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Bad House
When Ian and Holly Webster move into twenty-nine Aberdeen Road with their six-year-old son Jacob, life could not be sweeter. Ian has his brilliant career, a wife he loves and a son whom he would die for. Their new, five-bed detached is the icing on the cake.
But what if your new home is not as it first appears? What if it is something more than mere bricks and mortar? What if your new house has a hidden agenda?
As soon as Ian moves in, the headaches start. The family he loves so dearly begins to grate on his nerves. Nightmares plague his every night and nasty thoughts constantly simmer beneath the surface of his mind.
It’s almost as if his mind is no longer his own, like his own imagination is turning against him. Ian will come to realise that just as some people are born toxic, then so are some places…
He should have listened to his son from the start: “This house is angry, Daddy. This is a bad house...”
'Bad House' is a psychological horror and contains scenes some readers may find offensive.
The first chapter of Djinn is included at the end of the story.
But what if your new home is not as it first appears? What if it is something more than mere bricks and mortar? What if your new house has a hidden agenda?
As soon as Ian moves in, the headaches start. The family he loves so dearly begins to grate on his nerves. Nightmares plague his every night and nasty thoughts constantly simmer beneath the surface of his mind.
It’s almost as if his mind is no longer his own, like his own imagination is turning against him. Ian will come to realise that just as some people are born toxic, then so are some places…
He should have listened to his son from the start: “This house is angry, Daddy. This is a bad house...”
'Bad House' is a psychological horror and contains scenes some readers may find offensive.
The first chapter of Djinn is included at the end of the story.
123 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 17, 2015
56 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Sam West
62 books234 followersSam West is a British, extreme horror author with more than forty books to her name. If you like your fiction dark, gritty, gory, perverse and truly terrifying, then you're in the right place.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 14, 2021
Ian Webster and his family move into a new home in 29 Aberdeen Street Manchester. Soon he's starting to have terrible nightmares. His mind is dominated by violence (against his wife and son) and sexual fantasies (their neighbor). What role does the house they moved in play? What happened here? This is a straight to the point horror story that has it all: mysterious house, violence, eerie elements, perversion, tension. I liked the prequel to House of Nightmares is better. Is there a way to escape an evil house? Tune in and find out. But be aware, you might never leave. Highly recommended page turner!
October 24, 2022
This was way, way, way too fast. Like I couldn't find my breath before it was over, kind of fast. It's more or less a typical haunted house story, chock full of blackouts, hallucinations, spooky, unexplained events, etc. Basically think of Amityville Horror (The original) and just watch it on fast forward. But this wasn't bad, and had some genuinely creepy moments, however the characters weren't developed much at all, and the plot moved too quickly for me to be able to appreciate any of the good things included in the story. It should have probably been twice as long, with a ton more focus on the house's effects on Ian and his family. That was the biggest issue I had here, as that should have been the core focus of the story. But I don't want to sound like I completely hated this book. It was good and there were some really great unnerving stuff in here. However, the pacing was very off, which greatly impacted everything else.
March 25, 2021
Bad House was a return to possibly the most evil house to ever exist, 29 Aberdeen Road. This is a prequel to the House Of Nightmares novella that I was recently horrified by. I was intrigued to read more of the origins of this truly terrible house and the way it seems to infest its resident’s heads. Especially male, creative types.
Ian and Holly Webster move into this cursed building with their young son Jacob.
It isn’t long until Jacob insists to his Dad that there is something terribly wrong with the house, that there is a monster under his bed...
Ian doesn’t want to believe it. But soon he is plagued with nightmares and violent thoughts that do not feel like his own. He also keeps blacking out and having lapses in his memory, which at first he contributes to his wine drinking.
But would he actually ever hurt his family? And what about the girl next door that he finds a sudden attraction to?
Sam West really has a knack with her writing of grabbing you right from the beginning with believable and well-written characters and then throwing you into the deep end with the most gross-out scenes imaginable.
