Some article in the Guardian that claimed horror was dead suggested that real life is fraught with enough peril–greedy corporations, mortgages, and so on. Well, okay, those things are pretty scary even without demon-worshiping CEO’s, politicians who deal with the devil, and haunted houses. Clearly, real life isn’t scary enough, though, because we keep seeing requests for books about ghosts and haunted houses. It’s actually a good time of year for ghosts. The holidays stir up memories, and with the change of the year the veil thins. So I thought I’d provide some titles for those of you who are seeking a haunting holiday– or, in the case of the readers’ advisory librarian, helping someone else find that great ghostly read. Some of these are more frightening than others, and while we have reviewed some of them here, we certainly haven’t reviewed them all (although this list is far from exhaustive)… so make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into before you crack the covers open!<\/p>\n
So now, alphabetical by the author’s last name, just a few books to guarantee that the next time you consider buying a house, you have a really good home inspection: <\/p>\n
The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson
\nThe Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian (reviewed here)
\nThe Jonah Watch by Jack Cady
\nHouse on Nazareth Hill by Ramsey Campbell
\nThe Manse by Lisa Cantrell
\nNightmare House by Douglas Clegg (reviewed here)
\nInfinite by Douglas Clegg
\nAbandoned by Douglas Clegg (reviewed here)
\nMaybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie (reviewed here- her answer to Henry James’ Turn of the Screw)
\nHouse of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (reviewed here)
\nRebecca by Daphne du Maurier (not technically a ghost story, but I can’t resist including it)
\nThe Dark Sanctuary by H.B. Gregory
\nJulian’s House by Judith Hawkes
\nThe House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson
\nThe Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
\nThe Turn of the Screw by Henry James
\nAn American Haunting by Scott A. Johnson
\nGhost Walk by Brian Keene (reviewed here)
\nThe Shining by Stephen King (reviewed here)
\nBag of Bones by Stephen King
\nHarbor by John Ajdve Lindqvist (reviewed here)
\nThe Resort by Bentley Little
\nThe Elementals by Michael McDowell
\nCharnel House by Graham Masterson
\nThe House That Jack Built by Graham Masterson
\nHell House by Richard Matheson
\nHere I Stay by Barbara Michaels
\nHell Manor by Lisa Morton (reviewed here)
\nThe Castle of Los Angeles by Lisa Morton (reviewed here)
\nHouse of Fallen Trees by Gina Ranalli (reviewed here)
\nDecember by Phil Rickman (reviewed here)
\nThe Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff (reviewed here)
\nThe Unseen by Alexandra Sokoloff (reviewed here)
\nThe House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons
\nA Winter Haunting by Dan Simmons
\nJulia by Peter Straub
\nGhost Story by Peter Straub
\nPhantom by Thomas Tessier
\nCinema of Shadows by Michael West (reviewed here)
\nThe Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde (this has been made into a very enjoyable movie with Patrick Stewart as the ghost)
\nA Manhattan Ghost Story by T.M. Wright
\nCold House by T.M. Wright <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Some article in the Guardian that claimed horror was dead suggested that real life is fraught with enough peril–greedy corporations, mortgages, and so on. Well, okay, those things are pretty scary even without demon-worshiping CEO’s, politicians who deal with the devil, and haunted houses. Clearly, real life isn’t scary enough, though, because we keep seeing<\/p>\n