Ranking every haunted house book I've ever read (from worst to best) 

That's why I like House on Haunted Hill. It was very slow paced, focused heavily on the emotional tension between characters and made for a dreadful atmosphere

I find it kinda funny that there’s so many books called “the haunting of _____ house”.

I just recently discovered your channel. I like how even though you’re more horror focused from what I can tell, I can see several books on your shelves from other genres and authors that I love. I find many booktubers stick to just whatever their niche is. Loved what I’ve seen so far.

The Haunting of Hill House is a story of a woman and her depression being manifested thru poltergeist's and you literally have explanation for 'almost'(by 'almost' I think there is a little bit of fiction added in there) every happening you just have to think about it a little bit, and that is the problem with this story because everybody's favorite book from Shirley Jackson is 'We have always lived in the castle' because is digestible but I think Haunting is better just because it's more satisfying when you connect the dots you're self or read somebodies essay on it to make you're reading more interesting 😄

Dope shirt!

Kind of a new sub and dig the content you are laying down. Keep up the great work. If I have to say a book that, to me, was so unsettling was Mark Danielewski's book - House of Leaves. Not just the story itself but the context by which the story is conveyed. The set up is simple enough. But once you get into what exactly is wrong with the house, it is just unnerving. I always recommend it to anyone looking for new horror in a unique format.

I’m so excited about this video!! Thank you so much for making this 🎉

Another great vid. Love your outfit as always

'The Haunting of Hill House' is a masterpiece. 'Home Before Dark' was a fun popcorn read, nothing groundbreaking. I wouldn't say it added anything to the genre, but it did what it did tolerably well, even though the last reveal was a bit of a stretch and pretty much defied all logic. I also have a question: what is the haunted house genre? Which books according to you are seminal works in the genre, which books led to the creation of its well-loved tropes? Unless we first determine what the genre actually is, what are its tropes, and which books made these tropes, it can be a bit counterintuitive to think of books which add to the genre, and which simply derive from it, and are, therefore, derivative. Personally, I think 'The Haunting of Hill House' did add a lot to the genre, and there are some very interesting themes.

Finding your channel at the start of spooky season - perfect!

Firstly I wanted to say thank you for this video, I've only recently discovered your channel and I've now added a whole lot of books to my current TBR. Secondly I'm so glad to have found your channel, it's really nice to see a booktuber that has very similar reading interests to mine (and not one just stuck on romance novels, which I personally can't stand). I would highly recommend any of C J Tudor's books if you haven't already read any of her things, she's my current favourite horror/thriller author and all of her books are amazing!

I loved Ghost Story as a teen and I made that clear in my video on favorite horror novels. The fact that I remember nothing about the novel is interesting in that I might see Peter Straub in a very different light if I try to re-read him today. So glad in not being alone feeling underwhelmed about The Haunting of Hill House. I love Joe Hill but I would recommend NOS4A2, such a menacing tale. The Shining 😀 awesome! Thanks for the Darcy Coates recommendations, you have given me a good starting point.

Awww, the Turn of the Screw was one of my favorite books. We All Lived in the Castle, The Woman in Black, and the Yellow Wallpaper were all so chilling to me. Haunting, but not in the extremity gore way, but in the atmospheric sense. Like when you're walking in a familiar room, but it's different somehow. Changed. Like the shadows seem out of place, but you can't figure out what's different, or why. Or maybe the room was always that way, and there's something wrong with you. Or in the case of the Yellow Wallpaper, the possibility of being gaslit by the one you're supposed to love and trust the most, and never knowing if it's them, or you. Sure, it's not extreme horror like the ones reviewed on this channel (which are now all on my reading list, lol) but there's a quaint place in my heart for those ghostly classics.

How to Sell A Haunted House gave me Goosebumps vibes and I enjoyed it for that but it was a let down compared to say, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampire Slaying.

I love your outfits and humour!! Your videos have been very helpful to me. Thank you!

