John Landis Presents The Library of Horror – Haunted Houses: Classic Tales of Doors That Should Never Be Opened

by D.K. Publishing, John Landis (Foreword)

Classic haunted house ghost stories curated by world-renowned filmmaker and horror genre authority John Landis.

This beautifully presented, highly collectible anthology features ghost stories that have enthralled, terrified and inspired readers decade after decade. Some are relatively well known; others are long-lost treasures, awaiting rediscovery.

The selection includes tales of terror by Bram Stoker, H. P. Lovecraft, and Percival Landon; studies of creeping dread by Edgar Allan Poe and Henry James; short, sharp shockers by Ambrose Bierce, M.R. James and Lafcadio Hearn; and comedic masterpieces by Oscar Wilde and Saki.

Mr. Landis' own introduction explores each tale's fascinating impact on the contemporary horror genre.

Step inside these ghost-ridden repositories of supernatural evil, if you dare...

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."
H. P. Lovecraft

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Classics, Anthologies, Fiction, Ghosts, Gothic

Hardcover

Published September 3, 2020

About the author

Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.

Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Arthur · Rating 2 out of 5]

For the most part I reviewed, at least the longer ones, individually. There are 14 stories, ranging from 10 minutes long, to a few hours. Most of them weren't worth my time. The best rating I can give this is "okay".

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with any collection of stories, this was a mostly enjoyable mixed bag. The standout stories for me were The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and The Judge's House by Bram Stoker. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James was a real snoozefest and unfortunately took up the bulk of the runtime of the audiobook.

[Bob Wolniak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little collection of classic older haunted house short stories from different authors chosen by the director of American Werewolf in London.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of haunted house stories in literature with an interesting John Landis introduction.

[Matin Pyron · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Turn of the screw 2/10 ⭐⭐
The Fall Of The House Of Usher 6/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Haunted and The Haunters 9/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Empty House 8/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Red Room 7/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Shunned House 4/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Spook House 7/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Canterville Ghost 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thurnley Abbey 9/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Judge's House 9.5/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Yellow Wallpaper 6/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Haunted Dolls' House 2/10 ⭐⭐
Le Hora 9.5/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Reconciliation 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Open Window 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Believe it or not, this book was the very second Horror classic I have ever read and honestly, at first I was quite skeptical to believe that classics were quite fun even in our modern times! However, after putting an end to this book I realized that I was absolutely wrong and despite the fact that the tales of this book were written almost 150 years ago on average, they were quite intriguing and sent chills down my spine nonetheless. Nevertheless, the majority of the stories included in this book were fun to read, however, in some parts of the book, let's say in the second half I came to some stories which would not really be scary in such a modern sense!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very middle-of-the-road anthology. No stories are particularly rare, some are scarier than others, and the two humorous ones (by Oscar Wilde and Saki) are excellent. I do very much object to the inclusion of "The Yellow Wallpaper," though, because I feel like calling it a "haunted house story" or even a "ghost story" is to completely miss the point. To have that as the sole female-authored story (or one of the only ones, though I think it was the only) is especially galling. Where are Edith Wharton, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Charlotte Riddell? Or even Marie Corelli and Mrs. Southworth?

[Thomas Gaffney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good collection of some classic stories I've read, and some that were new to me. Totally recommended for anyone looking to get into classic haunted houses stories and hasn't read any of the older stuff yet.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I clearly should have read more about what this book was about because I seriously thought it was a nonfiction and I was excited for that. This is not. This is a fiction collection of short stories of haunted houses from all over. It wasn't bad but a lot of these I had read previously and I just felt bored so I just pushed through it to be done.

[Sistermagpie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd already read several of the stories in this collection, but they're all worth a re-read. Totally enjoyable collection for Christmas. I especially appreciate any collection that includes a story by Saki

[Juliet Ottaviano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this collection! Many great stories, I’d give this a 4.5 out of 5. Only issue is that my copy (1st American edition) is FULL of typos! Randomly placed punctuation, a new paragraph starting mid-sentence, every single story had distracting typos. Editors Alastair Dougall & Sarah Harland, what happened??

