Houses of Horror

by Hans Holzer

From the Fall River Press “Have you ever come home and wondered what might be lurking up the stairs, in the dark of the corridor where the lights don’t reach and the soft footfalls of the visitor disappear into the thick carpet?” For more than five decades, Hans Holzer has been delving into disturbances from The Other Side. This Vienna-born researcher, the man they call “The Ghost Hunter,” has devoted much of his adult life to tracking those phantom presences that emerge from the shadows when least expected. Whether we call these spectral personages, “ghosts” or “spirits” or “left behinds,” they hover among us, defying easy explanation or dismissal. No one in America has researched these ghostly beings more assiduously or skillfully than Holzer. Indeed, he has been lauded as the most published paranormal investigator of the past century. This collection contains some of his most famous and controversial cases. Houses of Horror takes us deep into history both known and obscure; we encounter accused traitor Aaron Burr and experience the postmortem rustlings of colonial spies. In New Hampshire, a nineteenth century admiral makes things go bump in the night; a girl ghost playfully leaves surprise gifts in an old Kentucky home; and in Illinois, a suicide moves restlessly from room to room. Holzer’s explorations in the seemingly unexplainable have taken him far afield. He ventures down dark corridors in eerie New England mansions and sprawling Southern homes. His ghostly quarry surfaces in Minnesota, the rural Midwest heartland; even in Hollywood and on a moving Swiss train.Ever observant, patiently curious, Holzer jots down the cases and then moves on. This rich collection of hauntings can be read as an extended glimpse into the life beyond life; the realm of the unknown.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, Ghosts, Paranormal

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Hans Holzer, whose investigations into the paranormal took him to haunted houses and other sites all over the world, wrote more than 140 books on ghosts, the afterlife, witchcraft, extraterrestrial beings, and other phenomena associated with the realm he called “the other side.” Among his famous subjects was the Long Island house that inspired The Amityville Horror book and film adaptations. Holzer studied at the University of Vienna, Austria, and at Columbia University, New York, earning a master’s degree in comparative religion. He taught parapsychology at the New York Institute of Technology. Holzer died in 2009.

Reviews

[Megan R. von Lange · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far, very chilling real accounts. I love it.

[Spookylady · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re ever interested in reading about ghosts and the paranormal, Hans Holzer’s books are a great choice. Holzer wrote 138 books on the supernatural and occult for the popular market as well as several plays, musicals, films, and documentaries and hosted a television show. He was a renowned parapsychologist.

Holzer’s extensive involvement in researching the supernatural has included investigating the Amityville Horror and some of the most prominent haunted locations around the world. Holzer is famous for creating the term “the other side of life.”

I recently found a copy of Houses of Horror at a used book sale for 50 cents. It’s an easy read for adults or even teens. The stories are exciting and definitely keep your interest. My favorite one is The Lady of the Garden.

You may have a bit of difficulty finding some of the older books as they are no longer in print, but Amazon often has used copies at good prices. Holzer's daughter, Alexandra Holzer, is carrying on her father’s work.

[Shane Keen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought that Houses of Horror would be wonderful book filled with lots of exciting ghost stories. After all, Hans Holzer is a paranormal investigator. He has experienced paranormal phenomenon firsthand. But what I got were predictable ghost stories. Nothing too exciting or engaging. I liked maybe 1 or 2 of the stories. But most of the stories were way too predictable. They were drawn out and unnecessary details were shared. It was like Hans was writing to convince the audience that what he saw was real. He was probably writing to skeptics back in his time. Most of the stories simply did not end right.

I could not bring myself to finish this book. I got to page 202 out of 359. I wouldn't say this is the worst book I have ever read. But it's not worth reading in my opinion. I give it 2 to 3 stars. I went on the lower end at 2 stars.