First off, I LOVE YOUR SHIRT! Thank you for this video. I needed all of these for spooky season. I’m so ready. I loved the Sun Down Motel and Home Before Dark is sitting on my shelf. I’m definitely picking it up now that it’s fall 😊 I just read Ghost Eaters. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

I LOVED Heart Shaped Box! I just started with Bentley Little books. I finished The Town last week. It has some uncomfortable elements in it, but that aside, I really liked it. Next of his I’ll be reading is The Store. It seems to have a SK Needful Things feel to it. Let’s see! But right now I’m midway through Broken Girls and I’m loving it❤ Fabulous video! You have given me a few suggestions I put on my list!

The Good House by Tananarive Due is an absolute gem 🤓💕

Just found your channel a few days ago and I’m hooked!

The Secret of Crickley Hall was fun, I thought! A bit of a slow build, but really good reveal at the end! 😊

This is so interesting to me! The things you describe not enjoying (lack of grounding in reality/rules, etc) are exactly the things that frighten me the most in horror! The unknown, the blurred lines between real/unreal, the implications of an unraveling mind vs. the influence of an external spirit.... scary stuff! But I love hearing other perspectives! Hearing you say you are not a fantasy fan makes this all make a lot of sense hahaha

Totally agree about How to Sell a Haunted House! Dolls are my least favorite horror story trope and definitely enjoyed the complicated family dynamics more than the horror

A good haunted house or ghost story is difficult to find for me, so this is incredibly helpful. I have been getting a lot of recommendations for Adam Nevill's No One Gets Out Alive, and also his book The Last Days.

My favorite Haunted House story is a novella length story by Oliver Onions called "The Beckoning Fair One", written near the turn of the 19th century but so atmospheric and creepy. His new apartment starts to exert a power over him, and creepy stuff follows.

I just recently purchased Darcy Coates’ The Haunting of Blackwood House and I’m so excited to read it! Thank you for the recommendation 🥳🥳🥳

I am a Darcy Coates fan, and I gotta say, the early scene in The Haunting of Leigh Harker (with the closet), scared the crap out of me. I also enjoyed Darcy’s Carrow Haunt, and Riley Sager’s Home Before Dark. I like Simone St. James’s books, as well. I’ve also read The Shining, Salem’s Lot, and Ghost Story way back when, and several of the others too.

Joe Hill is one of my “new” favorites. 20th Century Ghosts is a book of short stories that I will read often. Heart-shaped Box was the first of his books I had read.

It's actually wild how many cinematic takes there's been on The Turn of the Screw.

I just bought "Home Before Dark" after watching this video. Thanks for the recommendation! I loved a trilogy by London Clarke -- "The Meadows", "Whickering Place," and "Nocturne House." The character development is fantastic, and their stories could stand alone outside of the hauntings.

looking a few of the books up from your videos, I've noticed Darcy Coates books have all been removed from audible (UK at least). Even Hunted, which was in my library!? gah.

Heavily suggest Adam Neville's "No One Gets Out Alive". Scariest book I've ever read, the moment-to-moment horror is basically unrivaled, imo. Totally agree with Turn of the Screw and Hill House and Hell House (Hell House was probably the best of the bunch, imo), authors back then were terrified that audiences wouldn't "believe" in the world they created so they steeped their stories in so much "rational science" and subtext the books almost come off as apologetic for even BEING ghost stories in the first place. Fuck that. I signed up for a goshdang ghost story! "No One Gets Out Alive" gives you the ghosts.

Perhaps early September is a trifle premature but the daddy of all ghost stories must surely be "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens which I re-read ever couple of years. A yuletide readalong review would be eagerly anticipated!

You look SO MUCH like Alison Lohman, the actress from White Oleander, Big Fish, Drag Me to Hell, etc. Great reviews! I also barely got through Turn of the Screw

Not sure if someone already mentioned this, but when you were describing Ghost Story I immediately thought about The Breathing Method (Different Seasons). It sounds like Ghost Story (‘79) might have inspired King to write it(‘82). [TBM is easily my favorite piece of writing by Stephen King. I feel like I saw you with a copy of it in one of your videos. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Also, watching your extreme horror videos got me back into reading, so THANK YOU!]