Here are my thoughts on specific stories, beware some spoilers!!

1. The Turn of the Screw - Henry James, 4.5/5 stars. While reading it I was so annoyed with HJ’s insane run-on sentences, and his purposeful VAGUENESS. Many times I would’ve loved to know wtf was actually going on. Obsessed with both creepy kids, especially Flora and the confrontation by the lake. After finishing, couldn’t stop thinking about it for days and started to appreciate how much HJ left unsaid. The fact that many lines and quotes can be interpreted multiple ways is genius.

2. The Fall of the House of Usher - Edgar Allan Poe, 4.5/5 stars, 2nd read. One of his tougher stories to understand (for my simple brain) but this second read helped. Extremely atmospheric and spooky which I loved, can’t believe some people knock EAP’s descriptive tendencies! Wonderfully creepy & disturbing plot, and I always enjoy when a narrator serves no purpose other than witnessing fuckery.

3. The Haunted & the Haunters - Edward Bulwer Lytton, 3/5 stars. A classic ghost story featuring an arrogant man spending a night in a haunted house for no reason. That’s fine but dragging the poor dog into this made me dislike the narrator. Loved when the ghost hand reclaimed her letters, actually got chills. This story had perfect origins for a haunting.

4. The Empty House - Algernon Blackwood, 3/5 stars. Love my boy AB! A nice standard haunted house story with another great reason for ghosts to stick around. Loved the subtleties of doors closing when they shouldn’t, and the less subtle pounding of ghostly feet. Enjoyable but not mind-blowing.

5. The Red Room - HG Wells, 3/5 stars. Quick and stressful, great descriptions, and another arrogant lad who’s lucky to have come out alive.

6. The Shunned House - HP Lovecraft, 4.5/5 stars. Loved it!! The writing was clear, scientific & fanciful as needed. Loved the plot and the entity behind the haunting, and appreciated the descriptions of the gnarled trees & unnatural plants outside, and of course the man-shaped mushrooms in the cellar. Love that they brought a flamethrower to a vampire fight. Finally never read any HPL but I know he likes a giant beast, and when the enormous elbow was found in the end I got chills!!

7. The Spook House - Ambrose Bierce, 4.5/5 stars. Seriously enjoyed it, I found the plot disturbing & unsettling - the moment of examining the inside of THAT door & seeing no inside knob was so chilling. Quick & impactful. Seems like a truly evil demonic house.

8. The Canterville Ghost - Oscar Wilde, 5/5 stars, 2nd read. WILDE THANG, I absolutely love this story. It has the elements of a classic spooky tale, plus comedy & tenderness. Laughed so much and shed tears at the beautiful ending, thanks to a smart, sweet girl.

9. Thurnley Abbey - Perceval Landon, 4/5 stars. Awesome & actually scary. A story within a story is tiresome but worth it once we got to the moment of the man in bed clicking on the light. That description of the specter, wow!! Then giggled at dude’s instinct of clocking the ghost in the face. The detail of cutting himself to the bone brought an element of gruesome reality. Also amusing that his friend was so disappointed main guy didn’t speak with the ghost, friend must’ve thought that would dispel her.

10. The Judge’s House - Bram Stoker, 3.5/5 stars. Great and creepy, especially the climax! Enjoyed the detail of the Judge’s painting, and the rats going silent when He is lurking. If this guy could do math like a normal person he wouldn’t have endured a terrifying death!

11. The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 5/5 stars. WOW. Loved it so very much. PERFECT use of an unreliable narrator. Incredibly eerie, I was engrossed by the mounting tension and changes in narrator’s view of the wallpaper and her husband. I was struck by the hellish sense of repetition: the peeling wallpaper she kept peeling, the gnawed bed she chewed, the sense of seeing the woman trapped in the wallpaper and then she herself had always come from the wallpaper….finally the AMAZING last sentence of crawling over him “every time”. Favorite use of the word “creep” ever in literature. Obviously I hate the husband with a passion. Cannot wait to re-read this.

