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Ghost House #1
Ghost House
NOT EVEN AMITYVILLE HORROR PREPARES YOU FOR ...GHOST HOUSE.
A dream house that traps a family in horror.
The beautiful old mansion on Long Island's South Shore seemed the perfect home for the Van Burens and their three young children. What happened to them inside that house is an experience you'll pray couldn't happen to you.
At first the Van Burens believed there had to be some natural explanation. Before it was over, they were fighting for their children's lives against an obscene manifestation of evil that engulfed them all in a desperate nightmare.
A dream house that traps a family in horror.
The beautiful old mansion on Long Island's South Shore seemed the perfect home for the Van Burens and their three young children. What happened to them inside that house is an experience you'll pray couldn't happen to you.
At first the Van Burens believed there had to be some natural explanation. Before it was over, they were fighting for their children's lives against an obscene manifestation of evil that engulfed them all in a desperate nightmare.
232 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
February 25, 2020
5 Stars
I was watching a book-tuber who collects vintage horror and saw this book. OMG; I had not seen this book in over 30 years.
I don't remember much about it, except that I loved it. I must be due for a reread.
I was watching a book-tuber who collects vintage horror and saw this book. OMG; I had not seen this book in over 30 years.
I don't remember much about it, except that I loved it. I must be due for a reread.
October 27, 2021
This is Part Umpteen in my ongoing quest for the perfect haunted house story. And this isn't it.
"Ghost House" is a late 70s paperback from hell featuring Melanie, her husband Gary, and their three little ones who all move into a charming mansion by the coast that is supposed to be haunted by a malicious ghost. The family hopes to escape the memory of Melanie's former lover who had been threatening the family. But it becomes quickly apparent they are not safe in the house. Someone, or something, has a crush on Melanie and clearly means to do harm to the kids.
Sounds like a classic setup for some good haunted house scares, does it not? Unfortunately, this book is riddled with old cliches and absolutely stupid contrivances to keep a brief plot afloat for an entire novel length. Minor spoilers ahead:
1) Needlessly hiding secrets. Gary has been attacked by the evil entity and is found unconscious at the bottom of the stairs with strangle marks on his neck. The police suspect assault, but Gary refuses to tell anyone what happened. I can understand worrying that the police wouldn't believe a story about an invisible assailant, but he doesn't even tell his own wife who has had paranormal experiences in the house already.
2) Being stubborn to the point of stupidity. We're not even halfway through the book before all hell breaks loose. I mean, this ghost is not subtle at all. He makes his presence and intentions clearly known from the beginning. No slow burn here. At least it should be obvious to the parents and the police to get the family out of Dodge before one of the children are killed. Nope. They just move bedrooms. Bad parenting skills there, Melanie and Gary.
3) Going into mysterious places by yourself. Melanie has two friggin cops standing guard downstairs, but goes up in the attic by herself to investigate strange cries coming from a secret door. Now, the cops are there because the police suspect sabotage from someone stalking the family, and they believe it is possible the criminal is hiding somewhere in the house. So why wouldn't Melanie bring the secret passage to the attention of police?
4) The old mistaken identity ploy. This is not the first book where this has been used but it is quite egregious here. Melanie has sex with a guy she mistakes for her husband. Please! You fellow married folks know exactly what I'm talking about. You come to know every inch and curve of your significant other. I could be blind and would know if someone crawled in bed with me that wasn't my wife. A kiss is as unique as a signature. People smell different. They feel different. They sound different. Hell, the man even speaks to her in an English accent that her husband doesn't have. And besides, who makes love in pitch darkness? In most bedrooms, there is always some ambient light, whether it be from a street lamp, the garage flood lights, the digital alarm clock at the bedside, or just a bright moon. Anyone can certainly see enough to recognize a stranger in your bed. I'm not buying it, Melanie, you wanton hussie!
5) Having a seance. The problem in this instance is not so much that a seance in a haunted house story is cliche, but WHEN this seance occurs in the book. We are now 3/4 of the way into the narrative, and it should be apparent that bad juju is afoot in the house to all characters involved. Gary has just had his ass handed to him AGAIN by an invisible assailant and has to be rushed to the hospital. So what does the rest of the family do? Why, have a birthday party! With more kids! That the ghost hates! In a house where kids are constantly dying or threatened! So Melanie cares not an ounce for her own kids or anyone else's. She could have easily thrown a party at the nearest Show Biz Pizza and not in the place where her children had been set on fire and several people were killed a few weeks prior by an obvious ghost. And what do you think the genius Melanie lets the kids do for entertainment? Not pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. No, this mom-of-the-year consents to let the kids have a friggin seance. That's right, folks. By this point, I was ready to throw the book out the window, only I was reading it on my Android.
So as you can see, these horror tropes are not handled with much skill here, and thus the reader gets pulled too far and too frequently from complete immersion in the story. When you write a book that expects people to suspend disbelief for at least four hours of their time, at least have the courtesy to earn some of that required trust. You want readers to think, "Ooo, I'm scared for these characters! I hope nothing happens to them!" You don't want your readers thinking, "This would never happen. People don't behave this way. I don't care what happens to these absolute morons."
