The Haunted

by Michaelbrent Collings

They have the beginnings of a perfect family. A husband, a wife, a baby on the way.

But something will stop them from being happy as they move into their new house: the power of the undead that roam the halls of their home.

The demons that have come to claim them. The darkness that seeks to destroy them.

The haunted.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Ghosts, Paranormal, Supernatural, Thriller, Suspense

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

One of the most versatile writers around, Michaelbrent Collings is an internationally bestselling novelist, produced screenwriter, and multiple Bram Stoker Award finalist. While he is best known for horror (and is one of the most successful indie horror authors in the United States), he has also written bestselling thriller, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, humor, young adult, and middle grade works, and Western Romance.

In addition to being a bestselling novelist, Michaelbrent has also received critical acclaim: he is the only person who has ever been a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award, a Dragon Award, a RONE Award, and a Whitney award: and he and his work have been reviewed and/or featured on everything from Publishers Weekly to Scream Magazine to NPR. He is also a frequent guest at comic cons and on writing podcasts like Six Figure Authors, The Creative Penn, and Writing Excuses.

Find more about him at his website, WrittenInsomnia.com, or sign up for his mailing list (and get a free book!) at http://writteninsomnia.com/michaelbre....

Reviews

[Kylie D · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay horror that sees a young couple with a baby on the way being terrorised in their new home by supernatural forces. A quick read with a not particularly convincing twist at the end. Good for a rainy day.

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic haunted house story!

A couple is moving in to their new house. They're expecting a baby together and have finally found a home that they can afford. They are happy to be starting this new chapter in their lives.
Then all hell breaks loose!

Mr. Collings does a great job of keeping up the tension throughout the story. The characters were likeable, but mysterious. Both the husband and the wife keep mentioning "The Before" and it kept me reading, hoping to find out what that phrase meant.

All in all, I very much enjoyed this story and look forward to reading other works by this author.

[Gina Covarrubias · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not a picky horror reader. One look at my bookshelf will tell you that I love reading crap, and I am not at all hesitant to give it high ratings. That said, I gave Michaelbrent Collings' The Haunted two stars. Normally I wouldn't even bother rating something I didn't like. As a rule I try to avoid giving bad reviews at all. The Haunted was terrible in a frustrating way that really made it stand out from the rest of the books called The Haunted or The Haunting that Amazon keeps suggesting (and I keep buying). I liked the story, but it was desperately in need of editing.

The whole time I was reading this book I felt like what I held in my hand was nothing less than the horror equivalent of the winner of the Bad Sex Award--aka the least coveted award in literature. Okay, maybe not the winner, but at least a very strong contender. I am kind of kicking myself that I didn't highlight any of the particularly hilarious passages to cite as examples. There were so many of them, and yet I can't bring myself to open this book again to find one, not even for hilarity's sake.

As a bad writer myself, I am thrilled that self-published ebooks exist, but as a reader not so much. Sometimes people need editors. They need them to tell them that in a book where four or five ghosts will appear together countless times, you do not need to remind the reader what each ghost is, what it looks like, how it died, that the other ghosts are also there too, etc.

After a hundred pages or so, I understood that the ghosts couldn't leave the house, and so there was a good chance when one was there the rest were also there. I also remembered that the ghost with the stovepipe hat had a knife and enjoyed stabbing. Each time the protagonists encountered him, which was pretty much on every page, I didn't need to be reminded that he had a knife and was trying to stab them. Or that the hanged ghost was right behind him. Or that the shotgun blast ghost was standing a little to the left of them. It was like Mr. Collings felt the need to give vivid descriptions of the exact same characters every single time they appeared.

How many times does one need to describe the exact same wounds before you think your readers have finally accepted that the ghosts are dripping with gore? Did he think if he didn't remind me every hundred words or so that I might forget and think the ghost with the knife had taken up whittling?

I also liked that the author felt we would need a table of contents and that he titled each chapter by the date and time, that way right off the bat I was able to tell exactly how many days the haunting would last before it ended. No matter how shitty it got, I was always able to reassure myself with the knowledge that it would only go on for one day, ten hours, and forty-five minutes more before it ended. It's like he added his own spoiler on the very first page of the book.

