The Haunting of Blackwood Manor: A Gothic Horror Story of a Buried Sacrifice and an Ancestral Curse

by Jonas H. Creed

Some family secrets are buried. Others are waiting to be found.Professor Blackwood does not believe in ghosts.

When he returns to his ancestral manor, he brings instruments, measurements, and twenty-three years of scholarship—everything he needs to disprove the curse that has haunted his family for generations.

Then a portrait tears itself from the wall.

Cold follows him through locked corridors. Whispers speak from empty rooms. A woman appears in the polished surface of his desk, watching him with rage that has endured for decades.

The housekeeper knows more than she will admit. The family histories have been carefully altered. And hidden behind a library wall lies a blood-stained ledger describing the disappearance of Elara Blackwood—a young woman erased from every official record.

As the manor turns against him, Blackwood must confront an impossible Is he uncovering a murder, surrendering to madness, or being drawn into a ritual that never truly ended?

The house remembers what his family did.

Now it wants the debt paid.

Genres: Horror

53 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 6, 2026

Reviews

[Haly Hoards Books · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

A short read.This is the first time I have read Creed. I have to say that his writing style is very very close to another author's work. The story, the way the main character reacted, the atmosphere of the manor were all too similar to those of a female author I frequently read. I had to continually remind myself whose work I was reading. It was distracting. I will read the next piece, a novella and hope that the similarities are no longer there.

[karin whitehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every family has secrets. Houses hold secrets. Curses? Somebody started a ritual that is rimeless. The Professor returns to the family home with the intention of getting some answers. A fast paced story that gets to the point, has its twists and leads you down the rabbit hole. A quick fun story.

[Jackie Martello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written horror novella. Excellent creative writing and engaging story.

[Matthew Widener · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have used a lot more editing. So many run on sentences and a lot of repetition. The story itself was ok enough but it was very light on details.