." "Um...what?")

I had a sentence describing House of Leaves, and then it struck me that since you put "house" in blue text, you probably already know it.

Rhoda Nightingale · Jun 26, 2013

^Oh yeah, I've read the Danielewski novel. Just was tripping over the other one a bit. Thanks!

Phaeal · Jul 6, 2013

The Haunting of Hill House is the gold standard.

"The Shunned House" and "The Dreams in the Witch House" are two of Lovecraft's offerings in the subgenre. His lovely "The Strange High House in the Mist" is another sort of ghost story, one where eeriness and wonder rather than horror are the emotions evoked.

One of the greatest shorts? Humorous and terrifying and affecting all at once: E. F. Benson's "How Fear Departed the Long Gallery," which you can read for free here:

http://www.donaldcorrell.com/benson/howfear.html

Best haunted house novels?

The Banishing, Released March 2011

Still around

"Jane, get me off this crazy thing!

knows a hawk from a handsaw

On hiatus

Vampire Junkie

Always learning

blue eyed floozy

let me tell you about my dogs

Stand in the Place Where You Live

New kid, be gentle!

Today is your last day.

storm central

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

The force is strong in this one.

Vampire Junkie

Vampire Junkie

Whatever I did, I didn't do it.