I definitely preferred Bad House to House Of Nightmfares, the more graphic scenes felt just the right length and weren’t as drawn out. All in all this was a good psychological horror. 💀
Ian and Holly Webster move into this cursed building with their young son Jacob.
It isn’t long until Jacob insists to his Dad that there is something terribly wrong with the house, that there is a monster under his bed...
Ian doesn’t want to believe it. But soon he is plagued with nightmares and violent thoughts that do not feel like his own. He also keeps blacking out and having lapses in his memory, which at first he contributes to his wine drinking.
But would he actually ever hurt his family? And what about the girl next door that he finds a sudden attraction to?
Sam West really has a knack with her writing of grabbing you right from the beginning with believable and well-written characters and then throwing you into the deep end with the most gross-out scenes imaginable.
I definitely preferred Bad House to House Of Nightmfares, the more graphic scenes felt just the right length and weren’t as drawn out. All in all this was a good psychological horror. 💀
February 25, 2021
Decent haunted house story. It DOES have a bit of an extreme horror twist - which was interesting, but as I stated in one of my updates while reading this: the book has all the same boring ole beats that you see in every other haunted house movie/novel.
1. Family buys a beautiful house for half the price
2. First night in the house everyone gets bad vibes and weird things start happening.
3. A particular family member gets targeted (In this case the father).
4. The family gets answers and uncovers the houses dark past.
Its always the same story, but with minor tweaks and variations.
I figured I'd try something different, but I think Im gonna go back to serial killer/cannibal family books.
For in-depth video reviews, please subscribe to my YouTube channel:
https://youtube.com/c/UptownHorrorRev...
1. Family buys a beautiful house for half the price
2. First night in the house everyone gets bad vibes and weird things start happening.
3. A particular family member gets targeted (In this case the father).
4. The family gets answers and uncovers the houses dark past.
Its always the same story, but with minor tweaks and variations.
I figured I'd try something different, but I think Im gonna go back to serial killer/cannibal family books.
For in-depth video reviews, please subscribe to my YouTube channel:
https://youtube.com/c/UptownHorrorRev...
June 19, 2021
This was a new take on a haunted house. I read often, and that was an ending that in didn't see coming. I don't want to spoil anything. I mean there's been stories where a house drives a person crazy, sometimes even murderous, but West turned this theme into West's own new idea. It wasn't as bloody as the books I've come to expect from West, but this one wasn't labeled extreme. I'm still glad I read it
February 16, 2021
Not my cup of tea
Not a fan of ghost stories but thought I'd give this a go. Still not a fan of ghost stories
Not a fan of ghost stories but thought I'd give this a go. Still not a fan of ghost stories
July 22, 2019
Absolutely the best haunted house story I’ve read in a long time... it actually gave me the creeps (and I can attest to the fact that giving me a chill up my spine does not happen often). Sam uses some horror tropes but adds some unusual and extremely disturbing new content.
This story is a quick read but well worth the time. You can visualize everything that is happening, and it allows the reader to completely engage with the novella and its characters. Ian’s reflection in the mirror, and Jacob’s bedroom scene are what make this story scary and disturbing. If you are looking for a great little novella and/or haven’t tried Sam West yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???
This story is a quick read but well worth the time. You can visualize everything that is happening, and it allows the reader to completely engage with the novella and its characters. Ian’s reflection in the mirror, and Jacob’s bedroom scene are what make this story scary and disturbing. If you are looking for a great little novella and/or haven’t tried Sam West yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???
October 19, 2020
Really good horror but wish it had been a full length novel as it just felt rushed, especially the ending.
December 31, 2025
I rate this 3.75 Again another good short horror novella from Sam west I’m trying to read from his back list he’s a go to author for me especially after reading a bigger book it’s nice to read a book in one sitting as you get the story better and you take it in more I’d highly recommend his books some are darker than others but he has a good mix I’d always recommend reading the trigger warnings as some of the subject topics in his books may be triggering to some people so please take that into consideration he writes really good short stories and there is something for everyone his books are on kindle unlimited too which is a bonus another good read
December 26, 2020
As he turned to leave, he caught his face in the big, oblong mirror above the sink. His reflection flashed him a grin.