[Karen Bullock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captivating & a bit eery too.
Do I believe in ghosts? Yes
Have I seen ghostly apparitions? Yes
In the course of my almost 50 years, I can count on one hand the number of times I have crossed paths with other worldly life forces, so yes I believe in the supernatural.
These stories related to us by Hans Holzer are here to remind us that there are other "beings" or entities that leave footprints for us to follow & to not forget those who've walked the stairs of life before us.
If you love ghosts & other supernatural beings then this book belongs on your shelf.

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok, but not really scary, like they said it would be, I like paranormal, and ghost stories, but these just seemed, ok, their was one in Belleville, Il. i found interesting, but i live 25 min from their and know the area, would like to see the house they talk about.

[Diane T. Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life like stories

I felt as if the author was speaking directly to me, that I was at the event he was describing. All the stories grabbed and kept my attention. Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in ghosts.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great ghost stories

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must say it saddens me to be disappointed by a book I was so eager to read. Houses of Horror is a compilation of some of the house hauntings studied by author and parapsychologist Hans Holzer. Each chapter spotlights a particular case, or multiple cases occurring in the same area, in Mr. Holzer's career of studying and releasing spirits trapped between worlds and unable to rest peacefully. This type of work appeals to me, as I've had a long-time interest in the occult.

After several chapters, my disappointment began to settle in as each chapter vaguely resembles every other. The author does not live up to the "horror" promised in the title and simply explains the same, repetitive spiritual behavior in each house, which rarely strays from phantom footsteps, "uneasy" feelings of an unseen presence, random figures in the dark that disappear when the lights go on, and other various noises. Nothing about Holzer's accounts inspired any feelings one expects when reading ghost stories. Rather, the stories should be more accurately marketed as various cases of a professional parapsychologist, and nothing more. An aggravating reoccurance is the lack of closure in many of the cases, while others are hardly more than snippets of cases that seem just thrown in at will, giving very little detail, background, or substance at at all. A paragraph or two of "fluff" from an unrelated case appear in many of the earlier chapters, becoming rarer as the book progresses.

The unnecessary "fluff" and lack of assumed horror can be easily overlooked as the author offers interesting insight into a lesser-known, sometimes taboo, profession and a greatly mysterious subject matter, however the excessive occurance of typographical errors shows a complete lack of proper editing. As the third edition (the first published in 1970),one would expect such obvious mistakes be corrected at some point. Nevertheless, my personal experience reading this book was marred by lack of proper spacing between words and numerous punctuation errors.

Finally, the repetitive nature in which the chapters are written dispelled some of the original curiosity I had for what each individual story would contain. Holzer gives the background of the case, summarizes his visit to the house (usually involving a trance medium), and after a short communication with the spirit, convincing them their work on earth is done so they can cross over. Many simply end with the author's hope that his visit ceased the disturbances, not offering any proper conclusion or follow-up. I found myself wondering if my copy was missing pages that satisfactorily closed a few of the chapters, but alas, mine is fully intact.

I really enjoyed the ride along in such a fascinating field, learning many new factoids and methods concerning the procedure for dispelling ghosts from a home, as well as insight into the various manifestations of ESP, and do so recommend to anyone particularly interested in such topics. But if a good scare is what you're looking for, Houses of Horror will not satisfy.

[Hester · Rating 1 out of 5]

Last October I bought this book on a whim because it was in the el cheapo section of my local B&N. The book contains stories straight from Hans Holzer's case files, I never heard of him before by the way, but the only horrors in Houses of Horror is from the publisher Fall River. This book is one hot mess, it wasn't proofread and the editing was non existent. It had odd typos and most of the stories lacked a consistent narrative flow. Seriously, the segues were just plain odd. For example: a woman only identified as Mrs. S has physic abilities, while on a trip out of town she had a bad feeling and urged her husband to return home sooner than planned, when they returned home they found that two trucks crashed in front of her mother's home and caught on fire, but the house was fine. Anytime Mrs. S drives by an empty house in the neighborhood she can hear a piano being played..... What the hell? What does the first part of the story have to do with the second part of the story?

