A Spooky Bookish List!

October is the perfect time to read a good ghost story.

I don’t mean a horror story, with homicidal maniacs or killer clowns {looking at you, Stephen King}.

I’m talking about a ghost story—ancient houses, lonely spirits, unsuspecting guests.


Perhaps, to be more accurate, I mean a good Gothic ghost story.

I know what you’re thinking, and no, a Gothic tale does not have anything to do with those kids from high school who wore all black {although their look was originally inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s work}. It does have to do with Gothic architecture, as many of the stories from the height of the Gothic fiction period took place in homes built in the Gothic style. There is a very rich history of Gothic fiction, and it came to spawn some of the most prolific “spooky” authors of all time:  Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and of course, Edgar Allen Poe.

And my girl, Jane Austen, wrote one of the most famous parodies of Gothic fiction ever:  Northanger Abbey. Her heroine, Catherine Moreland, a great reader of Gothic fiction, starts to view herself as a character in one of her favorite novels while staying at the ancient house, Northanger Abbey, with her friends, the Tilneys. In fact, Catherine reads The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, one of the most important founders of the genre.


Anyway, I thought it would be fun to share some Gothic stories I love, some I'm excited to read, and some I think other people might enjoy.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Okay, I share this one because I should. I read it last year. I was super, duper confused for a good portion of it. Maybe it’s just the way Henry James writes? Anyway, I was a lot less confused after I watched the 1961 film version, The Innocents, starring Deborah Kerr. It’s creepy, and there’s an amazing old house, Bly.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte


So there technically isn’t a ghost at Thornfield Hall, just poor Bertha, but Jane’s interpretation of what is going on is spot-on-creepy.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte


Oh Heathcliff, just open your window and let Cathy in! Just pretend she isn’t a ghost, okay? Also, Heathcliff is super messed up. Just saying.

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale


This is a sequel to Hale’s novel Austenland, and it is a great gothic twist to a lovely tourist destination.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier


This is my Gothic read for the year—I try to read a new novel each fall. And there is a Netflix movie starring Lily James coming out this month. Even though this was published in the 1930s, it holds many of the aspects of Gothic fiction, especially the romantic Gothic fiction published by the Bronte sisters.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

This is one I have on my shelf but haven't read yet. However, every time I come across a list of Gothic tales, this one is on it.



Crimson Peak

If you’re more of a visual person, I recommend Guillermo del Toro’s 2015 Gothic nightmare, Crimson Peak. Starring Tom Hiddleston {need I say more?}, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, and Charlie Hunnam, it is sufficiently creepy without being overwhelmingly horror-filled {which is good, because “sufficiently creepy” is as much as my overactive imagination and I can handle}.  


All good ghost stories need a location, and old Gothic-style houses provide the perfect anchoring point. Whether it's 1313 Mockingbird Lane, the Haunted Mansion, or Allerdale Hall, a spooky house makes or breaks a spooky story. 

If you have a favorite haunted house story or film, pass it on! Share the love this fall--there certainly needs to be a lot more of it going around!

 

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