This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Haunted houses are no modern phenomenon. There’s a reason it’s always older houses that are supposedly haunted. New builds just aren’t going to be haunted in the same way that historical houses are. They don’t have the history or trauma to support a haunting. Because it is almost always trauma that’s at the heart of a haunting, whether that trauma is a murder, a curse, or a quest for revenge. And we are certainly all haunted by history.
That’s especially true in these books where history quite literally comes back to haunt the protagonists. That’s why these historical haunted houses are so very terrifying. They feel almost plausible. Especially since many of these books are inspired by colonialism and racism as well as actual historical buildings; the stories hit very close to home. So close, in fact, that you might find yourself questioning those late night noises in your own home.
If you’re looking for gothic horror or Victorian thrills, you’ve come to the right place. That’s exactly what these historical haunted house novels are full of. So lock your doors and leave the light on, because as soon as you pick up these books, you’ll be too terrified to put them back down.
This Cursed House by Del Sandeen
Desperate to escape life in 1960s Chicago and her hidden ability to see spirits, Jemma Barker takes up a position as a tutor with a family in New Orleans. It seems like the perfect opportunity to start afresh. But the Duchons are hiding a dark secret: their family is cursed. They haven’t been able to leave their house in over 20 years. They believe Jemma is the one person who can save them. With little choice but to try, Jemma digs into the mystery of what haunts the Duchon family, only to discover her own ties to the curse. It’s not only the Duchons who will be doomed if Jemma can’t succeed. Breaking the curse is now Jemma’s only hope as well.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Worried about her recently married cousin’s increasingly deteriorating mental state, Noemí Taboada travels to High Place, a lonely estate in the Mexican countryside. There, she meets her cousin’s menacing English husband and his aging father. But they’re not the most disturbing thing about High Place. Soon, the house itself begins to invade her dreams, taking over her every waking and sleeping moment. Something horrifying is going on here—but what? Noemí came to save her cousin, but now she’s wrapped up in this mess herself. Will she be able to get the both of them out before it’s too late?
Midnight Rooms by Donyae Coles
As the orphaned daughter of a white man and Black woman in 1940s England, Orabella Mumthrope has few prospects. So, she’s quick to agree when a mysterious stranger, claiming to be the heir to a wealthy family, offers his hand in marriage. Instead of glamour, Orabella finds only decay at her new home, Korringhill Manor. Her husband’s sweet promises and affection tide her over, but as the darkness in the house begins to seep into her dreams and waking life, she wonders how long it will be before she loses herself entirely to this new life.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
In 1950s Jim Crow-era Florida, a 12-year-old is sentenced to six months at Gracetown Reformatory School for Boys for kicking a white boy in defense of his older sister. Now, his once comforting gift for seeing ghosts of the dead has turned to horror. Boys at The Reformatory often go missing, but not for Robbie, who can still see them. Based on the true and horrifying Dozier School for Boys and events from the author’s own family, The Reformatory paints a terrifying picture of how hate is the worst haunting of all.