“What the…” he gasped, staggering backwards.
I didn’t fucking smile…
An aspiring artists making his name sake, found himself married to a math teacher at a local school as the two brought up their six year old son. Ian and Holly Webster found themselves at the opportunity of a lifetime, a gorgeous house at the most affordable of prices at the peak of Manchester’s wealthiest families. Their six year old son Jacob found little comfort in the prospect of the move, and instead reflected horror and terror of their new home. As the nights began slipping away and his judgement further clouded, Ian found himself plagued by horrendous nightmares of murder, rape, and cruelty towards his wife and child. With the truth of the home hidden when he purchased it with his wife, he was careless to know the horrors that the home truly possessed within those walls. As he began receiving bizarre nose bleeds constantly and an irritable attitude towards his beloved wife, he felt nothing but hatred in his veins where his family was concerned. Falling into periods of black outs, his subconscious his from him his true nature, the one where murder was in full bloom. Believing in his bizarre behavior his wife took herself and Their son to her mother’s house, he felt himself slipping from reality. Easily angered, he reflected to the nightmares and to the truth. The house was haunted by something malicious and evil, and as his reflections stared back at him from the bathroom mirror, he watched his own featured shift and morph into something else entirely. With a storm raging on outside, his son awoken in the middle of the night pleading with his father to send the monster beneath his bed far away. Doubting the boy’s credibility, he leaned down and gasped in horror as a doppelgänger of his son was tucked beneath the bed warning of the monster twisted in his sheets. I’m a fit of rags, he turned his temper towards his son and Holly, forcing her hand at craving a divorce from the man she loved. 29 Aberdeen Road Turning eyes to the woman next store, Marianna, he listed after her and as she stumbled over to his home To check in on him, he confided in her about his wife leaving. With pity in her eyes, she came to his aid and even as he blacked out, the security camera refused to quit rolling. As he touched base with the daughter of the previous homeowners, Louise Brown, he learned as her own parents were haunted by the home for six months before suddenly vanishing without a trace a decade prior. As he regained his memory through reveling the footage, he watched him murder his wife and son at the dinner table with a pair of kitchen scissors, to slicing the throat of Marianna and watching the house drink the blood and absorb the body. In a sense of validity he repeated the actions to Louise before slitting his own wrists as police swarmed the house. Giving into the nightmares of the home created by the cruel builder of the lands, he faced what he was capable of in his very own suicide.
The house did it because the house doesn’t like you. The house says you’re a bad person and that you don’t love me and Mummy and want to hurt us.”
“Not long after the house was built, James Everett reported his wife missing. For ten years he kept her prisoner in her own home before he killed her then committed suicide. The things he did to her… When their bodies were found, she was missing her hands and feet and her body was horribly mutilated.”
“... Get yourself and your family the fuck out of that house before it kills you.”
“What the…” he gasped, staggering backwards.