[Rob Twinem · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now lets get one thing straight I do love horror and I am always searching out good new unique well written horror..and what's not to like about it! You are alone at home late at night, a little spooky music in the background,low lighting (essential) hot drink, feet elevated (comfort)...lets start reading. The Haunted has a familiar theme (not necessarily bad)young family...Sarah and Cap and the unborn baby...move into an old house which they happened to buy at just the right, once in a lifetime purchase (now that would probably have made you and I suspicious...why so cheap?? what's the catch?..but not our Sarah and Cap..and not forgetting the unborn baby :) As soon as our happy couple (and unborn baby) move into the said house things not surprisingly go badly wrong...for the remainder of this book we are treated to a long list of ghostly characters who are determined that Sarah and Cap (I hate that name!) will not remain...or rather will not escape alive...and that my dear readers is the synopsis of "The Haunted". A good horror story of this type will have one main theme running throughout the read...and that is "isolation" indeed isolation and a sense of dread...with no means of escape is essential to fully portray the sense of loneliness but, in this instance, I would substitute the word isolation for "dreary" To me the only haunted house (hotel) novel that ever successfully worked was "The Shining" a truly brilliant horror story that showed one man's disappearance and downward spiral into mental illness (and an unbelievable movie..good old Jack) The Shinning give new meaning to the word isolation and was the greatest example ever written of this type of book...but back to The Haunted. I had hoped that with the introduction of a third character towards the latter part that the writing/story would improve but unfortunately the third character's role had a predictable feel and outcome (trying not to give the story away) So in conclusion I really did not enjoy this book and thought it did little to add to horror genre..it was predictable in both it's content and conclusion, and not a book I would recommend.....

[Paul Genesse]

The Haunted by Michaelbrent Collings is the creepiest book I’ve read in years. The writing is excellent and this short novel (273 pages, $4.99 eBook, $9.99 paperback) builds, and builds to a truly terrifying climax that takes up the last 170 pages. Pregnant Sarah and her husband, Cap move in to a remote old house surrounded by a sinister forest, and the haunting begins. Little things go on at first and the quiet opening made me wonder if this was going to be like the other haunted house books that I’ve read in the past. It definitely was not, as the ghosts in this novel don’t just make noises in the night, and hide in basements. They come after the main characters with knives that cut flesh. They are in your face and terrifying.

Cap and poor Sarah worry for their immortal souls and their unborn baby as a whole pack of murderous ghosts start a prolonged attack that takes up more than half the book. These are the most vicious ghosts I’ve ever read about, and Collings is a great writer who knows how to evoke a mood and pull you into the tight prose, that drips blood and terror.

If you’ve read a lot of haunted house books, this one may not seem to be much different at first, aside from the fantastic writing, but there is a twist at the end that most readers will not see coming—I admit that I didn’t—though I had suspicions whispering in the back of my mind. The ending really left me shivering and I love how well the twist was set up all through the book.

As a writer and editor myself, I really loved how Collings crafted his scenes, as the prose really punched me in the face, and made me cringe.

If you’re looking for a good scare and want a great read, The Haunted is an excellent book for you. I finally understand why Michaelbrent Collings has such a great reputation for being a really good writer, and he’s earned a lifelong fan. I will for sure be reading his other novels.

Paul Genesse
Author of the Iron Dragon series
Editor of the Crimson Pact anthology series

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A haunted house story unlike many of the usual run-of-the-mill variety. After the main introduction of the primary characters, you are immediately thrust into the nightmare that their lives have become. In part, this reminded me of the Ammityville Horror--not because it was similar in plot, because it's not--simply because of the feeling of dread I got when reading that one, was the same way I felt when reading THE HAUNTED. You may find yourself temporarily looking over your shoulder, making sure that closet door is closed, looking out the window to the woods outside your yard..... The way this tale was told gave me goosebumps several times. Although I may have figured out where it was headed earlier than I would have liked, that didn't deter me from reading through the remainder, eyes glued to every word.

