“Am I walking toward something I should be running away from?”
Shirley Jackson is one of America’s most beloved horror novelists, and The Haunting of Hill House still stands as one of her best works. Jackson famously dove head-first into the world of the supernatural for this gothic horror haunting house tale, sketching out and meticulously designing the halls that have terrified audiences in books, film and television in the years since its release. Join us at What We Reading for the best horror books like The Haunting of Hill House. These spooky tales all tap into the chilling atmospheres, psychological tensions and power of the past in a manner that any Jackson fan is sure to resonate with.
Who Wrote The Haunting Of Hill House?
The Haunting of Hill House was written by American author Shirley Jackson and first published in 1959. Throughout her two-decade-long writing career, Jackson penned six novels, two memoirs and over two hundred short stories. The Haunting of Hill House is renowned as one of the all-time classic pieces of gothic horror literature, having been nominated for the National Book Award. It has been made into two feature-length films, a play and an acclaimed Netflix adaptation.
We Have Always Lived In The Castle – Shirley Jackson
Kicking off our list of the best books like The Haunting of Hill House is another classic Shirley Jackson book some claim to be even better than her 1959 work, We Have Always Lived in the Castle. This gothic horror book follows a strange eighteen-year-old girl named Merricat Blackwood, and the dark secrets her family holds. Six years before the events of the book, most members of the Blackwood family were poisoned, leading to the remaining members being isolated from the nearby village over suspicions they may have been involved.
Renowned for its themes of isolation and social judgement, We Have Always Lived in the Castle features an eerie and unsettling atmosphere, unreliable narrators and psychological tension, it is the perfect follow-up for any Hill House fans.
Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier
Blending the worlds of classic romance, mystery and gothic horror, Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca is a haunting tale of a mysterious mansion and psychological intrigue. The story follows an unnamed protagonist who meets and falls in love with the handsome and enigmatic Maxim de Winter. The two marry and return to de Winter’s lavish estate, Manderley.
However, once there, the lingering presence of de Winter’s first wife, who died in mysterious circumstances, begins to make our narrator feel like little more than an intruder in her own new home. Secrets about Rebecca’s life and death are revealed, leading to the sinister truth hiding behind Manderley’s walls finally coming to light.
The Grip Of It – Jac Jemc
Nominated for Best Horror in the Goodreads Choice Awards, Jac Jemc’s The Grip of It follows Julie and James, a young couple who move into a new house nestled between an ocean and a forest. However, this cramped and claustrophobic home soon begins to deliver a series of strange goings-on. Mould spores taint the water, rooms begin to decay in front of their eyes, and stains map themselves onto their bodies. Before long, Julie and James are embarking on a panicked search into the heart of the house’s darkness. Searching for the source of their terrors, they soon unearth the truth behind the histories of their unusual neighbours, and the eerie residents who called the building their home before them.
This chilling literary horror novel is psychologically intense and questions how we make and become defined by our homes.
The Little Friend – Donna Tartt
For a book like The Haunting of Hill House that is less on horror but still nails the themes of childhood, innocence and evil, Donna Tartt’s The Little Friend is a perfect go-to.
One Mother’s Day, a young boy named Robin Cleve Dufresnes was found hanging from a tree in his parent’s back garden. Fast forward twelve years, and this violent crime remains unsolved, leaving Robin’s family, including his sister Harriet, devastated. Unnervingly intelligent, unimaginably determined and inspired by the works of Kipling and Stevenson, Harriet sets out to solve this case once and for all. Joined only by her loyal friend Hely, Harriet’s investigation sees her wade through the turbulent history of Alexandria, Mississippi’s race and caste divisions, as well as her own family’s dealings with loss and grief.
Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Another contemporary haunted house book delivered with a unique cultural twist, author Silvia Moreno-Garcia introduces readers to Noemí Taboada and the eerie setting of High Place in Mexican Gothic. Having received a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin speaking about a mysterious doom, Noemí arrives at the grand estate in the Mexican countryside unsure what she is about to discover.
There, she meets the various members of the mansion, all of whom seem to be fascinated with her. High Place itself even begins to infiltrate her dreams with visions of the family’s dark history and bloody secrets hiding behind the walls. Violence and madness, wealth and glamour, all collide in this terrifying yet seductive haunted house tale lauded as one of the best horror books from 2020.
The Turn Of The Screw – Henry James
If you loved the follow-up to Mike Flanagan’s Haunting of Hill House adaptation, The Haunting of Bly Manor, the horror novella it is inspired by is a must-read. Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw follows a young woman as she accepts a job as a nanny caring for two young children, Miles and Flora at a forlorn estate housing untold evils.
Only Miles and Flora don’t seem to be bothered by the dark towers, dusty windows and unseen phantoms. A timeless piece of Victorian gothic horror, The Turn of the Screw is another book that explores the corruption of innocence and the corruption of the past.
The Silent Companions – Laura Purcell
Laura Purcell’s The Silent Companions is a gothic horror book that follows the newly-widowed Elsie as she is sent to her husband’s crumbling country estate to see out her pregnancy. What greets her at The Bridge, however, is far from the picturesque life of privilege she was expecting. The servants are resentful, the locals are hostile and the only company she has is her husband’s awkward cousin.
And then Elsie discovers the painted wooden figure that resides inside a locked room. The figure terrifies the locals, but Elsie shrugs off these superstitions. That is until the figure’s eyes begin to follow her. Offering a chilling and gothic Victorian atmosphere, The Silent Companions explores themes of isolation, duality and fear of the unknown.
The Fall Of The House Of Usher – Edgar Allan Poe
Another classic gothic work that has been given the Netflix treatment by Mike Flanagan, Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher chronicles the strange and terrible demise of a once-illustrious and mighty clan. One of Poe’s best books from the golden age of gothic horror, it remains one of the most defining works for this unique style.
Like The Haunting of Hill House, The Fall of the House of Usher deals with themes of decay and disintegration, both in terms of the physical buildings the families reside in, as well as their sanities.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