I didn’t fucking smile…
An aspiring artists making his name sake, found himself married to a math teacher at a local school as the two brought up their six year old son. Ian and Holly Webster found themselves at the opportunity of a lifetime, a gorgeous house at the most affordable of prices at the peak of Manchester’s wealthiest families. Their six year old son Jacob found little comfort in the prospect of the move, and instead reflected horror and terror of their new home. As the nights began slipping away and his judgement further clouded, Ian found himself plagued by horrendous nightmares of murder, rape, and cruelty towards his wife and child. With the truth of the home hidden when he purchased it with his wife, he was careless to know the horrors that the home truly possessed within those walls. As he began receiving bizarre nose bleeds constantly and an irritable attitude towards his beloved wife, he felt nothing but hatred in his veins where his family was concerned. Falling into periods of black outs, his subconscious his from him his true nature, the one where murder was in full bloom. Believing in his bizarre behavior his wife took herself and Their son to her mother’s house, he felt himself slipping from reality. Easily angered, he reflected to the nightmares and to the truth. The house was haunted by something malicious and evil, and as his reflections stared back at him from the bathroom mirror, he watched his own featured shift and morph into something else entirely. With a storm raging on outside, his son awoken in the middle of the night pleading with his father to send the monster beneath his bed far away. Doubting the boy’s credibility, he leaned down and gasped in horror as a doppelgänger of his son was tucked beneath the bed warning of the monster twisted in his sheets. I’m a fit of rags, he turned his temper towards his son and Holly, forcing her hand at craving a divorce from the man she loved. 29 Aberdeen Road Turning eyes to the woman next store, Marianna, he listed after her and as she stumbled over to his home To check in on him, he confided in her about his wife leaving. With pity in her eyes, she came to his aid and even as he blacked out, the security camera refused to quit rolling. As he touched base with the daughter of the previous homeowners, Louise Brown, he learned as her own parents were haunted by the home for six months before suddenly vanishing without a trace a decade prior. As he regained his memory through reveling the footage, he watched him murder his wife and son at the dinner table with a pair of kitchen scissors, to slicing the throat of Marianna and watching the house drink the blood and absorb the body. In a sense of validity he repeated the actions to Louise before slitting his own wrists as police swarmed the house. Giving into the nightmares of the home created by the cruel builder of the lands, he faced what he was capable of in his very own suicide.
The house did it because the house doesn’t like you. The house says you’re a bad person and that you don’t love me and Mummy and want to hurt us.”
“Not long after the house was built, James Everett reported his wife missing. For ten years he kept her prisoner in her own home before he killed her then committed suicide. The things he did to her… When their bodies were found, she was missing her hands and feet and her body was horribly mutilated.”
“... Get yourself and your family the fuck out of that house before it kills you.”
February 21, 2019
Bad House
Instant horror. Quick read. Loved it!! Want to read more of this author. Read the sampling of Djinnn, want the rest.
Instant horror. Quick read. Loved it!! Want to read more of this author. Read the sampling of Djinnn, want the rest.
July 22, 2021
Bad House
I really enjoyed this book. Definitely not as gory as some of Sam's other books .
Great storyline and characters
I really enjoyed this book. Definitely not as gory as some of Sam's other books .
Great storyline and characters
May 18, 2025
Demasiado predecible
December 6, 2016
Grisly Ghost Story Fine Tuned
This haunted house tale delights the reader with fresh takes on old ideas. We have classic fare such as scratching, doors moving independently, eerie reflections, looming shadows, unexplained noises and occurrences, apparitions, blood drawing, emotional instability, nightmares, et al, and it is all somehow newly frightening in this place seen through the eyes of these characters. Mr. West shows his writing abilities in a more subtle light in this story, allowing nuance and pace and wording to set the scene much more often then he allows gore and violence to, although there is certainly enough of that to please his fans. I found this to be a validation of Mr. West's talents, indicating he is indeed a good writer, not "just" a good extreme horror writer, and I hope this book widens his audience. Regarding the plot, a successful artist, his very unlikeable math-teacher wife, and their six year old son buy a house. Aforementioned events occur. Husband, losing his grip on reality, looks into house's history for answers. Wife becomes increasingly, how shall I say this, um, a nagging bitch. Son is on to the "bad house" and is never anything but heartbreakingly sweet and achingly vulnerable. There are a few bit characters of minimal importance, all well done. The explanation for the haunting is nasty, appropriate and satisfying. Well done, Mr. West!
This haunted house tale delights the reader with fresh takes on old ideas. We have classic fare such as scratching, doors moving independently, eerie reflections, looming shadows, unexplained noises and occurrences, apparitions, blood drawing, emotional instability, nightmares, et al, and it is all somehow newly frightening in this place seen through the eyes of these characters. Mr. West shows his writing abilities in a more subtle light in this story, allowing nuance and pace and wording to set the scene much more often then he allows gore and violence to, although there is certainly enough of that to please his fans. I found this to be a validation of Mr. West's talents, indicating he is indeed a good writer, not "just" a good extreme horror writer, and I hope this book widens his audience. Regarding the plot, a successful artist, his very unlikeable math-teacher wife, and their six year old son buy a house. Aforementioned events occur. Husband, losing his grip on reality, looks into house's history for answers. Wife becomes increasingly, how shall I say this, um, a nagging bitch. Son is on to the "bad house" and is never anything but heartbreakingly sweet and achingly vulnerable. There are a few bit characters of minimal importance, all well done. The explanation for the haunting is nasty, appropriate and satisfying. Well done, Mr. West!