This was my first read from Michaelbrent Collings, and I have already begun looking up other books by him.

[Nathan Shumate · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's most important about a haunted house story isn't the clever way in which the author tries to make the scenario different from previous haunted house stories (and after Shirley Jackson and Richard Matheson, any such attempts are easily seen as the gimmicks they are). What's most important is simply this: Is it scary? The answer for THE HAUNTED is, "Hell, yes." Place a husband and pregnant wife who love each other in a secluded house possessed by a crapload of spooks, and suddenly the reader isn't worried about how original or genre-busting the setup is because the reader is worried about the characters.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love haunted house stories but I couldn't even get through this one. What I love about ghost stories is the build up, the development of a good story, and subtle beginnings to paranormal happenings. I felt this book forgot to tell a story and just went from the start for one encounter after the other with no breaks. To me this weakens what should be a creepy haunting.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Extra credit for great ideas.

The story line, while very similar to the film "The Others," was very good. However there were none of what I look for in a haunted house story. The creeping dread, the slow build of suspense, the point where we move from thinking things are a bit odd to knowing that forces are at work, the reveal of a history that created the haunting. The haunting in this book slammed into you right away, kept escalating, and I spent most of the book in full-on confrontation mode which left really no time to digest what I was even presented with. Here is a very scary ghost, here is an even scarier ghost, here are a dozen more, then we add the hooded figures that are supposed to be worse than the ghosts but we don't know why yet, then we have a couple pages of the history behind it (that actually left me wondering who even compiled the historical album the characters found). I never had a moment to absorb any of it. Then we were at the ending, the surprise element is unveiled (which was good, I thought) and the story is over.

So many good ideas but like rocketing thorough a gallery of nice paintings on a sled and merely catching glimpses as you fly past.

I will read more by this author though.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

MBC's ability to write compelling characters is undeniable, and the affable protagonists of this story are no exception. In contrast to many traditional gothic haunted house stories, this one has a relentless pace from about 20 pages in until the breathless conclusion. It's impossible not to be drawn into the fast-paced action. Unfortunately, in order to obscure the impending twist, the author wields an arsenal of generic horror tropes and clichés that aren't very palatable to a serious horror reader. An interesting entry in the Shirley Jackson tradition, but fans looking for meaningful spookiness should exorcise this book from their shelves in favor of Matheson's Hell House, Kill Creek by Scott Thomas, or either of the very loyal haunted house classics by Elizabeth Hand.

[Debeehr · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to call it like I see it, and as I see it, this book is *intensely* derivative and predictable. Spot the source material, kids: influences include Stephen King (natch), The Haunting of Hill House, The Others, Sixth Sense, The Amityville Horror, maybe even a bit of Eraserhead ... I could go on. Honestly I derived at least as much interest out of identifying all of the referents as I did from the story itself. As if the overly derivative nature of the plot wasn’t enough, I also found the book to be poorly paced with a terribly overblown, Hollywood-esque (in the worst way) climax that just went on and on even though there was no where to go. It was as though this book wanted to be The Haunting (1963) and ended up being The Haunting (1999). I really can't recommend this book, unfortunately.

[theghostwriter · Rating 5 out of 5]

first let me just say, i absolutely hated this book's COVER ART. honest to god. it nearly made me not want to read it, just being real. its corny looking. like someone made that shit on their computer in photoshop. even the font is off-putting. ACK. but alas i refused to go by the cover (yes, yes, i know) and was SO glad i read on. all i have to say is HOLY SHIT what a scary book. the pace is break-neck, the characters are unforgettable and the ghostly shenanigans begin IMMEDIATELY. no waiting around through half the book for something thrilling to happen, this author just dives right in and drags you kicking and screaming with him. fantastic story-telling right up until the surprise (you'll never guess so don't even try) ending. BOO!

