An Authentic Narrative of a Haunted House

by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

This early work by Sheridan Le Fanu was originally published in 1862. Born in Dublin in 1814, he came from a literary family of Huguenot origins; both his grandmother Alicia Sheridan Le Fanu and his greatuncle Richard Brinsley Sheridan were playwrights,

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Horror

24 pages, Paperback

First published February 22, 1862

About the author

Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu was an Irish writer of Gothic tales and mystery novels. He was the leading ghost-story writer of the nineteenth century and was central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era. M.R. James described Le Fanu as "absolutely in the first rank as a writer of ghost stories". Three of his best-known works are Uncle Silas, Carmilla and The House by the Churchyard.

Reviews

[Plateresca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice creepy story, but I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of proper dénouement: it's as if the author were saying, 'we don't know what happened, and we don't really care'. Maybe this was supposed to sound more authentic than a more in-depth explanation?

It's a nice atmospheric read nevertheless, just not my favourite one.

[Rainy-Night-Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars ⭐

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horror, weird, short story by a master, well done!!

[dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

surprisingly creepy. it's told from the point of a view of a narrator giving an account/affidavit of his haunted house a time after he lived in it, so it's not as in-the-moment scary but it's still pretty good for something that was written like a legal statement.

[Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this an outstanding example of its kind. Le Fanu gives us a tale in language easy enough for younger readers and maintains an unsettling, suspenseful story through to the end. It won't satisfy those used to a world of movie CGI effects and torture porn, but it will be satisfying for those who love more realistic, down to earth tales of the uncanny.

[Liza Robertson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was bored the minute I started reading it. It was too much like a legal document from a lawyer.

[Irka · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do admit that I expected more after Carmilla, instead I got a story about ghosts haunting the crime scene...easy read and that's all.

[madcrazyreviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple nice spooky moments that have definitely been appropriated in other haunted house stories. This could have been more effective with a more ominous tone.

[Cevizin_kitaplari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anlatıcı ve ailesi bir ev kiralar ve evde çeşitli vuruş sesleri duyulur, gölgeler görülür, bir gözü kör yaşlı bir kadın görülür. Olayların doğaüstü olduğundan şüphelenmezler. Korku dozu:2/5

[Flora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, though the narrator himself is a bit too detached and disinterested for it to be really scary.