12. The Haunted Doll’s House - MR James, 3/5 stars, 1st read. Interesting story with many striking and clear descriptions. I like all that was left unsaid for us to figure out, and the amiable shopkeeper just trying to unload this haunted relic. Good but mind was not blown.

13. The Horla - Guy de Maupassant, 3/5 stars. Another unreliable narrator who I pitied & was annoyed by. Being watched & tormented by an invisible force is scary, made less scary by it drinking milk… and he kept saying “I saw it!!!!” Then described not seeing it. In any case he manslaughtered his poor servants for no reason. I did appreciate the last line!

14. The Reconciliation - Lafcadio Hearn, 4/5 stars. Good, short, sad, predictable. The man spent years regretting his heartless choice, not knowing his love had died alone, ill and starving so soon after he left. The relief of their reunion was beautiful & heartbreaking, especially the clue she drops about the reality. I hope that her spirit can rest peacefully after this ghostly reunion. Would make a nice quick graphic novel.

15. The Open Window - Saki, 3.5/5 stars. Saki is so great omg. At first creepy but ultimately humorous story, I enjoyed the treatment of the poor nervous wreck narrator by the inventive niece, and even by the aunt who doesn’t GAF about his ailments.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Synopses Spoiler Free

A wonderful collection of mostly well-known stories from the 19th to early 20th centuries makes for solid entertaining supernatural tales all centered on haunted houses. A diverse array of hauntings is presented, too. Nine of the 15 stories presented were rated a four or five by me. While 13 of the stories were either familiar to me or I'd heard of the author, which made for some great rereading, I finally read a classic Novella I'd never before had the chance to read. A well-rounded collection is especially recommended for those who want to start reading Victorian and other vintage area short stories.

1. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898) - The first story is actually a novella. I was excited to read this as this is one of the biggies I hadn't got around to reading yet, and wow, is this something else? A governess goes to look after this guy's niece and nephew, and she has full autonomy. He doesn't want to hear anything about them. She gets there and it starts right away. Either the place is haunted, or the governess is going. Crazy or the kids are tricking her for some reason. This is creepy and the ending is stunning. A must-read Gothic horror. (5/5)

2. The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe (1839) - A man rushes to the home of an old school friend as his sister is dying and calling for him. This story is all atmosphere: the land approaching, the house itself, the architecture inside and out, down to the clothing his friend wears. It's heavy and dark, and sublime. One of Poe's best tales. (5/5)

3. The Haunted and the Haunters, or the House and the Brain by Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1859) - A man comes to spend the night in a haunted house and gets more than he bargained for. He comes up with a solution which would satisfy those not ready to accept Spiritualism; no, this keeps with the Natural Order of things. But it's a wild and crazy solution. A very original story. (4/5)

4. The Empty House by Algernon Blackwood (1906) - - An elderly woman always obsessed with the paranormal invites her nephew for the weekend to finally go to the town's most haunted house for the night. I liked this but there was so much that didn't add up pieces seemed missing plot wasn't cohesive but it was a decent story for what it was (2/5)

5. The Red Room by HG Wells (1896) - A classic by Wells. Just a short tale of a man who dares to spend the night in a haunted room. This one plays on your emotions and the candle scene is quite frightening. (4/5)

6. The Shunned House by HP Lovecraft (1937) - A man's uncle studied the uncanny and had a detailed file on a shunned house that the two of them decided to spend some nights working, possibly ridding the house of its evil. They get more than they expected. A classic Lovecraft tale, not of the Cthulhu mythos. A good story for Lovecraft newbies. The climax is greatly descriptive. (4/5)

7. The Spook House by Ambrose Bierce (1889) - Quick scary story. Two men go into a house on a stormy night and only one comes out. Good for what it is. (3/5)

8. The Centerville Ghost by Oscar Wilde (1887) - At first, the presumptuous Americans don't believe their new home is haunted, but once faced with proof, they terrorize the poor dear. It's Oscar Wilde, so of course a pleasant read, but I prefer scary ghosts. (4/5)