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cap and Sarah have just purchased their dream house. With a baby on the way, this is a perfect place to start a family. Strange things begin to happen in this house. Sarah hears the radio turn on and off by itself. Cap hears the truck start up by itself but does not tell Sarah about it. Both Cap and Sarah start to have dreams about the evil that lurks in their house. Sarah begins to see a demon with a stovepipe hat. She tries to tell Cap about this creature she see but he does not believe her. Doors starting opening and closing by themselves. There is a knock on the door. Cap goes to see who it is! The person at the door said, hi I am Father Michael the local priest. Can Father Michael save this young couple from entering the gates of hell?

[Joanne Moyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Haunted is a really good really creepy take on a haunted house story that will have you jumping at every odd noise in your house ...

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy. That is what I liked about this book. I tend to read a lot more psychological thrillers and suspense books than I do horror. When I read horror, I want it to be creepy. This is a creepy story. I liked the writing because I could really visualize the house and all that was happening and there was a lot happening. The four stars instead of five come from some of the scenes dragging on and they seemed to be redundant just to keep the story going. When I did get to the ending I was surprised at how how the story concluded. I liked the ending and felt it tied up any loose ends. So, all in all, I would say it was a good read.

[Hal Bodner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just put down "The Haunted" after reading the final page and had to stop and just breathe for a few minutes. Michaelbrent Collings' work has that sort of impact on a reader.

On the surface, the novel tells the story of a young couple expecting their first child as they move into a new house which, they soon discover, is haunted. On the first day of their arrival, there are some slight annoyances brought about by objects that won't stay put and doors which refuse to remain closed. But the middle of the night on day three, however, the heroes are under siege by not one but two groups of horrific and demonic creatures, both seemingly bent on the destruction of the young family.

The pacing of the novel is remarkable. Collings is able to take the reader from one scene of horror directly into another, give you a brief respite before "kicking up" the process and starting again. His strength lies in a slow intensifying of the danger and the sense of ominousness his characters face without, as other authors might do, repeating the same mechanisms over and over. Collings takes us on a trainride of horror and, even when we round each curve and think we have seen the scenery before, a closer inspection shows us something truly original and so horrific that we wish we'd never looked.

The book is packed with action as the young couple try desperately to escape the haunted house but, at times the action becomes a little too frenetic. One wonders why the pregnant woman does not simply miscarry right in the middle of the chase due to all the physical stress she's under. In fact, there are times during which so much is going on that it is high praise to the author that, in the end, he ties things up quite nicely.

Unfortunately for this reader, there were times during the novel's most intense parts where I was on the verge of wondering, "So what ELSE is this guy gonna throw at his protagonists? Martians?" Of course, there are NO Martians, just many, many ghosts all with very particular purposes and desires which the reader does not discover until just before the climax. In understand why the author crafted the novel in this fashion but, frankly, I would have preferred knowing a little more about some of the monsters much earlier in the book.

The action scenes are certainly the book's high points; the intimate character moments, not so much. Though the author uses the interesting and effective technique of writing third person narrative through two different characters eyes in alternate chapters, we're still TOLD too much. We don't really get to SEE how they feel about each other much in any organic way. In these scenes, the author's hand is too heavily present and the characters aren't quite allowed to breathe on their own resulting in a lack of emotional resonance in the reader.

Not that Collings is weak in his character work, he's not. But in this case, he's sometimes used his main two characters as mechanisms around which the turmoil of the plot swirls rather than catalysts. They're like stones tossed into a river and washed away when the two main characters SHOULD be rocks, fighting against the pull of the water and perhaps even altering it in some small way. As a result, the don't really change much (and there's a valid reason for that but I still think it wasn't the best literary choice)and the reader does not feel for them.

Oh, we certainly experience the environmental ambiance of doom and danger that the characters feel. Collings is a master at evoking that "look over your shoulder" feeling in his readers. And we're certainly intrigued and VERY interested in explanations which we know will come by novel's end. We just don't care very deeply about the potential fates of his two main characters. We're more curious about what makes the ghosts tick than we are about what their victims are feeling.

But the journey that Collings maps out is quite a remarkable one. There are several surprises in the book and, to Collings' credit, each of them is foreshadowed just enough so that it seems a natural development yet no less shocking. I'm usually not caught by those kinds of "surprises" and in this book, I followed Collings right down the garden lane and into his literary trap.

