October feels like a constant state of “in-between.” The veil between seasons is thin, the light is changing, and everything seems to be waiting for what comes next. I’m drawn to stories where this “liminal space” isn’t only a feeling; it’s a character in itself.

Liminal spaces are those transitional places: the old, grand hallways that lead to a hidden room; the foggy road you can’t see the end of (like some of my wee-early mornings are while on my way to work); the moment between waking and a terrifying nightmare. In Gothic horror, they are where the real terror lives, and they’re exactly the kind of atmosphere I find myself exploring more and more, especially in my ongoing novel, From the Ashes.

If you love stories where the setting itself feels like a creepy waiting room, here are a few Gothic recommendations that capture that haunting feeling perfectly.

Guillermo del Toro (one of my favorite filmmakers and authors) is a master of creating worlds that feel both beautiful and broken. Allerdale Hall is the ultimate liminal space: a decaying mansion literally bleeding into the red clay it was built on. It is a house that holds its inhabitants captive, trapping them between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The film isn’t just about a haunting; it’s about the emotional and psychological state of being stuck in an eerily beautiful place with no escape.

Shirley Jackson is the undisputed master of this genre. The Haunting of Hill House is a timeless example of a liminal space. The house is a character itself, and its purpose is to keep its inhabitants cornered and questioning their own sanity. The terror isn’t a ghost; it’s the feeling that the walls are closing in and you’re losing your grip on reality, all while trapped in a place where nothing is certain.

Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca is the quintessential Gothic novel, and it’s a brilliant study in psychological liminality. The new Mrs. de Winter is in a constant state of “in-between,” trapped in the shadow of the previous wife, Rebecca. The sprawling estate of Manderley feels like a physical manifestation of her own anxiety and the troubling memory of a woman she never even met. It proves that you don’t need an actual ghost for a place to feel haunted.

The true horror of a liminal space is the powerlessness of being trapped, with no way forward and no way back. It’s a feeling we all know, and it’s what makes these stories so deeply horrifying.

What is a book or movie that you feel captures this feeling of being stuck in an eerie “in-between” place?