Would you consider doing a Kindle Unlimited horror books ranking ? I would love that!

yay Haunted Houses! One of my favorites 😁

Great review. Do like the novellete The Shunned House by Lovecraft? By the way, ghouls are not the same as ghosts. Also , although it is a short story, I consider it is very effective "The Old Portrait" by Hume Nisbet.

Home before Dark's audio book is amazing. The "you are sixteen going on seventeen" plays out in my head randomly still

I once put every haunted house book from my TBR onto my reading list for October. Big mistake. 😂 Thanks for putting this review together! ❤

Have you read "A head full of ghosts" by Paul Tremblay? It's a book that I pick up every time I go to Barnes and Noble and end up putting back because idk it just sounds tame, but I hear SO MANY ppl love this book and say it is amazing and worth a read and I'm curious if you have any input on it?

Couldn't agree more regarding The Carrow Haunt! I loved the book until the end. It's not precisely a haunted house story in the traditional sense, but I just finished Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly (2020) and absolutely loved it. You should check it out if you come across it.

Can u do a bookshelf tour , where u show every book u own , it will be amazing ❤❤❤

Love ur channel

I remember liking Turn of the screw, but I probably read it translated. The first line (was it?) of The Haunting of hill house is outstanding (philosophical even). The show was also amazing. p.s. For no reason at all, honestly I don't know why, I thought of "Punster McPunstein" on YT.

The reason people read Henry James is because of the long sentences. They are like flowing masterpieces of improbable grammar that are as beautiful as they are brilliant. Just hearing you recite them was breathtaking. You've got a great voice. Peter Straub is one of the best horror writers ever. I love every single one of his books, especially those he cowrote with Stephen King. If you can avoid a ghost simply by leaving a haunted place then why wouldn't people just do that? It's much scarier if it's not that easy. Shirley Jackson is another one of my favorites. The book is meant to be disturbing and confusing as it follows the perspective of a very disturbed and confused person and is a tour de force at it. Much of modern horror just seems like graceless schlock compared to the classics. Joe Hill is one of the few newer writers that I can stand to read. Wonderful and informative video. Thanks for all your work.

Would love to hear your thoughts on the ghost stories of M.R.James (no relation to Henry James!) His classic tales of the supernatural are ideal for the spooky season so perhaps wait a month or two before delving in!

I just finished The Turn of the Screw and felt the same infuriation with the writing style! The story itself was dark, mildly perverted and slightly horrific at times, but the author made each page feel like a screw literally drilling into my skull. However, after hearing you read the first two sentences aloud with your natural inflection and deliberate pauses, I realized TTOTS might actually make for a great audiobook experience!

You should watch the miniseries version of The Shining. Much more like the book! Hard to find, though. 😉

Im not sure if this is really a haunted house story, but i think House of leaves is just awesome. Its one of those books that just lingers in your head. Maybe its just me, but i find myself thinking about it once every couple of weeks. Its more like a puzzle than a book really. Not for everyone, but definitely unique.

Episode Thirteen was a good "haunted house" story too I thought. One of my favorites anyway. Of course I love the greek myth of Sisyphus, so I am a bit biased. I know some people didn't like the ending, but I loved it.

Love Love Love Darcy

Home Before Dark is such a great read. It was my introduction to Riley Sager and I'm glad that I picked that one up.

I don't read much these days, but I do enjoy a solid audio book and there's one called The Elementals that's definitely got a cool vibe... There's also a newer Nick Cutter (read The Troop if you haven't) book called The Breach which might count as a haunted house.

I would like to see your opinion on House of Leaves, it is a haunted house story for the most part but with some original ideas and with an interesting narrative that either people love or hate.

Have you tried Hunter Shea’s The Jessica Backman trilogy.

Oh, and Joe Hill's "20th Century Ghost" I love! It's a short story, right? It's set in a movie theatre...