I highly recommend this book. It is a rare novel in that its flaws, while frustrating, actually serve to make it more interesting. And the atmospheric writing can't be beat. If you are a fan of any of the classic Haunted House stories, you will love it. "The Haunted" is certainly a worthy successor to such literary edifices as Hill House and the Bates Motel.

[Jason Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book by this author I have read, and I'm really torn about reading any more. There's nothing wrong with the story itself per-say (it's not original, but then nothing really is anymore) it's just that I have two major complaints that seem to be reappearing themes in his writing.

First - way way way too much exposition, made worse by the constant show AND tell. A good author knows to provide just the right amount of description so that I see what I'm supposed to, but leaves room for me to fill in my own blanks. Amateurs often fall into the trap of wanting their readers to see what they see so badly that they keep beating you over the head with it, convinced you won't appreciate their creativity if they don't. Way too many places the same thing was described over and over, like the author came up with a bunch of different descriptions of something, couldn't decide on a favorite, and just put them all in. Once I have the description of a character, don't describe the same thing again - even if you use new and clever ways to paint the same picture, you are just forcing me to re-imagine the same thing over and over. It's exhausting.

Second, and this is a really unique problem that seems to persist this authors work, is the total and complete lack of any pacing at all. I'm all for jumping into the action and something should always be happening. But there has to be times where the reader gets a breather, otherwise the continued action just gets tiresome, and then annoying because the reader is desensitized to the tension, and it just feels phony.

I called the ending way ahead, but I didn't mind that. I'm fine with taking a journey knowing where I'm going. I would just like the trip itself to be better.

Hire an editor. If you have one, fire the living crap out of them.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this a solid 4.5 rating. Though the opening lines are familiar, this just makes it feel like a story I might enjoy. I would have just expected something a bit more original. I have always liked haunted house mysteries because they can be the creepiest.

The story has a slow build as you meet the characters, though there are only two, as most of the action takes place within the walls of the house. This house has been vacant for a long time, only occupied for short periods of time by people from away who do not or do not believe its history. The townspeople avoid the house perched on the hill because though it is vacant it is not empty.

Sarah and Cap arrive and start to move into their dream home, which they got for a low price, and immediately feel that things are strange. Sarah is pregnant and looking forward to starting a new life and home with her family. The only problem is that she feels she is being watched and things keep being moved around. Is she going crazy or is there something else going on her new house?

I have read a lot of horror novels and it is not easy to make me feel the dread that is supposed to be conveyed in these stories. This one drew me in and gave me that feeling of panic and desperation our couple were feeling. I was with them as they tried to first find out what was happening and then trying to fight it. While it is not super scary, it is a nail biter with a fantastic twist ending.

[Jeana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went back and forth in terms of my rating for this book and decided on three stars because it did have an interesting ending to me. So many times I wanted to DNF this book because honestly it needs some serious editing. There is a lot of repeatable information and details that seem to go on and on and it lacks bringing me into the story. I think there is a good plot here and some parts that are honestly creepy and scary but it just lacked something. I think the author has some promising work ahead of him and with continued practice will hone his writing skills to make his reading speak what he is thinking. Overall it was a fun story but not sure I would recommend.

[penny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of strange

I gave this book 2 stars cause it didn't hold my attention all that well . When I first read the title I thought oh good a haunted book. After reading it to me it should of been named something totally different. I didn't care for this book at all. In glad I didn't pay for this book.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Highly unoriginal. Steels every haunted house cliche you could possibly think of. Saw the twist ending from the start. I'm going to think twice about giving these POD/self-published authors in the future.

[Carlos Calderon · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the crappiest, most poorly-written books I've come across. Do not waste your time!

[Margaret Cunningham · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitely not one I would recommend..I stuck with it though because that's just me, but not worth wasting time on..very strange book!!!!

[Kylie Mcdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the Best Horror novels
The Haunted by Michaelbrent Collings is the best Horror novel you will have the pleasure of reading. This was my first novel I ever read of Collins and I loved every page.
This novel starts with a very Gothic yet ominous forward about the town-people and how much they hate the house thew main characters are moving into. Then it just escalates from there. You're already two pages into the book and you've soiled your pants.
With that forward, it creates the perfect atmosphere for the novel that never leaves your side. You'll always be thinking about it when your not reading it and especially after you've read the book and are moving into a new place.
This book contains some very original ideas to the horror genera and some good "classic" horror ideas, which come together beautifully throughout the book.
I was thoroughly impressed, I believe this was Collins first-ish novels and his writing has only gotten better (so we're talking like 10 out of 5 stars) but this novel will educe nightmares, paranoia, and early labor. All things real Horror enthusiasts search for.
10 out of 10

[Emily E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

So like I've said in previous reviews of MichaelBrent Collings books, the first one I read was, 'Apparition,' and I really enjoyed that book. I didn't put it down and ended up reading it in one night. Naturally since I enjoyed that book so much I was looking forward to reading more by this author. This book doesn't build the suspense that Apparition does, it doesn't make you invest or care about the characters. It keeps talking about something bad that happened in Sarah's past and that's why her husband is nick named Captain America, but we never find out what that was. Its really a run of the mill haunted house story, but a lot of the book seems unexplored. What I mean is we could've used a lot less descriptions of the ghosts over and over again and closed up some plot holes, like how they died and if they were dead then why the hell are the other dead ghosts bothering them like that? And one last thing I could really gp without the description of their 'baby.' That wasn't scary, just gross and kind of sad.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Horrible. Failed to keep my attention. The main character, Cap, has his name mentioned over 650 times. ( yes, I tabulated) Many times the words he, I, we, us could've taken the place of many of these instances. Slow, repetitive and over describing of mundane things. Do I really need to know that there is a window next to a door then a few feet of wall then a window and a few feet of wall then a fireplace then a few feet of wall then a window just to be told the living room is normally filled with sunlight but is now cast in dark??? ( yes, that is an actual description in the book).Was a horrible read. Would not recommend. I don't know how he has won awards and accolades based on this book!! Maybe his others are better?? I'm not inclined to find out. Only reason I gave 2 stars is because the last few pages were actually good. The twist was unexpected.

[Wendy Shores · Rating 5 out of 5]

I suppose one should wait until they FINISH the book before they write a review but this one has me here early. I am almost finished but just wanted to get on here and say that if you are looking for a book that scares the bejesus out of you, this is the book. When I first started reading it, I realized this is one of those rare books that make you grateful you have someone sleeping beside you. Its subtle, realistic, something that could happen to any one of us in real life. To me, that's what makes a good horror book GREAT!!!
I have to choose when to read this one, don't want it to be when I am alone at night. Yep its THAT good lol DEFINITELY worth buying if you like the daylights scared out of you!

[Nick Watters · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Haunted is the first book by Collings that I have read. In a few minutes I'll be starting another by him. This book was a very fun read for me. I was looking for a book that would be most like watching a scary movie. The Haunted progressed at an almost breakneck speed at times. Despite the fast progression through the story, Michaelbrent took GREAT care in developing the two main characters. He did a great job of leaving his reveal, but tying everything together. With roughly ten pages remaining in this book, I put it down on my lap and said "WHAT?!" aloud.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from Michaelbrent Collings with an amazing ending. I did not see it coming. A married couple expecting their first child moves into their dream home. Of course their dream home turns into a nightmare fast. Sounds like the beginning of a lot of typical haunted house stories. But the rest of the story is anything but typical. I don't know how he does it but Mr. Collings takes a storyline and twists it so much it can make you dizzy! I can't wait to read more from a great storyteller!

[Ahbet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does not stop

The action and fear starts at the very beginning and keeps going until the last page. I thought I had the ending figured out. Boy was I way off. The characters Sarah and Cap are so in love you can feel it. You can also feel their fear. Michaelbrent writes this as both horror - ghosts and the like- and as psychological horror - you can feel the emotions like they were your own. The twist in this book was so outrageous. I highly recommend this book to all horror fans. It is so worth it!!!!