February 13, 2016
Review of Sam West’s
Bad House
Grueling, Demented, and Horrific are a few of the words I would use to describe this story…I loved it!
Have you ever wondered what makes a house bad? Is it the people who live there? Is it the ground it was built on? Or maybe evil decided that particular house was the one that it would life in, no one really knows. But when a house goes bad you may want to follow your gut instinct. You know, the instinct that tells you to stay the hell away from it. Ian Webster ignored this instinct, his family, Holly and Jacob, along with himself will pay the price for that subtle overlook. He keeps his eyes closed too long, keeps telling himself it’s not real, letting the house own his very soul—nothing good can come from that… Right?
Monstrous imagination and wonderful writing brings this vilely wicked and disturbing story to life. I’ll bet you trust your instincts after you read this one.
Bad House
Grueling, Demented, and Horrific are a few of the words I would use to describe this story…I loved it!
Have you ever wondered what makes a house bad? Is it the people who live there? Is it the ground it was built on? Or maybe evil decided that particular house was the one that it would life in, no one really knows. But when a house goes bad you may want to follow your gut instinct. You know, the instinct that tells you to stay the hell away from it. Ian Webster ignored this instinct, his family, Holly and Jacob, along with himself will pay the price for that subtle overlook. He keeps his eyes closed too long, keeps telling himself it’s not real, letting the house own his very soul—nothing good can come from that… Right?
Monstrous imagination and wonderful writing brings this vilely wicked and disturbing story to life. I’ll bet you trust your instincts after you read this one.
September 4, 2015
Sam West's latest release, Bad House, reminds me of Stephen King's The Shining (without all the unnecessary 'padding') with aspects of The Amityville Horror thrown in.
Far from the usual splatterpunk, extreme horror we have come to expect from West, this is his attempt at a supernatural, haunted house tale. We still have all the shocks and gore in copious amounts but there is a definite build up of tension which culminates in a fantastic ending. Very intense reading and perhaps leave the light on for this one. ;)
Far from the usual splatterpunk, extreme horror we have come to expect from West, this is his attempt at a supernatural, haunted house tale. We still have all the shocks and gore in copious amounts but there is a definite build up of tension which culminates in a fantastic ending. Very intense reading and perhaps leave the light on for this one. ;)
October 30, 2015
Sam West nailed it. Bad House is one of the best psychological horror stories I've read in a very long time... and I'm no stranger to this genre.
Everything about this book is fantastic. The characters are relatable, the setting is well described, and the tension builds steadily throughout the story until the very end. There were no dull moments or parts of the story that felt superfluous. Absolutely every part belonged and made a cohesive story.
Looking for an edge of your seat thriller? This is it.
Everything about this book is fantastic. The characters are relatable, the setting is well described, and the tension builds steadily throughout the story until the very end. There were no dull moments or parts of the story that felt superfluous. Absolutely every part belonged and made a cohesive story.
Looking for an edge of your seat thriller? This is it.
March 8, 2016
Couldn't stop reading!
Really liked that things happened from the get go! Just wanted to see what happened next! Farley different from most haunted houses. Really liked it, except, of course, the little boy getting killed! Glad it didn't go into a lot of detail with that. Other than my sensitivity to violence toward children, great read.
Really liked that things happened from the get go! Just wanted to see what happened next! Farley different from most haunted houses. Really liked it, except, of course, the little boy getting killed! Glad it didn't go into a lot of detail with that. Other than my sensitivity to violence toward children, great read.
November 19, 2015
There were some pretty creepy parts to this book. However, I felt there could have been more development.
January 5, 2016
Loved this! Very fast paced and creepy!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews