Haunted Houses For the Millions

by Susy Smith

Scoffers mock the idea of haunted houses. Narrow rationalists try to explain away the most vivid sightings of spectral phenomena. Yet from all over the United States and Europe come continual reports of ghosts too authentic to be disproved, in fear-shadowed structures still standing and lived in.

In this amazing, completely honest book, famed psychic researcher Susy Smith takes you on a guided tour of haunted houses throughout the globe - and perhaps in your own neighborhood. In their own haunts you will meet angry, vengeful visitors from the dark past ... diabolically cunning spirits ... mischievous poltergeists ... unearthly beings with weird missions ... and many other emanations of the strange unknown ...

Genres: Ghost Stories, Ghosts, Paranormal

157 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

Reviews

[MKF · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have a hard time taking a book seriously that is written by someone claiming to be psychic. This book is okay but some parts just make me question the intelligence of this overall book. When an author talks about herself trespassing because the house wanted her to I had to struggle just to finish.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

You'll enjoy the book if you like learning about haunted places around the (Western) world. Some of the language was problematic at points. I enjoyed the wit sprinkled in.

[Crista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very lighthearted, fun read. Those who have spent a lot of time reading historical ghost stories aren't going to find much new ground to tread when making their way through this short book, though if this is the first book you're picking up on the subject, there's a nice variety of types of haunts that the author explores. Details are mostly surface level with preferential depth given to the stories that seem to be the author's favorites, or maybe the ones that were just more fun to tell. Author's prerogative, I guess.

What makes this one fun is the way that it's written. It's as if your favorite aunt --who works as a gossip columnist-- has barged into your kitchen and ordered you to take a seat because she has a story to tell. Every story is told with tongue firmly in cheek; the cover of the book asks you to consider if ghosts are real, but Ms. Smith doesn't care what your opinions on the subject are, ghosts are real and they're mostly very obnoxious. It [i]feels[/i] very of its time, with little allusions to people who are, to the modern reader, long dead, but their names have still been withheld for privacy. There was just something slightly ridiculous about it all, and it made it more entertaining to get through than I was expecting.

This isn't the kind of book I think anyone is going to read over and over again, but I'm glad I read it. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for something that explores reportedly true supernatural occurrences, but is more concerned with getting you to crack a smile than give you a spook.

[Ken · Rating 2 out of 5]

An overview of a lot of different hauntings from all around the globe. I prefer these kinds of books with a bit more meat on each story, but at any rate this was a very quick read.