A few years ago, the Netflix hit TV show, The Haunting of Hill House, had everyone on a chokehold. It had all the right elements for success. Familial bond, love, complicated relationships, and, of course, supernatural horror. The show wasn’t just about ghosts haunting an old mansion and scaring the Crain family. It was about the ghosts we carry within ourselves. The grief, guilt, and all the memories that we are not able to escape from.
Inspired by Shirley Jackson’s classic 1959 novel, A Haunting on the Hill, the series reminded audiences just how powerful a well-told haunted house story can be. If you too enjoyed watching the series and want to read some spooky books like The Haunting of Hill House, we’ve got you covered. We have gathered the ultimate list that’ll make you gasp, dread, and send shivers down your spine.
1. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Horror Rating: ★★★★☆
Released in 2020, Mexican Gothic is a horror novel that is as bewitching as it is spooky. The book is set in the 1950s inside a classic haunted house where a Mexican family is hiding dark secrets. Naomi sets out on a mission to save her cousin from the domestic dread that’s brewing in the house.
Similar to Hill House, this is also one of the psychological horror books that blends gothic horror in a decaying, sentient house that feels alive. Even though the tension builds slowly but when it hits, it will scare the bejesus out of you. It’s hands down a great spooky book to read this Halloween season.
2. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Horror Rating: ★★★☆☆
Londoners, Christmas Eve, and ghost stories? A big yes. That’s how The Turn of the Screw begins. An unnamed narrator describes a Christmas Eve where the people at the party are sharing horror stories. The story follows a young governess who takes a position at a remote English estate to care for two orphaned children, Miles and Flora.
At first, everything seems picturesque and peaceful. However, the governess soon begins to see ghostly figures around the property. This gothic fiction is subtle, ambiguous, and deeply psychological. If you are looking for some classic ghost story books, this one is a must-read.
3. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Horror Rating: ★★★☆☆
We’re talking about the best gothic horror novels, and how could we possibly leave out the mother of them all classic haunted house novels, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier? Absolutely not! They say to bury the past but this is one among the haunted house horror books where the past cannot be buried.
The plot involves an eerie mansion (Mandalay estate), a mysterious death, and a shadow of a woman scaring another woman. This timeless classic was first published in 1938. I’ve read this book twice, and I was hooked from start to finish both times. Give this book a chance and the quiet horror of Rebecca will leave you breathless.
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4. White is for Witching Helen Oyeyemi
Horror Rating: ★★★☆☆
Eerie, poetic, and unsettling. Those are the three words I would use to describe White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi. The story is about the Silver family, where twins Eliot and Miranda are in grief after their mother’s demise. After the mother’s death, Miranda has a mental breakdown. She starts eating inedible things like chalk and other things.
Set in a strange, sentient house in Dover, this is one among the best haunted house books. The author also beautifully blends magical realism into the genre. It’s not your typical horror story; nonetheless, it’s a deeply atmospheric, spine-tingling, and unsettling book.
5. Hell House by Richard Matheson
Horror Rating: ★★★★★
Would you spend a night in a mansion that has a history of murder, suicide, and insanity? That’s what Richard Matheson’s Hell House is about. A team of investigators and medium experts is hired to investigate the truth behind the house.
I read it and found the novel terrifying, which I didn’t mind. However, it’s not for the faint-hearted. This is a book that gets under your skin and stays there till another book can heal you and help you forget about it. So, if you love gory details and distributing imagery, then this should definitely be on your haunted house books TBR list.
6. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Horror Rating: ★★★★☆
From the same author as Haunting Hill, Shirley Jackson, even this supernatural horror book is astonishing. The plot revolves around the Blackwood sisters, Merricat and Constance. They are living in isolation with their uncle after their family members died from arsenic poisoning.
With an unreliable narrator and domestic dread, this gothic fiction is unforgettable. If you’ve ever repressed your emotions, this book perfectly understands what it feels like to live through it.
7. The Shining by Stephen King
Horror Rating: ★★★★★
“The question should be, what is not so great about The Shining? The answer would be: NOTHING!”, says Joey in FRIENDS, and he couldn’t be more right. This quintessential haunted house novel is about going mad in isolation. Jack Torrance, a struggling writer and recovering alcoholic, takes his wife and son to the remote Overlook Hotel for the winter.
The hotel’s weird energy and isolation make Jack descend into madness. King’s classic is a masterpiece in atmospheric tension and psychological horror. It is perhaps the best haunted house book of all time.
8. The Grip of It by Jac Jem
Horror Rating: ★★★★☆
Want to have some cheap thrills and jump scares? The Grip of It is the right choice. It’s your usual run-of-the-mill plot where a married couple moves into a house and strange things start happening.
The house grows mysterious, stains start appearing on the wall, and there’s tension brewing between the couple. Even though I wasn’t really captivated by the story, the lyrical prose had me reading till the last page.
9. This House is Haunted by John Boyne
Horror Rating: ★★★★☆
Known for his impeccable writing, John Boyne is a famous literary and historical fiction writer. The story is set in an isolated Gaudlin Hall in 1867 Norfolk, where Eliza Caine takes up a new job after the death of her father. As soon as she arrives, she notices peculiar things happening in the town.
From invisible hands gripping her in the night to voices echoing through empty rooms, This House is Haunted had all the supernatural components that will have you looking under your bed throughout. If you want to read books like The Haunting of Hill House, this one is perfect for you.
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10. The Family Plot by Cherie Priest
Horror Rating: ★★★☆☆
There are horror books that are right in your face and then there are some that are subtle. The kind that creeps up on you when you least expect it. That’s precisely how The Family Plot is. This southern gothic ghost story follows Dahlia Dutton. She is hired to dismantle the old, decaying Withrow estate.
When Dahlia starts to explore the house, she feels an eerie presence watching her. As mentioned earlier, Priest doesn’t rely on jump scares. She builds a slow tension that’s prevalent till the end. This is the book you need to read if you don’t want all the ghosts to announce themselves loudly.
11. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
Horror Rating: ★★★★☆
The Little Stranger is set in England after WWII where a doctor meets a lonely family who live in a haunted mansion, Hundreds Hall. As he spends more time there, strange things begin to happen. Scratches on the walls, unexplained noises, and a creeping sense that the house hates the people who live in it.
Even though the book has many loose ends, it’s worth the read for Sarah Waters’ way of addressing social dilemmas like the British class system and people with old money. It’s a good book to read if you want to read about the ghosts that we create on our own.
Conclusion
Books like The Haunting of Hill House don’t just scare us. They also understand us. They understand the pain of isolation, loneliness, grief, and heartbreak. These are the ghost stories that send a chill down your bones while making you something deep inside your heart tremble. Gear up and read all the books in this list and let the ghosts whisper their woes to you.
