Living Dangerously: 13 Haunted House Novels

Nearly every neighborhood has a "haunted house," a structure that may not appear evil at first glance but has a sordid history (that may or may not be true) attached to it. Rumors of murder, madness, or other depraved activities are usually whispered about as potential buyers or guests are warned away.
Most readers know of at least one house they have come across that left them feeling a little off, or on-edge, without really knowing why. Haunted houses' connection to modern-day reality is what makes their stories so powerful.

A house is supposed to be a safe space, a shelter from evil—but what do you do when the evil comes from within? Whether or not you believe in superstitions, I doubt anyone would think it's a good idea to build a hotel on top of an ancient Native American burial ground, or buy a home in which 50 people were murdered. Nevertheless, there is always at least one person daring enough to check in at the Overlook Hotel or spend the night at Hill House.

From classic haunted mansions to contemporary apartment complexes, we have gathered up 13 of the best haunted house stories to make you think twice before signing a mortgage! (Featured summaries adapted the from the publishers.)

Classic Haunted House Stories

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Recommended by Alexandria Abenshon and Amanda Pagan

Released in 1959, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House is the quintessintial haunted house novel and an absolute must-read for any fans of the genre.

It's the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting;" Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well-acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House.
At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and will soon choose one of them to make its own.
 

Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco

Ben and Marian Rolfe are desperate to escape a stifling summer in their tiny Brooklyn apartment. When they get the chance to rent a mansion in upstate New York for the entire season for only $900, it's an offer too good to refuse. There's only one catch: behind a strange and intricately carved door in a distant wing of the house lives elderly Mrs. Allardyce, and the Rolfes will be responsible for preparing her meals.

But Mrs. Allardyce never seems to emerge from her room, and it soon becomes clear that something weird and terrifying is happening in the house. As the suspense builds towards a revelation of what really lies behind that locked door, the Rolfes will discover that their cheap vacation rental comes at a terrible cost.
 

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

On December 18, 1975, a young family of five moved into their new home, complete with finished basement, swimming pool, and boathouse. Twenty-eight days later, they fled in terror, leaving most of their belongings behind.

George and Kathleen Lutz were aware the house had been the scene of a mass murder—Ronnie DeFeo, 23, was convicted of shooting his parents, brothers, and sisters. But it seemed an ideal home for them and their three children, and the price was right.
On the day they moved in, a priest invited to bless the house was told by an unseen voice to "Get out!" At his rectory, the priest began to suffer a series of inexplicable afflictions. Meanwhile, in their new home, the Lutz family were embarking on the most terrifying experience of their lives. It began when their five-year-old daughter boasted of her new playmate, someone—or something—named "Jodie."
 

The Shining by Stephen King

Jack Torrance’s new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he’ll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing.
But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote… and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.

Hell House by Richard Matheson

Can any soul survive? Regarded as the Mount Everest of haunted houses, Belasco House has witnessed scenes of almost unimaginable horror and depravity. Two previous expeditions to investigate its secrets met with disaster, the participants destroyed by murder, suicide or insanity.
Now a new investigation has been mounted—four strangers, each with his or her own reason for daring the unknown torments and temptations of the mansion… 

Contemporary Haunted House Must-Reads

House of Shadows by Nicola Cornick

Recommended by Anne Rouyer

Concealed among the wooded hills of Oxfordshire, the ruins of Ashdowne House carry a legacy of secrets, deceit, and destiny. In 1662, Elizabeth Stuart, the Winter Queen, entrusts an ancient pearl, rumored to have magical powers, to a faithful cavalier who builds Ashdowne House around it.
One hundred-fifty years later, a courtesan living there and desperate to find the pearl will burn it to the ground to find it. Now, Holly’s brother has gone missing while researching Elizabeth Stuart and the mysteries of the house. As Holly retraces her brother's steps, she’ll find more than she bargained for.
 