I found myself more in the latter camp than the former even though the characters were likeable and relatable. But because the plot revolved around children in peril, I was able to still get into the story, as I have a soft spot for innocent little ones and relish in the hatred of any person, real or fictional, who would do children harm.
Now, I don't know how you may like your haunted house stories served, so your mileage may vary with this one. I do tend to like my ghost stories to be a bit of a slow burn, building a sense of awe and mystery that peaks my anxieties to the point where I'm vigilant about every creak and shadow in my own house, only to have that tension relieved in a bat-shit-crazy finale. While "Ghost House" follows that structure, it feels very compressed. No sooner does the family move in the haunted house before things get real. There's no time to simmer in the spookiness. It's like if you were shown the mechanical shark in the very first scene of "Jaws," or Regan started puking pea soup in the first 10 minutes of "The Exorcist," or if Michael Myers never wore the "shape" mask and instead was running around in full view looking like Brad Pitt or Antonio Banderas.
But if you don't care much for set pieces and just want to get to the meat of the matter, this is a haunted house story for you. The writing is also quite serviceable if not a bit overly simplistic, like a grandmother telling a spooky story to her grandkids. It's accessible to everyone and overall I enjoyed the narrative voice.
But the flaws were just too plentiful to rate this book higher than two stars. Most lovers of spooky stories will feel right at home in "Ghost House," as can be seen by the largely positive reviews. But it was just too dumb for me. And I can enjoy reading some seriously dumb stuff!
So my tour of haunted houses continues...
"Ghost House" is a late 70s paperback from hell featuring Melanie, her husband Gary, and their three little ones who all move into a charming mansion by the coast that is supposed to be haunted by a malicious ghost. The family hopes to escape the memory of Melanie's former lover who had been threatening the family. But it becomes quickly apparent they are not safe in the house. Someone, or something, has a crush on Melanie and clearly means to do harm to the kids.
Sounds like a classic setup for some good haunted house scares, does it not? Unfortunately, this book is riddled with old cliches and absolutely stupid contrivances to keep a brief plot afloat for an entire novel length. Minor spoilers ahead:
1) Needlessly hiding secrets. Gary has been attacked by the evil entity and is found unconscious at the bottom of the stairs with strangle marks on his neck. The police suspect assault, but Gary refuses to tell anyone what happened. I can understand worrying that the police wouldn't believe a story about an invisible assailant, but he doesn't even tell his own wife who has had paranormal experiences in the house already.
2) Being stubborn to the point of stupidity. We're not even halfway through the book before all hell breaks loose. I mean, this ghost is not subtle at all. He makes his presence and intentions clearly known from the beginning. No slow burn here. At least it should be obvious to the parents and the police to get the family out of Dodge before one of the children are killed. Nope. They just move bedrooms. Bad parenting skills there, Melanie and Gary.
3) Going into mysterious places by yourself. Melanie has two friggin cops standing guard downstairs, but goes up in the attic by herself to investigate strange cries coming from a secret door. Now, the cops are there because the police suspect sabotage from someone stalking the family, and they believe it is possible the criminal is hiding somewhere in the house. So why wouldn't Melanie bring the secret passage to the attention of police?
4) The old mistaken identity ploy. This is not the first book where this has been used but it is quite egregious here. Melanie has sex with a guy she mistakes for her husband. Please! You fellow married folks know exactly what I'm talking about. You come to know every inch and curve of your significant other. I could be blind and would know if someone crawled in bed with me that wasn't my wife. A kiss is as unique as a signature. People smell different. They feel different. They sound different. Hell, the man even speaks to her in an English accent that her husband doesn't have. And besides, who makes love in pitch darkness? In most bedrooms, there is always some ambient light, whether it be from a street lamp, the garage flood lights, the digital alarm clock at the bedside, or just a bright moon. Anyone can certainly see enough to recognize a stranger in your bed. I'm not buying it, Melanie, you wanton hussie!
5) Having a seance. The problem in this instance is not so much that a seance in a haunted house story is cliche, but WHEN this seance occurs in the book. We are now 3/4 of the way into the narrative, and it should be apparent that bad juju is afoot in the house to all characters involved. Gary has just had his ass handed to him AGAIN by an invisible assailant and has to be rushed to the hospital. So what does the rest of the family do? Why, have a birthday party! With more kids! That the ghost hates! In a house where kids are constantly dying or threatened! So Melanie cares not an ounce for her own kids or anyone else's. She could have easily thrown a party at the nearest Show Biz Pizza and not in the place where her children had been set on fire and several people were killed a few weeks prior by an obvious ghost. And what do you think the genius Melanie lets the kids do for entertainment? Not pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. No, this mom-of-the-year consents to let the kids have a friggin seance. That's right, folks. By this point, I was ready to throw the book out the window, only I was reading it on my Android.
So as you can see, these horror tropes are not handled with much skill here, and thus the reader gets pulled too far and too frequently from complete immersion in the story. When you write a book that expects people to suspend disbelief for at least four hours of their time, at least have the courtesy to earn some of that required trust. You want readers to think, "Ooo, I'm scared for these characters! I hope nothing happens to them!" You don't want your readers thinking, "This would never happen. People don't behave this way. I don't care what happens to these absolute morons."
I found myself more in the latter camp than the former even though the characters were likeable and relatable. But because the plot revolved around children in peril, I was able to still get into the story, as I have a soft spot for innocent little ones and relish in the hatred of any person, real or fictional, who would do children harm.
Now, I don't know how you may like your haunted house stories served, so your mileage may vary with this one. I do tend to like my ghost stories to be a bit of a slow burn, building a sense of awe and mystery that peaks my anxieties to the point where I'm vigilant about every creak and shadow in my own house, only to have that tension relieved in a bat-shit-crazy finale. While "Ghost House" follows that structure, it feels very compressed. No sooner does the family move in the haunted house before things get real. There's no time to simmer in the spookiness. It's like if you were shown the mechanical shark in the very first scene of "Jaws," or Regan started puking pea soup in the first 10 minutes of "The Exorcist," or if Michael Myers never wore the "shape" mask and instead was running around in full view looking like Brad Pitt or Antonio Banderas.
But if you don't care much for set pieces and just want to get to the meat of the matter, this is a haunted house story for you. The writing is also quite serviceable if not a bit overly simplistic, like a grandmother telling a spooky story to her grandkids. It's accessible to everyone and overall I enjoyed the narrative voice.
But the flaws were just too plentiful to rate this book higher than two stars. Most lovers of spooky stories will feel right at home in "Ghost House," as can be seen by the largely positive reviews. But it was just too dumb for me. And I can enjoy reading some seriously dumb stuff!
So my tour of haunted houses continues...
February 28, 2017
This was a pretty good ghost story. It starts out a little slow, but then it picks up speed around chapter 7. This book had lots of twists and turns. The house has a mean-spirited ghost that makes its presence known to the mother and children - the father stays in denial through most of the book, but finally he realizes that there is such a thing as "ghosts". The story starts moving at a faster pace and the last 8 chapters of the book, I stayed up to the early morning hours to finish reading it. (Note: there is a sequel to this novel called "Ghost House Revenge" - I am looking forward to reading the second one).
April 24, 2013
Quite a good ghost story. Anxious to see if there is a sequel!
Update: Apparently I've been living under a big 'ole rock! I was thrilled to see there are a bunch more books which I have ordered today. Woo hoo!
Update: Apparently I've been living under a big 'ole rock! I was thrilled to see there are a bunch more books which I have ordered today. Woo hoo!
April 5, 2021
I have mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, it was a bit different from your average haunted house story. Unfortunately, the characters were completely unbelievable to me, not consistent, and their "decisions" didn't make any sense in many cases.
The ending was just . . . so unexpected, but not in a "good way", and made me question why this was suddenly happening NOW.
Three star rating for the originality factor.
The ending was just . . . so unexpected, but not in a "good way", and made me question why this was suddenly happening NOW.
Three star rating for the originality factor.
March 21, 2024
A classic paranormal story about a haunted house and a ghost that has been living in it for a very long time.
The van Burens and their three young children are looking for a new beginning to rekindle their relationship. They decide to move to a new place and start over.
But the house they have bought has a very dark secret and there is a presence that is angry and will seek revenge on anyone that moves in.
This is a story similar to The Amityville Horror and other books that came after that. You do have to suspend disbelief a bit but I still really enjoyed the creepiness of the story and the unsettling atmosphere inside the house.
It was nothing new but I really enjoyed the backstory of the house as well as the ending.
The van Burens and their three young children are looking for a new beginning to rekindle their relationship. They decide to move to a new place and start over.
But the house they have bought has a very dark secret and there is a presence that is angry and will seek revenge on anyone that moves in.
This is a story similar to The Amityville Horror and other books that came after that. You do have to suspend disbelief a bit but I still really enjoyed the creepiness of the story and the unsettling atmosphere inside the house.
It was nothing new but I really enjoyed the backstory of the house as well as the ending.
March 9, 2016
Oh boy. Full review: http://sleaze-factor.blogspot.ca/2016...
October 31, 2024
4.5 ⭐️s
SpookTober read 2024 - #11
Scary good! 👻👻👻
SpookTober read 2024 - #11
Scary good! 👻👻👻
March 23, 2021
Sometimes you pick up a book you know isn't very good, but you soldier through just in case. Ghost House, a debut novel from 1979, was never going to be my favourite novel, but based on the reviews I thought hey, it might be cheesy fun. Nope.
The Van Buren family move into an uninhabited but somehow very well preserved mansion on Long Island. Very soon after, Melanie the Mom and Gary the Dad, their relationship already strained, begin to experience all sorts of hauntings. Melanie has sex with the ghost of an 18th century sea captain thinking it's his estranged husband, while Gary hears angry voices and is strangled and pushed down the stairs and whatnot. Somehow, Gary still thinks there's a natural explanation, while the corpses of neighbours and policemen start to pile up on their doorstep.
Psychologically Ghost House is a trainwreck. The characters don't seem to experience any emotions of horror despite everything going on around them, they don't grab their annoyingly sweet kids and run screaming from the house like any normal person would do. Their light banter is entertaining at first, later it becomes insufferable. Towards the end some of them do scream theatrically "Nnnoooo!!!" but they might just be echoing the reader's despair.
So things happen, but nothing really matters. Deaths, well, the kids did see a dead wino once, so I guess the corpse of a dead neighbour isn't going to traumatize them!
The ghost itself is a cartoon character, a see-through sea captain who's being prancing around his estate for a couple of lifetimes. There's some kind of nonsense about a vengeance, and apparently he's very keen on Melanie the MILF because reasons. A silver lining to all this dreck is Melanie's flashback to an affair with a handsome man who later proves to be a world-class creep and a drug addict, a storyline that might very well be the scariest part of the book.
Ghost House has a very romantic view of ghosts and hauntings, and in its chosen subgenre something like this probably does pass muster with flying colours. For the rest of us poor jaded bastards, Ghost House offers nothing but headache and frustration.
The Van Buren family move into an uninhabited but somehow very well preserved mansion on Long Island. Very soon after, Melanie the Mom and Gary the Dad, their relationship already strained, begin to experience all sorts of hauntings. Melanie has sex with the ghost of an 18th century sea captain thinking it's his estranged husband, while Gary hears angry voices and is strangled and pushed down the stairs and whatnot. Somehow, Gary still thinks there's a natural explanation, while the corpses of neighbours and policemen start to pile up on their doorstep.
Psychologically Ghost House is a trainwreck. The characters don't seem to experience any emotions of horror despite everything going on around them, they don't grab their annoyingly sweet kids and run screaming from the house like any normal person would do. Their light banter is entertaining at first, later it becomes insufferable. Towards the end some of them do scream theatrically "Nnnoooo!!!" but they might just be echoing the reader's despair.
So things happen, but nothing really matters. Deaths, well, the kids did see a dead wino once, so I guess the corpse of a dead neighbour isn't going to traumatize them!
The ghost itself is a cartoon character, a see-through sea captain who's being prancing around his estate for a couple of lifetimes. There's some kind of nonsense about a vengeance, and apparently he's very keen on Melanie the MILF because reasons. A silver lining to all this dreck is Melanie's flashback to an affair with a handsome man who later proves to be a world-class creep and a drug addict, a storyline that might very well be the scariest part of the book.
Ghost House has a very romantic view of ghosts and hauntings, and in its chosen subgenre something like this probably does pass muster with flying colours. For the rest of us poor jaded bastards, Ghost House offers nothing but headache and frustration.
April 10, 2022
My first book by author Clare McNally and I’m looking forward to reading more of her books.
November 29, 2020
A couple and their three young children move from the city to an old mansion on the coast. Gary and Melanie currently have a strained relationship after Melanie had an affair with another man. The affair was ended but the man became threatening towards them so they decide to pack up and move where he can't find them. This set-up works to provide a few things: the reason for their move, the awkwardness and lack of communication between husband and wife, plus a possible explanation for the strange goings-on in the house. But as weird occurrences become more frequent and the members of the family fall victim to violent attacks they entertain the possibility that there might be a supernatural force behind it.
The story starts with a prologue set in 1797 with a man mourning the death of the woman he loved who has been burned at the stake as a witch. We learn more about this story as the book goes on and how this relates to the unexplained events that have taken place in the house over the years.
This novel was clearly published in the wake of The Amityville Horror's success so not only is it somewhat derivative I also found it difficult at times to suspend disbelief over the silly and ridiculous nature of the events that take place (as I did with TAH). The lack of communication between Gary and Melanie became very frustrating and some of the dialogue was stiff and didn't feel realistic. That said, there were some interesting ideas here and the violent nature of the attacks on the family made for high stakes. I found the book to be a page-turner and overall quite an enjoyable read.
The story starts with a prologue set in 1797 with a man mourning the death of the woman he loved who has been burned at the stake as a witch. We learn more about this story as the book goes on and how this relates to the unexplained events that have taken place in the house over the years.
This novel was clearly published in the wake of The Amityville Horror's success so not only is it somewhat derivative I also found it difficult at times to suspend disbelief over the silly and ridiculous nature of the events that take place (as I did with TAH). The lack of communication between Gary and Melanie became very frustrating and some of the dialogue was stiff and didn't feel realistic. That said, there were some interesting ideas here and the violent nature of the attacks on the family made for high stakes. I found the book to be a page-turner and overall quite an enjoyable read.
October 23, 2023
Unintentionally hilarious, this short but interminably laboured haunted house opus throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Fave bit: when the embattled family (husband, errant wife, three young children), having suffered any number of paranormal attacks which have variously left the husband hospitalised and the children almost immolated by fire, not only decide *not* to move out but throw a sleepover party for this prepubescent daughter. Parents Of The Year Award is in the post to them. It’ll probably be a ghoul delivering it.
December 28, 2012
I could not put this one down. what a great paranormal book! I love ghost stories and mysteries. This was incredibly well written and flowed so well. The characters were marvelous. I loved this book! Can't wait to read more by Clare McNally! Great book!
March 28, 2022
Just a good ol 70s ghost story. Loved it
September 24, 2023
I read this book back in my teens and thought this was some literary masterpiece. I am now convinced I was in a fever dream because the book had to have sucked then and sucks even more now. I decided to reread this after about 15 years passed by, to see if it really was as “good” as I remembered it.
NO this book is all around laughable. Every character is stupid, especially the husband who doesn't find it odd that his wife got pounded by a ghost. He's just "lol what's that over here?" Even the freaking ghost was stupid, a whiny ass captain that cried over his lost love and would definitely listen to Drake's "Marvin's Room" in the attic if he was alive.
My favorite part is when little Timmy (can't even remember the son's name) keeps finding hazardous antiquities like an old gun and their dad has the attitude of "Golly gee son, lets see!" This also applies to when they find charred remains on their property and instead of being concerned, 'ol Gary decides to ignore this and continue on with being a cuck, in regards to his wife getting railed by Casper chapters before.
Also, they find the elderly neighbor dead by ghost assassination on their property, but how do they describe it?
"How bad was it?"
"Not as bad as the wino, mom"
Alright then.
AND ANOTHER THING, Gary keeps getting maimed by this ghost and he keeps going back for more because he can't walk away from Equity. Furthermore, he is more pissed that a cop shows up with a gun to look for a prowler than he is concerned about a violent spirit that murdered the grandma next door and tried to set his house on fire.
Writing was so juvenile and I don't know how I made it through this book a SECOND TIME. Honestly one of the worst books I have ever read.
NO this book is all around laughable. Every character is stupid, especially the husband who doesn't find it odd that his wife got pounded by a ghost. He's just "lol what's that over here?" Even the freaking ghost was stupid, a whiny ass captain that cried over his lost love and would definitely listen to Drake's "Marvin's Room" in the attic if he was alive.
My favorite part is when little Timmy (can't even remember the son's name) keeps finding hazardous antiquities like an old gun and their dad has the attitude of "Golly gee son, lets see!" This also applies to when they find charred remains on their property and instead of being concerned, 'ol Gary decides to ignore this and continue on with being a cuck, in regards to his wife getting railed by Casper chapters before.
Also, they find the elderly neighbor dead by ghost assassination on their property, but how do they describe it?
"How bad was it?"
"Not as bad as the wino, mom"
Alright then.
AND ANOTHER THING, Gary keeps getting maimed by this ghost and he keeps going back for more because he can't walk away from Equity. Furthermore, he is more pissed that a cop shows up with a gun to look for a prowler than he is concerned about a violent spirit that murdered the grandma next door and tried to set his house on fire.
Writing was so juvenile and I don't know how I made it through this book a SECOND TIME. Honestly one of the worst books I have ever read.
Read
October 4, 2012That's it. I'm done. This was just bad. I forced myself to suffer through nearly a hundred pages of terrible writing in hopes that the story was worth it. Well, it wasn't. Now I'm 2 hours of sleep poorer and itching for that $1.50 I spent on it o come back.
October 29, 2009
This was a great book Read it when I was 12 or so I still remember it, had nightmares. I would like to read it again now that I'm older.
June 12, 2010
Absolutely, hands down, one of the best ghost stories out there..alot of "ghost writers" can take lessons from Clare McNally!
July 1, 2017
Horribly written, with annoying characters who don't seem to have an ounce of common sense. One of the worst books I've read in a long time.
March 21, 2022
When it comes to horror nothing beats a good haunted house story. Problem is, it's hard to do them justice or even add anything new to the genre. Making things worse is that this is McNally's debut novel so there's a lot riding on this one. It may start out slow but once it picks up it doesn't stop and you can't help but feel badly for this family who is the target of a very evil, very insane ghost. Most people would have picked up and left, but not this family. They remain in the house even after Melanie's husband is attacked twice by Armand. That my friends is either dedication, or plain stupidity.
The book may not add anything new to the genre itself but it's entertaining and adds pieces of the past to give us a glimpse of why Armand is attacking everyone who steps foot in the house. It's a haunting based on obsession disguised as love and while there are far better books than this, the pacing and plot are the driving force here. There's a need to see how it all plays out and sure, it's all silly at times and the characters are quite predictable but it's still a great short novel that sadly fell through the cracks.
Ghost House is one of those books that you read and either hate or love. There's no middle ground. If you're looking for something this is one of those books you should read becasue it's so good. You can't help but feel a little creeped out as the story unfolds. There's more here than just a ghost haunting a house. McNally has given us a house and a ghost with a sad tragic history. No one who lives in the house survives nor do they live there long. Why is Armand haunting the house and the grounds? That's up to you to find out. If you can find this, give it a read.
The book may not add anything new to the genre itself but it's entertaining and adds pieces of the past to give us a glimpse of why Armand is attacking everyone who steps foot in the house. It's a haunting based on obsession disguised as love and while there are far better books than this, the pacing and plot are the driving force here. There's a need to see how it all plays out and sure, it's all silly at times and the characters are quite predictable but it's still a great short novel that sadly fell through the cracks.
Ghost House is one of those books that you read and either hate or love. There's no middle ground. If you're looking for something this is one of those books you should read becasue it's so good. You can't help but feel a little creeped out as the story unfolds. There's more here than just a ghost haunting a house. McNally has given us a house and a ghost with a sad tragic history. No one who lives in the house survives nor do they live there long. Why is Armand haunting the house and the grounds? That's up to you to find out. If you can find this, give it a read.
October 26, 2022
This was rough around the edges, and rough all over the middle. It had all the betrayals of an author's first novel. The story is simple enough, but McNally turns it into a clunky mess. It's just bad. That's it. I can hardly remember any redeeming moments. Perhaps the best part is that it's very short.
I loved one of her later books though, so I'll definitely keep reading through her catalog.
I loved one of her later books though, so I'll definitely keep reading through her catalog.
August 19, 2018
Buying an old mansion, the the Van Burens, who have three young children, think the new start is a great thing, but the horror inside proves how wrong those thoughts were. This is a great story reminiscent of Amityville horror.
October 28, 2014
As far as ghost stories go, this wasn't too bad. Nothing really to write home about. There's a house and a ghost, just like the title promises, and there's even a little kid (actually three) just like on this cover, though this particular kid on this particular cover pissed me off every time I picked it up, and I found myself wondering "Where is this kid now?" I could probably Google it, if I cared enough.
I didn't really expect much out of this, so I'm not disappointed necessarily. But still - it's hardly anything better than an "it's okay" rating. I could complain about how dated it is, but that's hardly a good excuse. Some creepy books are dated now, but they're still pretty creepy. (Looking at you, The Stepford Wives.) The women can't do anything without a man, except for the 29-year-old librarian, but in that case several comments are made about her being "old" and how she'll never find a man at her age. Seriously. This book was only published in 1979. (I was a whole year old when this book came out! Man, now I feel old and dated.)
The creep-factor was low. The ghost story itself was formulaic and pretty boring actually. I like a good ghost story as much as the next kid, but this one really was pretty meh. No, I wouldn't say it's because it's now the 21st century and I'm all desensitized after a lifetime of watching horror movies - some of my favorite ghost movies are the ones that are more atmospheric than in-your-face (The Changeling for one). I hoped that there would be some of that atmospheric fear-factor in this book, but it really wasn't there.
So in any case, it was a quick read. This is the sort of thing I read a lot of when I was younger (say 12 or 13), and I'm pretty sure I've read something by this author. If I read this particular book I have no memory of it; however, it's fair to assume that another 20 years could go by and I could re-read this at that time and I would have no memory of this particular reading either. It's just not that memorable.
But what I needed was a fun read, nothing too taxing, and this fit that bill. I could roll my eyes at the dated references (disco, baby!) and the cliched effects, but I had trouble concentrating all the way through because I found myself annoyed by all of the characterizations.
Now, really. Someone find out for me whatever happened to the little girl in the photo on the cover, thanks.
I didn't really expect much out of this, so I'm not disappointed necessarily. But still - it's hardly anything better than an "it's okay" rating. I could complain about how dated it is, but that's hardly a good excuse. Some creepy books are dated now, but they're still pretty creepy. (Looking at you, The Stepford Wives.) The women can't do anything without a man, except for the 29-year-old librarian, but in that case several comments are made about her being "old" and how she'll never find a man at her age. Seriously. This book was only published in 1979. (I was a whole year old when this book came out! Man, now I feel old and dated.)
The creep-factor was low. The ghost story itself was formulaic and pretty boring actually. I like a good ghost story as much as the next kid, but this one really was pretty meh. No, I wouldn't say it's because it's now the 21st century and I'm all desensitized after a lifetime of watching horror movies - some of my favorite ghost movies are the ones that are more atmospheric than in-your-face (The Changeling for one). I hoped that there would be some of that atmospheric fear-factor in this book, but it really wasn't there.
So in any case, it was a quick read. This is the sort of thing I read a lot of when I was younger (say 12 or 13), and I'm pretty sure I've read something by this author. If I read this particular book I have no memory of it; however, it's fair to assume that another 20 years could go by and I could re-read this at that time and I would have no memory of this particular reading either. It's just not that memorable.
But what I needed was a fun read, nothing too taxing, and this fit that bill. I could roll my eyes at the dated references (disco, baby!) and the cliched effects, but I had trouble concentrating all the way through because I found myself annoyed by all of the characterizations.
Now, really. Someone find out for me whatever happened to the little girl in the photo on the cover, thanks.
October 20, 2021
Ghost House was incredibly hokey. The characters were awful (although Gary made me laugh so hard, because he just kept getting whaled on and going back for more). It was an adult book but felt like it was written for a younger audience. At the end of a few chapters there'd be something asinine like "And you'll never believe what happened NEXT!!" I couldn't believe how ridiculous it was. The funny thing is the last line of the book was so stupid that it did tempt me to read the next one, but it was also supposed to be only 230-something pages and felt like it took me forever to read so maybe not.
October 27, 2019
What was I thinking?
I read this book long ago in 8th grade. I remembered it being such a great book that I've looked for it for years. I must have a terrible memory because this book was awful. I guess 13 year old me was easily impressed.lol I'm just glad I only paid 2.99 for it. The bad news is that I also bought the sequel. Ugh.
I read this book long ago in 8th grade. I remembered it being such a great book that I've looked for it for years. I must have a terrible memory because this book was awful. I guess 13 year old me was easily impressed.lol I'm just glad I only paid 2.99 for it. The bad news is that I also bought the sequel. Ugh.
July 29, 2011
OMG! I loved this book when I was a kid. Read it over and over.
July 12, 2020
This novel was the first "Ghost" story I've ever read. I really enjoyed the novel. The chapters were a little all over the place when it comes to chapter length. For instance chapter 15 is some, 10 pages long. While the rest of the chapters (for the most part are 4-6max pages). I bring this up because I feel this simple fact of sporadic chapter length, made for a far better novel. Due to the shortness of these chapters, as a reader it kept me coming back for more. Or I would tell myself, 'oh just finish this chapter'. Well whenever I picked it back up again I was able to knock out at least 4 more chapters before another bigger chapter showed itself.
Now the story itself. It had its moments, especially in the beginning of the novel. Long story short, a family of 5 move into a nice and expensive old home. Inside the home, prior to the family's arrival, the original occupant sits in waiting. While they struggle with there own, intimacy issues and finding every nook and cranny of the home, gifts begin to appear. These sweet innocent gifts hides and harbours a darker motive. Eventually the original owner makes errors in his habits of 'observing and interacting from afar'.
The one thing I enjoyed the most with this ghost tale was how far the blurring of reality, hindered some characters from responding correctly or appropriately. While that lack of response snubs out a particular Avenue of ghost interactions, on the other hand, the fear is reignited in some other place in the home. It felt as though as soon as the characters put out one fire, another bonfire began. I will not spoil this novel for any possible, future readers but I will say two words. The Children, remember the children. There story is one I would not wish on a single child, be them little buttheads or in Juvy or even my worst enemies kids. If one wants some parting words to show case this story in simple terms let me try... Sex, Fire, Gifts, Stalking, History, the Attic and the Officer.
This novel is worth your time and energy. Its just a shy bit longer than what I deem to be a 'short story'. I really don't have any negative things to say about this novel except maybe the ending. Considering I read multiple books at a time, this novels ending was not explosive or very breath taking. Which was some what surprising considering the fact that most of the novel held me, spellbound. It just seemed a little flat and lackluster. Sure it was a good and decent ending, but not out of this world or better than the rest of the novel. The ride was incredible. It made you assume the ending would be something huge. But just made me shrug my shoulders and say 'aaah, not a bad ending'. If you've read the novel you'll understand my opinions. If it wasn't for that ending I would have given it 5 stars.
Now the story itself. It had its moments, especially in the beginning of the novel. Long story short, a family of 5 move into a nice and expensive old home. Inside the home, prior to the family's arrival, the original occupant sits in waiting. While they struggle with there own, intimacy issues and finding every nook and cranny of the home, gifts begin to appear. These sweet innocent gifts hides and harbours a darker motive. Eventually the original owner makes errors in his habits of 'observing and interacting from afar'.
The one thing I enjoyed the most with this ghost tale was how far the blurring of reality, hindered some characters from responding correctly or appropriately. While that lack of response snubs out a particular Avenue of ghost interactions, on the other hand, the fear is reignited in some other place in the home. It felt as though as soon as the characters put out one fire, another bonfire began. I will not spoil this novel for any possible, future readers but I will say two words. The Children, remember the children. There story is one I would not wish on a single child, be them little buttheads or in Juvy or even my worst enemies kids. If one wants some parting words to show case this story in simple terms let me try... Sex, Fire, Gifts, Stalking, History, the Attic and the Officer.
This novel is worth your time and energy. Its just a shy bit longer than what I deem to be a 'short story'. I really don't have any negative things to say about this novel except maybe the ending. Considering I read multiple books at a time, this novels ending was not explosive or very breath taking. Which was some what surprising considering the fact that most of the novel held me, spellbound. It just seemed a little flat and lackluster. Sure it was a good and decent ending, but not out of this world or better than the rest of the novel. The ride was incredible. It made you assume the ending would be something huge. But just made me shrug my shoulders and say 'aaah, not a bad ending'. If you've read the novel you'll understand my opinions. If it wasn't for that ending I would have given it 5 stars.
October 22, 2020
Thank goodness for Hoopla, for bringing out some super hard to find horror novels and letting me read them (for free). Now if they could only release Somebody Come and Play.
I appreciate this novel. To begin, I have read tons and tons of haunted house books and they are very often.....not good. This one is not good for many reasons, but it is not because of what's happening in this house. What is happening here is truly terrifying: people pushed down stairs, kids trapped on flaming beds, ghostly lovers, and don't even think about wandering around the property at night!
I told a friend I was reading this and I described it as "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir if the sea captain was a homicidal maniac". I stand by that assessment.
What is not good is laughable and kind of added to the fun of the read. There is a librarian who leaves a family in peril in order to go for help and then decides to go straight to a disco, a strained marriage that leads to no one reporting ghostly behavior to anyone else, and two parents who constantly forget they have a 3rd child. I kept checking the copyright on this bad boy because my edition said 1994 and there is NO WAY that is correct. Google Books says 1979 and that seems more realistic.