9. Thurnley Abbey by Percival Landon (1908) - On board a ship, a man comes up to another and asks if he may share his room with him that night, and for an explanation, he tells him the following ghost story. It is a detailed story; half of it is backstory. More violent than other stories. (4/5)

10. The Judge's House by Bram Stoker (1891) - A student goes to spend Reading Week in a quiet town in an unused house which he quickly finds out once belonged to the hanging judge. It is such a well-told tale. The suspense grows at a wonderful rate of tension. Pure perfection. (5/5)

11. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892) - A classic story of a woman slowly being driven mad, perhaps by the wallpaper in her room or more likely by the medical treatment she is receiving which leaves her alone with no stimulation except the wallpaper. Gilman wrote this in response to the isolating treatment she received in a mental institution with the intent of warning others what it was like. I highly recommend reading the essay by the author, "Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper," upon finishing the story. (5/5)

12. The Haunted Dolls' House by MR James (1923) - This involves the passing on of a haunted dolls' House. It's an ok story, but it should have been longer. (3/5).

13. The Horla by Guy De Maupassant (1887) - A man suddenly can't sleep. It is as if he is being strangled until the last minute with no breath, he wakes. This continues every night. This is a classic story by a famous author of horror but it's not my favourite. It goes on too long from quite scary to not that scary. Of course, it's well-told, and the ending is good. (3/5)

14. The Reconciliation by Lafcadio Hearn (1904) - A samurai is broken and loses his money. He is let go from his general, and he divorces his wife before he leaves the city as he believes a different alliance will suit him better in a different city, so he moves and remarries. A short story of redemption but not happiness. Lafcadio was a great writer of Japanese tales and they are always pleasant to read. (4/5)

15. The Open Window by Saki (1914) - We end with a classic tale I've read a couple of times before making this my 3rd read. A man comes to a home with an introductory letter and, while waiting for the aunt, is told a strange tale by the niece. (5/5)

[Alba Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

{2 stars}

I love ghost stories and gothic tales, and I read a lot of classics. But this anthology didn't do it for me at all. Maybe I'm in the wrong mood for ghosts, maybe haunted houses aren't my thing, or maybe he just didn't do a great job at collecting stories.

Most of the writers here are big names - MR James, Guy de Maupassant, HP Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, Algernon Blackwood, Edgar Allen Poe. I've read a few of the stories and something by almost every author here. But... I was SO bored. I just wanted it over! I kept going because I knew that each story was by a different author, so I thought maybe the next one would be better!

For me, there were two standouts: The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, and The Judge's House by Bram Stoker. Both are re-reads but it's been over a decade since I read them in school. The Canterville Ghost, written by one of my all-time fave authors (I did a class on him in uni and read everything he ever wrote...), is actually a spoof of the ghost story in which the ghost is more scared of the occupants than the other way around! I really enjoyed this one and couldn't wait to see where it went. The ending was still a bit sad, but overall it was probably the best story in the collection.

Interestingly, Bram Stoker's was the other standout. I'm not a a huge Stoker fan - I love vampire/Dracula/Vlad Tepes stories but to me Stoker's original is very meh. But this story, the Judge's House, I once again felt that it was engaging and properly horrific. Maybe that's because I really don't like rats, while meeting a ghost might actually be cool, but with this story, I felt both scared and glued to the page. (The ending was also sad).

The first honourable mention was Guy de Maupassant's The Horla, mostly for the change in locale to northern France and Mont St Michele - one of my favourite places! The story wasn't really a haunted house though - more like a vampire or monster story.

The second honourable mention was Edward Bulwar Lytton's The Haunted and the Haunters which had a really good start and middle though the end was a bit meh. I felt genuinely nervous while the MC was staying overnight in the house, and (rightly it seems) worried about the dog, but the ending didn't really satisfy me.

The rest were so meh. They all run together for the most part. I have read better Lovecraft, Blackwood and James for sure! (Oh I should say that I skipped the Turn of the Screw. because I read this story last Halloween). The couple at the end were just too short to work for me. The famous Yellow Wallpaper was a massive disappointment.