I have a weird relation with haunted house books. Some I enjoy, and some I hate... But I myself have had written a haunted houses book, but mine was pretty much about my personal experiences investigating haunted places. I mean, public buildings, hospitals, hotels, and even some very few private properties. - But I wrote it as a observer, sharing the experiences, and inviting people to go to those haunted sites, so it's kinda different from writing fiction. And by my real life experiences that I rate some of those fictional stories, so the ones that sound real I end liking... I mean, when they have a solid plot, a background that you can relate, something that actually could be real, and not just a work of fiction.

I hate the novella + shorts thing too! The one that got me the worst was Cabal by Clive Barker. The version of it I read didn't even make it that clear that the first story had ended and that we were on to another story so it was extra confusing lol

If you've not read it yet, I recommend The Cockroach King by Andrew Cull. It's a haunted house novella, only the haunting isn't ghosts (the title kinda clues you in.)

Recommend-The Mansion by Boone, Dead Silence by Barnes

You: “Hello creeps” Me: “I’m home.”

I agree with you as I have a hard time with haunted house stories. Movies I can do more with, as opposed to reading such stories.

Where do you find your books at? Any store recommendations?? Thank you 😊

I LOVE Simone St. James!!

I wholeheartedly agree with your take on "The Turn of the Screw." I find it to be overly pretentious and infuriating to read. Although, after a while, with some dedication, one does get accustomed to it.

A good haunted sunken ship story is From Below by Darcy Coates. I would LOVE to see that book adapted to 3D film 😳🙈😆

I read the Sundown Motel. I read it as a bookclub book and we all love all things haunted and not one person gave it more than a 2.75 🌟 I do love Darcy Coates books.

YESSS THE SHINING IS THE GREATEST!!!

I love The Shining. There’s a book I was obsessed with when I was growing up called Ghost House, by Clare McNally. It’s about a house haunted by the ghost of a jilted lover who seduces women who move in, believing they are the woman who was ripped away from him, while also trying to destroy those women’s families. It’s scary and romantic at the same time. 😂 Too bad most of her books are out of print now. I’d reread them all if I could. If you can find it, I recommend giving it a try.

House of Leaves is the weirdest haunted house story ever written and is worth your time just to see what it’s all about. A real experiment in what that type of story can be. Not for everyone, and you might hate it, but check it out.

I’m a huge Grady Hendrix fan but his work is definitely more horror comedy than straight horror but I’d say the one that scared me the most was “Southern Book Clubs Guide to Slaying Vampires” or “We Sold Our Souls”

I would recommend Hell House by Richard Matheson and The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

Hill House was the first Shirley Jackson novel I read, and I found it underwhelming. (And was then blown away by We Have Always Lived in the Castle.) I reread it after reading the rest of Jackson's novels and a good chunk of her short stories and found it much more engaging. It's a very psychological novel, so while I think it's fair to say the ghosts aren't that impressive, there is a way to vibe with it that's a lot of fun. A recent haunted house novel I'd recommend is Sarah Gailey's Just Like Home.

Don’t worry, I kinda felt the same way about “Hill House.” I still really liked it and found it entertaining, but it wasn’t quite the MASTERPIECE that everyone was talking about.

We have Always Lived in the Castle is my favorite Shirley Jackson book. I always recommend it . Ghost Story is still a fun one for me, but I admit that it may seem a little dated by current standards, I admit horror comedy is not for everyone. However, I loved Grady Hendricks How to Sell a Haunted House. It was soooo much fun to read. I might make my own Pupkin doll for display this Halloween.

❤

"The Beckoning Fair One" by Oliver Onions is, without a doubt, the single greatest ghost ever written! (Well, at least in my opinion, right?) It's not a novel--it's also not a short story. It's looong enough!

I love Darcy Coates books

Algernon Blackwood. Most od his works.

Wholeheartedly agree with you about "The Turn Of The Screw" by Henry James. Unbearably tedious and for a relatively short novella it seems to go on forever! Ironically all of the film versions are vastly superior to the original, perhaps the best being "The Innocents" from 1961, starring Deborah Kerr.