This House is Haunted by John Boyne

1867. Eliza Caine arrives in Norfolk to take up her position as governess at Gaudlin Hall on a dark and chilling night. As she makes her way across the station platform, a pair of invisible hands push her from behind into the path of an approaching train. She is saved only by the vigilance of a passing doctor.
When she finally arrives, shaken, at the hall, she is greeted by the two children in her care, Isabella and Eustace. There are no parents, no adults at all, and no one to represent Eliza's mysterious employer. The children offer no explanation. Later that night in her room, a second terrifying experience further reinforces the sense that something is very wrong.
From the moment she rises the following morning, Eliza's every step seems dogged by a malign presence which lives within Gaudlin’s walls. Eliza realises that if she and the children are to survive its violent attentions, she must first uncover the hall’s long-buried secrets and confront the demons of its past.
 

The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons

Colquitt and Walter Kennedy enjoyed a life of lazy weekends, gathering with the neighbors on their quiet, manicured street and sipping drinks on their patios. But when construction of a beautiful new home begins in the empty lot next door, their easy friendship and relaxed get-togethers are marred by strange accidents and inexplicable happenings.

Though Colquitt's rational mind balks at the idea of a "haunted" house, she cannot ignore the tragedies associated with it. It's as if the house preys on its inhabitants' weaknesses and slowly destroys the goodness in them—ultimately driving them to disgrace, madness, and even death.
 

Slade House by David Mitchell

Down the road from a working-class British pub, along the brick wall of a narrow alley, if the conditions are exactly right, you’ll find the entrance to Slade House. A stranger will greet you by name and invite you inside. At first, you won’t want to leave. Later, you’ll find that you can’t.

Every nine years, the house’s residents—an odd brother and sister—extend a unique invitation to someone who’s different or lonely: a precocious teenager, a recently divorced policeman, a shy college student. But what really goes on inside Slade House? For those who find out, it’s already too late… 
 

The Lake House by Kate Morton

Recommended by Anne Rouyer

It’s the early 1900s, and young Alice Edevane is enjoying a beautiful midsummer’s day at her family’s idyllic lakeside estate when her baby brother vanishes without a trace, tearing the family apart. 

Almost 90 years later, in the present, while walking through a forest in Cornwall, London detective Sadie Sparrow stumbles upon an old, crumbling mansion covered in vines, its insides and all the previous owner’s belongings covered in dust but completely intact, including a tea service set out long ago. It’s as if the occupants left at a moment’s notice and never returned.
Sadie seeks out Alice to discover the shocking truths to a family tragedy that may not be as much in the past as they think.

Haunted by James Herbert

Three nights of terror in a house called Edbrook. Three nights in which David Ash, there to investigate a haunting, will be the victim of horrifying and maleficent games. Three nights in which he will face the enigma of his own past.
Three nights before Edbrook's dreadful secret will be revealed—and the true nightmare will truly begin.

The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike

Originally published in Japan in 1986, Koike's novel is the suspenseful tale of a young family who believe they have found the perfect home to grow into, only to realize the apartment's idyllic setting harbors the specter of evil, and that the longer they stay, the more trapped they become.
This tale of a young married couple who harbor a dark secret is packed with dread and terror, as they and their daughter move into a new apartment building built next to a graveyard.

As strange and terrifying occurrences begin to pile up, people in the building start to move out one by one, until the young family is left alone with someone… or something… lurking in the basement. The psychological horror builds moment after moment, scene after scene, culminating with a conclusion that will make you think twice before ever going into a basement again.

White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

There's something strange about the Silver family house in the closed-off town of Dover, England. Grand and cavernous with hidden passages and buried secrets, it's been home to four generations of Silver women—Anna, Jennifer, Lily, and now Miranda, who has lived in the house with her twin brother, Eliot, ever since their father converted the house into a bed-and-breakfast.

The Silver women have always had a strong connection, a pull over one another that reaches across time and space. When Lily, Miranda's mother, passes away suddenly while on a trip abroad, Miranda begins suffering strange ailments. An eating disorder starves her. She begins hearing voices. When she brings a friend home, Dover's hostility toward outsiders physically manifests within the four walls of the Silver house, and the lives of everyone inside are irrevocably changed.
 

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