Overall - I think it's better to read the stories that interest you individually instead of relying on an editor like this to put together the best tales.

If you do want a good ghost story anthology, check out Peter Haining's Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories.

[Toofan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short classic hunted house stories.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James 2 stars
A story with in a story. The first story is just a frame for the second one which is in form of a manuscript written by a governess , whose reliability is rather questionable, claiming to have encountered ghosts while taking care of two children.
I found the writing style of this story, especially the conversations, unnatural.

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe 2.5 stars
The title is self-explanatory. "The House of Usher" refers the house as well as the family Despite the flat characters, it is an entertaining short story, which some readers might find chilling.

The Haunted and the Haunters by Edward Bulwer-Lytton 3 stars
This story is the account of a gentleman who decided to stay overnight in a hunted house. I found this story rather entertaining.

The Empty House by Algernon Blackwood 3 stars
A man accompanies his adventure loving, old aunt to an empty hunted house where a servant had been murdered by her jealous suitor.
The characters are flat but the story is engaging.

The Red Room by H.G. Wells 2 stars
A young man attempts to spend the night, despite being advised against it, in an haunted room in a castle.

The Shunned House by H. P. Lovecraft 2 stars
The protagonist and his uncle try to unveil the mystery of sickness, death and strange growth in an old house.

The Spook House by Ambrose Bierce 1 star
Two men stumble upon an empty house where an entire family had disappeared.

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde 3.5 stars
A well known humorous story where a ghost instead of causing terror, suddenly finds himself harassed..

Thurnley Abbey by Perceval Landon 1 star
A rather boring hunted house story, although the plot had a lot of potential.

The Judge's House by Bram Stoker 4 stars
A student, in search of peace and quiet, rents an infamous house for three months. But things don't go as planed.
This story is well written, entertaining and has a satisfactory ending.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman 2 stars
The protagonist which isn't taken seriously by her husband and sister in law thinks something is hidden behind the motives of an ugly yellow wallpaper. But is the protagonist reliable?

The Haunted Dolls' House by M. R. James 2 stars
Again the title is self-explanatory.

Le Horla by Guy de Maupassant 4 stars
This story maps the narrator's slow descent into madness. It is a well written and engaging page turner.

The Reconciliation by Lafcadio Hearn 4 stars
A samurai returns after a long time to his first wife whom he had divorced.

The Open Window by Saki 2 stars
A nervous man visits a neighbor but his visit doesn't turn out as expected.

[Katarina Martinez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Turning of the screw- 2stars -I can see the influence on the movie The Others but it didn’t grab me. The introduction was jarring and the ending abrupt.

Fall of the house of Usher- 5stars- always a classic.

the haunted and the haunters- 3stars -could do without the philosophy sections but not bad overall.

The empty house-5stars- now this is an intriguing short story. Great opening hook and overall tone.

The red room- 4stars- definitely had the tension but lost me on the final lines.

The shunned house- 2stars- I wanted to like it more than I did. Felt rather long winded with a longer backstory that didn’t really add to the tension.

The spook house-2stars- really not much to this one.

Canterville ghost-3stars- it had a better narrative but was just ok overall.

Thurnley Abby- 4stars- started off a little rambling but I liked the meat of the story.

The judges house-4.5stars - predicted the ending and the capture was a little awkward but still a good story.

The yellow wallpaper-5stars- an unhinged mess of a POV and I’m here for it.

The haunted dolls house- 1star- so random I just didn’t get into it at all.

Le horla-1 star- It didn’t hold my interest

The reconciliation-5 stars- a perfect haunted tale. Reminds me of the type of stories in scary stores to tell in the dark.

The open window-1 star- a let down after the previous story.

[robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really first-rate collection of haunted houses. I think Landis stretches the point a bit with The Yellow Wallpaper and The Horla, but on the other hand, The Turn of the Screw is so atmospherically linked to the house and the landscape that one must allow it. If the governess had only left the house!

The Fall of The House of Usher of course isn't a haunted house at all, and yet, once again, the house is absolutely essential to the story. And Saki's The Open Window isn't even scary - but if you really put yourself in the place of that very tiresome young Framtom Nuttel - !