I am so glad you feel this way about Turn of the screw, awful book in my opinion 🤣

I know you don't do film reviews, but I humbly suggest the following. A little bit different, films based on ghost/haunted house books; The Haunting (1963) based on The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson The Stone Tape (1972) (only one not based on a book) tv film written by Nigel Kneale, creator of Quatermass. The Legend of Hell House (1973) screenplay by Richard Matheson based on his book Hell House The Woman in Black (1989) tv film based on The Woman in Black by Susan Hill. Ignore the Daniel Ratcliffe version 2012. Haunted (1995) based on the book Haunted by James Herbert hope you can find time to watch them

I wish a movie adaptation of one of Darcy Coate's books would be made!

Amityville Horror is a classic. It doesn't matter if it's true or not, it's just a great creepy read.

The Turn of the Screw and Ghost Story are two books that I DNF'd. I know they're classics and people love them, but I couldn't get into either of them. However, I do love the movie The Innocents from the 1960's which is an adaptation of Turn of the Screw. Also, I agree with you on The Haunting of Hill House and Hell House. Both are very similar, and they aren't necessarily bad but I'm not the biggest fan. A few of my favorite "haunted house" type of books: Naomi's Room by Jonathan Aycliffe, The Woman in Black by Susan Hill, Haunted by James Herbert.

I loved Ghost Story. The movie is really good and it stars Fred Astaire!

Anyone read the exorcists house by nick Roberts?

Also, not related to haunted houses, but long , flowing sentences might be an issue for you with some of Blood Meridian. But it's so woth it!

So I agree with you about our Western established rules of hauntings. They are locational, they are limited in their power by their location, and they can be defeated if the protagonist is strong enough. We follow the rule that if the ghost is too powerful it IS NOT A GHOST! It is a DEMON, lol. Bring better tools! But other cultures don't follow those rules, for instance in Japan, a person is haunted, not a place. Our rules don't apply in Japanese horror. Ghost Story was wildly popular when it came out, and was seen as a wonderful throwback with modern elements. I agree with you about Henry James' writing; his relative M.R. James did it much better.

The film Ghost story was pritty creepy, it came out in the early 80s

I’m so glad others think that The Turn of the Screw is boring. I think it’s kinda funny because I personally hated every movie/show rendition of this book.

Please don't judge Bently little by The Haunted, he's one of the best authors I've read.. The mailman and The store won't leave my mind and never will. I've bought ever Darcy Coates book I can find because of u (not too well known in UK) and will dive into them from now till Halloween. Ghost story rec from me is Horrorstor by G Hendrix. ❤👻

Here's an individual whose bookshelf I take a peep at, then look at the owner and know that they have legitimately read every book on that shelf. Not for show.

Puppets not dolls being haunted is what makes, How to sell a haunted house creepy and scary. Puppets are very intimate, you put your hand inside of them and speak for them Possession anyone? And when they speak for you Yqikes!!!!

Thank you for the lists! I was super disappointed in Shirley Jackson's haunting of hill house because I saw the netflix show first (mistake #1) and the book didn't scare me at all. I feel like I would have enjoyed the book if I didn't have high expectations to have my pants scared off. I LOVE the movie series Rose Red so I bought The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer. I used to love it so much. I haven't read it in years, so I don't know if I would still like it today (I was a young teen). I'm getting a nice list going for spooky season!

Didn't know Bly Manor was Screw. I'll have to watch it, then. Screw is one my favorite ghost stories ever. How come you didn't like it? Even you reading those small masterworks of prose, his long sentences, was awe-inspiring! Each line Henry James wrote was a microcosm, a literature of its own. "Hell House is the scariest haunted house novel ever written. It looms over the rest the way the mountains loom over the foothills." -- Stephen King // In other words, don't believe what King says. Blurbs like this are marketing, not personal opinions. He said the same about the Straub book.

Alas, "Turn of Screw", "Ghost Story" and "Hell House" are among my very favorites. I guess I just prefer the old, outdated and now irrelevant stuff.

LMAO!!! My sister rants how much she thought Henry James's Turn of the Screw and Hawthorne's House of Seven Gables were BORING!! I'll tell her about this vid and that she's not alone 😂😂😂

“The Turning” the newer movie based on “The Turning of The Screw” was absolutely terrible