An American Haunting

by Scott A. Johnson

Gabriel Rosewood moves his family into an older home in the historic dictrict of a small Texas university town, but he questions his judgement about staying there when a series of strange events take place in the house.

Genres: Fiction

191 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Scott A. Johnson is the author of ten novels, three true ghost guides, a chapbook, and a short story collection, all in the horror genre. He currently lives somewhere near Austin, Texas, with his wife, daughter, four cats, a pug, a chihuahua, and a corn snake. He is an avid martial artist, rides a motorcycle, and enjoys watching hockey.

Reviews

[Reuxbot · Rating 2 out of 5]

American Haunting was OK. It felt overly centred on the father character as though everyone else existed for his sake. That's not necessarily unusual in this genre for reasons.. But there's a scene near the end of the book where one of the child characters is injured which bothered me..

The daughter who is ten years old is possessed and her father slams her to ground fracturing her ribs and is even about to beat her head in with a rock, but after that is resolved the little girl is reassuring her father for hurting her (she actually thanks him), and the author goes on to say something along the lines of "but Gabe (the father) is the MOST injured and needs the hospital most of all." And while within the context of the story that is supposedly true (can you bleed out from razor slashes to you back?) there was just something weird about the story prioritising the father when a child has cracked ribs and is bleeding from the wrists.

But maybe that's just me.

For those who care about such things, there were a lot of typos in the book at the time the version I read was published but it wasn't every page, it seemed to get worse toward the end of the book so I gather the editor got bored.

[Michelle Renee Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

An American Haunting
Scott A. Johnson

A good ghost story should make you bristle at every unknown sound, question every shadow, and force you to think twice about turning out the lights after you put the book down. Scott A. Johnson’s An American Haunting does not disappoint. An accomplished horror writer, Johnson immediately pulls the reader in with the promise of spooky things to come in the first few pages. An old house no one wants to buy, a dark basement with a dirt floor, cold spots, and an overall feeling of unease create the backdrop for this story about a working-class family struggling to pay off their debts, raise their children, and become productive members of society. It’s a tale many of us can relate to. We empathize with the characters as they deal with the day to day realities of family life, working at jobs that aren't exactly satisfying, and admitting that we may need help in order to survive and make it to the next meager paycheck.

However, most of us aren't dealing with this familiar scenario while living in a haunted house. We don’t have to figure out how to protect our children from specters as we struggle to pay our bills. Johnson artfully crafts a tale about restless, malevolent spirits seeking revenge for past wrongs, while taking us on a journey of self-discovery that reminds us of the importance of family and friends as we face our greatest struggles. This book will keep you up reading into the wee hours of the morning and make you appreciate your loved ones just a little more.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice and scary haunted house story. The setting is the historical district in San Marcos, Texas. A professor moves his family into a fixer-upper, only to discover that the physical problems are not the ones that need to be immediately addressed. The beginning sets the suspense, and it definitely picked up the pace and the last third was impossible to set down. If you're in the mood for a good haunted house tale, this is a good one.

[Danny Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but not nearly as horrifying as advertised. In reality, I suppose, it is a pretty good book, but in my mind it suffers in comparison to the two books that I consider to be at the pinnacle of the "haunted house" genre, The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson and The Haunted by Ed Curran.

[Stephanie Cook clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

thought it was a true story when i picked it up at Mckays, but upon reading it it is not. just an everage story at best.

[Dacia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book (a lot of typos, pet peeve of mine).