How to Build a Haunted House: The History of a Cultural Obsession

by Caitlin Blackwell Baines

A grand tour of The Haunted House through art, architecture, ghost stories and more

What makes a house haunted? Why do some buildings conjure up a reputation for being particularly creepy, while others leave us unmoved? Barring the possibility of a looming afterlife, what are the particular features, contexts and histories that lend a building the dreaded identity of haunted house?

How to Build a Haunted House tours some of the world's most famously spine-chilling structures in search of answers. From Medieval Scotland to Enlightenment-era London; Victorian suburbs to pre-Civil War Louisiana, Blackwell-Baines, an expert in Gothic art and architecture, will explore that specific set of ingredients that captures our imaginations and contributes to our collective understanding of the eternally eerie. After all, whether a staunch sceptic or paranormal enthusiast, we all know a haunted house when we see one.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 9, 2025

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book. Using fascinating case studies, it compellingly explores the historic and cultural development of the haunted house as a focus of human obsession - never, however, omitting the possibility of the paranormal…
Any fan of horror, whether that be books, films or tourism, would enjoy this book and its deep dive into the human building blocks of hauntings. It is meticulously researched and really captures that sense of uncanny.

[Stefan Nordin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book if you like me are interested in ghost stories as a concept and phenomenon but not necessarily believe in ghosts. This book approaches famous haunted houses from a historical, sociological and architectural point of view. Well written and researched and never chooses the sensational approach.

[Lauren McGraw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting stories if you are a macabre little nerd like me! Some of the chapters were a little boring but that was definitely a me thing and not a researching and writing done by the author thing. I did love seeing how the haunted house trope started and how it changed through the years, everything is family trauma!

[Zandt McCue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caitlin Blackwell Baines’ How to Build a Haunted House is a refreshing and much-needed take on a subject that is often shrouded in cliché. Too often, haunted house lore gets reduced to the same recycled ghost stories—sometimes even with the wrong names, dates, or events attached. This book cuts through that fog. Instead of retelling campfire tales, Baines traces the history of these houses, exploring how and why they became labeled as “haunted” in the first place.

What makes this book stand out is its focus on the real history of the locations. Baines dives into the cultural, social, and psychological factors that shape our fascination with haunted houses, rather than simply repeating sensational claims. It’s a study of belief, atmosphere, and storytelling as much as it is about the buildings themselves. Reading it feels like peeling back layers—what’s fact, what’s folklore, and what’s a projection of our own need for mystery.

As someone who is often frustrated when TV shows or articles get the history of these places wrong in service of a good ghost story, I found this approach both honest and refreshing. It doesn’t spoil the fun—it deepens it. Haunted houses aren’t just eerie because someone insists a ghost lingers there; they’re haunted because of the complex dynamics of history, culture, and imagination that surround them.

This is a truly original and thought-provoking book, offering an intelligent yet accessible lens on a subject that too often gets trivialized. If you’re interested in haunted houses, folklore, or cultural history, this is absolutely worth the read.

[Vikki Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. interesting but rather repetitive

[Christopher Vowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accessible survey for Gothic newbies.