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Best Books for Halloween: Gothic Classics and Ghost Stories

Halloween is the time for stories that raise the hair on your neck. This shelf collects gothic classics such as Frankenstein and Dracula, and quieter modern hauntings.

Each book has a one-line hook and a plain note on what you get from it, so you can choose without opening every page.

Best for: Readers who like atmosphere and dread more than gore.

This list: 15 books picked by hand for the season.
Order: Not a ranking.

15 books

1764
The Castle of Otranto
Horace Walpole
Classics · Dark
The first Gothic novel, with a giant helmet falling from the sky
What you get: A short, strange, fun classic that launched a genre.
Amazon Description
1794
The Mysteries of Udolpho
Ann Radcliffe
Classics · Dark
A young woman, a castle and a veil that hides a secret
What you get: A long, lush adventure with misty castles and secrets.
Amazon Description
1818
Frankenstein
Mary Shelley
Classics · Dark
A scientist builds a creature and refuses to take responsibility
What you get: A thrilling, atmospheric tale with stormy landscapes, bold ideas and an unforgettable creature. It is the birthplace of modern science fiction, and it still feels fresh.
Amazon Description
1886
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson
Classics · Dark
A respectable doctor and his violent double
What you get: A quick, atmospheric read that raises big questions about who we are.
Amazon Description
1890
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde
Classics · Dark
A beautiful young man and a portrait that ages for him
What you get: Wit, glamour and an unforgettable magical portrait in a quick, stylish read. Every page is packed with lines worth underlining.
Amazon Description
1897
Dracula
Bram Stoker
Classics · Dark
A Transylvanian count arrives in England
What you get: A classic chiller told through letters and diaries, full of mood and suspense. You get the original vampire story and the pleasure of seeing where the legend began.
Amazon Description
1898
The Turn of the Screw
Henry James
Classics · Dark
A governess and two children, and the ghosts who may haunt them
What you get: A short, subtle story that leaves you guessing and talking about it.
Amazon Description
1904
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
M. R. James
Horror · Dark
Scholars, old manuscripts and ghosts
What you get: Short, shivery tales for a dark evening.
Amazon Description
1938
Rebecca
Daphne du Maurier
Classics · Thoughtful
A second Mrs de Winter and the shadow of the first
What you get: A beautifully atmospheric mystery with a grand house, a shadowy past and a narrator you follow with growing suspense. A page-turner with an elegant hold on you.
Amazon Description
1959
The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley Jackson
Horror · Dark
Four people try to find proof that a house is haunted
What you get: A beautifully eerie, slow-building story that sends shivers without gore.
Amazon Description
1962
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Shirley Jackson
Horror · Dark
Two sisters, a village and a poisoning
What you get: A compact, atmospheric tale with an unforgettable narrator.
Amazon Description
1962
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Ray Bradbury
Fantasy · Dark
An autumn carnival that grants wishes at a price
What you get: A lyrical, spooky adventure of friendship and courage, perfect for an autumn night.
Amazon Description
1983
The Woman in Black
Susan Hill
Horror · Dark
A solicitor goes to a lonely house on a causeway
What you get: A tightly told, atmospheric ghost story that is perfect for a dark evening.
Amazon Description
2006
The Thirteenth Tale
Diane Setterfield
Horror · Dark
A biographer is summoned to hear a famous author’s secret
What you get: A cozy, atmospheric mystery for book lovers, with a ghostly old house and a storyteller.
Amazon Description
2009
The Little Stranger
Sarah Waters
Horror · Melancholic
A country doctor and a dying house
What you get: A subtle, absorbing ghost story that rewards you with atmosphere and mystery.
Amazon Description