Holzer beats the word "uncanny" to death and then 10 feet under. I was also annoyed that most hauntings ended with the tortured ghost being freed from our earthly realm. Somehow I don't think its that easy. Another complaint is that Holzer is some kind of Zlist name dropper of what were then probably considered Dlist stars like Jane Morgan and Barrie Gaunt. Whoever in the hell they are? If you like real life ghost stories go find something else to read, this collection is not worth your precious time.

[Michelle Hansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually say I rate every book a 5 unless, however, it is about true stories or a documentary type book, or even a book that is written to teach about life and things of that nature. The stories in this book are good stories, and for someone who gets scared easily, I am sure this book would be great. However, for me, the author did not really grab my attention. I was waiting for intimate descriptions of what was so "spooky" about each house that would possibly make the hairs on the back of my neck rise, but that is not what this book was. Possibly may not have been the authors intention to scare the reader, but I thought that was the initial intention of the book. I was going to rate it a three, but I cannot say that I really liked it, but it was ok. Just was not the book I was expecting. It was hard for me to get through it.I will stick to the mystery novels that really can grab my attention. For me, the stories did not seem to flow so well.

[Sophie Petersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is by Hans Holzer and is 359 pages. The setting is in the 1950's and up and it's in many different old houses. The point of view is the author's. He is writing multiple stories of him helping people with their ghost problems. There are 36 stories in the book. The author does state in a few of the stories that these are just a few he has had to deal with. Imagine how many other amazing stories he has to tell.
The theme of the story is really just the author talking about his work. There are some pretty cool stories where they seem like they are out of a horror movie, but they are very real. There was a type of symbolism that I noticed and it was hearing broken glass. The people who were having the ghost problems would tell the author that they would hear glass being broken, rush to where they heard it from, and then find nothing. Everything was fine. I don't know if this is a specific sound ghosts make, but I thought that was cool.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hans Holzer is a pioneer in the field of para-psychology and investigation. In his career, he investigated thousands of cases and wrote over 100 books. This collection of some of the tales/cases of hauntings that )he researched and investigated. Interestingly, most of the affected people ate not skeptical It more curious about the supernatural occurrences. I was taken in by the terms "Stay behinds" and other "worldly (spiritual) presences" used by Holzer to describe the source of the disturbances. Holzer effectively conveys the uneasy feelings that these otherworldly presences exude. Some of this tales are quite eerie and unsettling. Among the best are: 'The Devil In the Flesh,' 'The Vindication of Aaron Burr,' 'Old Landladies Don't Die,' 'Return to Clinton Court.; and Pipeline to the Beyond.' Overall, it is a good book for the novice or casual reader.

[April · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can I rate this as a -5 stars?
I am going to be brutally honest. This man cannot write. There are so many errors and he has no flow. The stories of hauntings are vague and basic, and don't always make too much sense.
There are also too many typos to count and things that a copy editor should not miss.
I am so glad I didn't pay full price for this; I got it from Barnes & Noble's bargain books area.
It really is not worth your time, unless you want to get really frustrated about how this even got published.

[Feistymonkey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the read, but whoever proofed this should have been fired and probably also should have been barred from graduating high school. Bizarre typos, spelling errors and other bits of wonkiness that usually get worked out during editing just abounded in this book.

[Tara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Much of the same throughout--things opening and closing and moving on their own, strange sounds... It also got too historical for me. The typos were annoying.

[Heather Gessling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting collection of ghost stories compiled by this paranormal researcher. Sometimes its longwinded but overall the stories are entertaining.

[Noel · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok not exactly terrifying but im worried why my letter box keeps being knocked at 23. 45

[Lisa James · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of hauntings around the country. Very good ghost stories!

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

scared the bejesus out of me

[Morven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of detail and a glimpse into the early 60s. His writing style may seem archaic to some, but I found it a nice blast to the past. Would be of special interest to ghost hunters.