There are no hidden treasures here, these are all often-collected classics of the genre, but it was a real pleasure to read them again. One often doesn't re-read the real classics.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fraught with pure evil, wit, and originality. These stories were the Befores: Casting their long, shadowy influences over everything that came After.

My favorite is The Yellow Wallpaper, a story and author I'd never even heard of before that will no doubt give me nightmares! Was also blown away by The Judge's House, and completely enamored of Oscar and his Canterville Ghost (which I just never got around to reading til now). Also rekindled my love affair with the writing of Guy de Maupassant... like melted chocolate!

There is literally a haunting for every taste in this collection. And the John Landis intro is as fabulous as his photo.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A number of stories I have read before such as James's The Turn of the Screw, Poe's The Fall of the House of Ushers and Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper and such. The others are OK, but I will give special nods to Stoker's The Judge's House and H.P. Lovecraft's The Shunned House.

The problem here is that this is just exploiting public domain availability and there is really no support for the stories other than the date and method of original publication. Landis wrote a five page introduction, but it doesn't amount to much that would give confidence that he had much involvement beyond the interdiction itself.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

15 stories by well known authors with a great introduction. This is the ultimate anthology for fans of haunted houses. Inside you'll find The Turn of the Screw (Henry James), The Fall of the House of Usher (Poe), The Haunted and the Haunters (Bulwer-Lytton), The Shunned House (Lovecraft), The Canterville Ghost (Oscar Wilde), La Horla (de Maupassant) and some more intriguing tales (e.g. Stoker's The Judge's House). If you haven't read those classics or don't have them in your library at home this is the best opportunity to find them in one single volume. All those stories are timeless classics. This is horror literature at its best presented in a very good edition. Highly recommended!

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of haunted house stories which is my favourite type of horror. The stories inside are all written by different authors from a variety of years so it meant I managed to knock a few off my reading list as they were included.

Some of the stories I loved were spook house, judges house, yellow wallpaper and the Reconciliation.

But as much as I loved these as with every collection there were some that missed the mark for me. Some of the reasons I didnt like them range from long expositions that did not hold interest, not even being ghost stories and lack of plot.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is the best classic Haunted Houses collection that I've read. There's just something to be said for spooky atmospheric gothic ghosty tales of (mainly?) the nineteenth century. There were a few I had already read but there were enough that I wasn't familiar with that made this collection worthwhile.

I like that there's creepiness without goriness and that the ghosts are, in fact, ghosts except maybe for the Turn of the Screw. I really appreciate the haunts from this time period. Highly recommend.

[Ellie Midwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of the first generation of stories dealing with ghosts, haunted houses, and supernatural in general. They all have quite a different vibe from the present-day stories, so listening to them was definitely an interesting experience. Very “vintage” and written in the best gothic traditions.

[Roberta Lynne Ruben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Variety of ghost stories that include history of house built in the 1700’s in Britain and the United States. Most of the tales included the stories of deaths. Deaths of children through chronic illnesses and accidents. The a number of the houses remain haunted by women who have gone mad. Frightening tales.

[Kevin Linnekamp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good, some bad is a pretty standard set up for an anthology. This one was mostly dull, with a few outliers into VERY dull. Maybe it just isn't my genre.
I did notice a fair few generic ghost stories, rather than house specific hauntings.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for Halloween time. There are 15 stories, some over an hour long and some only 15 minutes. All written in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. The idea of horror has changed a lot over the last 150 years. Still I enjoyed the look back.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holy hell The Turn of the Screw is appalling.

The other stories are hit and miss but it's worth having on a book case to foist onto your teenagers to read.

[R.J.]

Nice collection of haunted house stories, including classics by Henry James and Edgar Allan Poe.

[Yehmehneh · Rating 3 out of 5]

meh

[Gillian Taber · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok read, nothing spectacular.

[Cynthia Sprout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection.

[Rob Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent collection. All of the stories are worth reading. To have them collected in one volume is fantastic.