It was a fun, fast read that had it's moments. I'd really love to read more of her stuff, although I think I'll skip Ghost House Revenge.
I appreciate this novel. To begin, I have read tons and tons of haunted house books and they are very often.....not good. This one is not good for many reasons, but it is not because of what's happening in this house. What is happening here is truly terrifying: people pushed down stairs, kids trapped on flaming beds, ghostly lovers, and don't even think about wandering around the property at night!
I told a friend I was reading this and I described it as "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir if the sea captain was a homicidal maniac". I stand by that assessment.
What is not good is laughable and kind of added to the fun of the read. There is a librarian who leaves a family in peril in order to go for help and then decides to go straight to a disco, a strained marriage that leads to no one reporting ghostly behavior to anyone else, and two parents who constantly forget they have a 3rd child. I kept checking the copyright on this bad boy because my edition said 1994 and there is NO WAY that is correct. Google Books says 1979 and that seems more realistic.
It was a fun, fast read that had it's moments. I'd really love to read more of her stuff, although I think I'll skip Ghost House Revenge.
April 20, 2020
An absolutely ridiculous book that mixes romance novel with pretty gruesome haunted house story, this tells the story of a family that moves in to an old house that is somehow haunted. Such an original premise, that it's basically the same beginning of 90% of haunted house stories. It does feel kind of influential as being similar to that house season of American Horror Story or the most recent adaptation of the Haunting of Hill House (in the original novel it wasn't a family moving in, but an investigator of the supernatural as in The Haunting).
The main ghost that haunts the house is a sexy english accented 18th century man with a ponytail who likes to sex-up the wife/mother of the house, who doesn't seem to notice this isn't her husband, even if she finds the shape, accent and feel of the person she is having sex with to be pretty weird. Oh this ghost is also a murdering asshole on a revenge-kick, particularly against children. This is because he was in love with a woman who was burned as a witch and denounced as such by her children, so he want to stay with the woman and kill her babies and husband...but hey he's great in bed so she kind of empathises with him? Ok.
Despite it's silliness it's a fun novel to read, each chapter is kind of a horror vignette and the plot moves on briskly, so at 200 something pages it won't take up too much of your time, all the characters are stupid, but entertaining trash is something we all need to get into sometimes. A light recommend then.
The main ghost that haunts the house is a sexy english accented 18th century man with a ponytail who likes to sex-up the wife/mother of the house, who doesn't seem to notice this isn't her husband, even if she finds the shape, accent and feel of the person she is having sex with to be pretty weird. Oh this ghost is also a murdering asshole on a revenge-kick, particularly against children. This is because he was in love with a woman who was burned as a witch and denounced as such by her children, so he want to stay with the woman and kill her babies and husband...but hey he's great in bed so she kind of empathises with him? Ok.
Despite it's silliness it's a fun novel to read, each chapter is kind of a horror vignette and the plot moves on briskly, so at 200 something pages it won't take up too much of your time, all the characters are stupid, but entertaining trash is something we all need to get into sometimes. A light recommend then.
September 30, 2020
Ghost house is not your typical haunted house book. It doesn't start with noises in the night, objects moving around. There are no subtle hints of a haunting that can be easily dismissed. This haunting hits you straight away with full apperitions, vicious attacks and amorous activity.
I love that the book gets straight to the obvious signs of haunting, no wasting the readers time with rationalising paranormal activity. We've all read the blurb (and quite often with ghost stories, the title!), we know it's haunted!
In Ghost House, the haunting quickly becomes violent. It's hard to read the cruel things the ghost does to the children involved. There are short chapters throughout describing the ghosts treatment of previous owners of the house and I cied my eyes out reading about what he did to those four little boys. So, it's not always the easiest book to read, but it doesn't lull you into a false sense of security either. It starts bad and it gets worse, building the tension and the fear.
I enjoyed the writing style, despite the questionable grammar in more than one place ("He waked"?! That can't be right!), and the bits of description that seemed to be missing. (They'd be up stairs one moment and in the kitchen the next without having been described as moving 🤔.)
The characters were easy to sympathise with and the plot moved at a brisk pase.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would recommend it as a violent but not terrifying ghost story. Suitable for reading in the dark.
I love that the book gets straight to the obvious signs of haunting, no wasting the readers time with rationalising paranormal activity. We've all read the blurb (and quite often with ghost stories, the title!), we know it's haunted!
In Ghost House, the haunting quickly becomes violent. It's hard to read the cruel things the ghost does to the children involved. There are short chapters throughout describing the ghosts treatment of previous owners of the house and I cied my eyes out reading about what he did to those four little boys. So, it's not always the easiest book to read, but it doesn't lull you into a false sense of security either. It starts bad and it gets worse, building the tension and the fear.
I enjoyed the writing style, despite the questionable grammar in more than one place ("He waked"?! That can't be right!), and the bits of description that seemed to be missing. (They'd be up stairs one moment and in the kitchen the next without having been described as moving 🤔.)
The characters were easy to sympathise with and the plot moved at a brisk pase.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would recommend it as a violent but not terrifying ghost story. Suitable for reading in the dark.
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