Five contemporary haunted house books that will have you calling for an exorcist

Posted on 23 October 2025 • Arts, Arts and social sciences

It’s the creepiest time of the year again, as the nights draw in, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a spooky read. Here are some suggestions from The Open University’s Jennie Owen, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing. These suggestions, all from the past five years, include some unexpected takes on the haunted house novel. All will leave you wanting to sleep with the lights on.

• Trigger warning: as some of these choices contain distressing themes, look for content warnings in advance of reading

1. The September House by Carissa Orlando (Penguin Putnam Inc 2024)

The haunted house novel is a well-used Gothic trope, and sometimes it’s easy to wonder whether there is anything new left to explore. What is intriguing about this novel is that it offers a somewhat original and unexpected premise.

Middle-aged couple Margaret and Hal are looking for a fresh start and when they buy their dream Victorian house they can’t believe their luck… until discovering it comes with several uninvited guests. For most of the year they live in relative peace and calm, but every September things escalate.

There’s humour alongside plenty of shock and suspense, but at its heart it’s about relationships, loss, domestic violence, failure and reliance. Margaret is a compelling and pragmatic lead character, who maintains a balance whilst making things work – until her daughter announces she is coming to visit. In September.

There is visceral gore here too – but the book delivers beyond this, asking the reader to think about what truly matters when you may be on the verge of losing everything.

2. The Reformatory by Tananarive Due (Titan Books 2023)

Do not expect the horror to come from the ghosts alone in this compelling and thought-provoking historical horror, which is another twist on the traditional haunted house genre. It doesn’t take place in a home in a traditional sense, but a reformatory for boys during the racial segregation of Florida’s 1950s.

Not long after 12-year-old Robbie and his 16-year-old sister Gloria lose their mother to illness, their father is forced to go on the run because of his attempts to promote the unionisation of Black workers.

The two children are left to fend for themselves, with only the support of the aging Miz Lottie. After Robbie defends his sister from a local white boy, he is sent to the local reformatory for punishment.

Whilst his sister does all she can to get him released, including going against the local white supremacists, Robbie finds himself at the mercy of the ghosts (or “haints”) of former inmates. Even worse he comes face-to-face with the cruel, sadistic and very much alive Warden Haddock. It’s clear in this world that it’s not just the dead ones you need to worry about.

The novel draws effectively on the horror and prejudice of this era in America. This is a book that lingers long after you finish it, and it feels both simultaneously timeless and timely. It’s no wonder it won the Bram Stoker Award for best novel in 2024.

3. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Quercus Publishing 2021)

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is no stranger to the Gothic, having successfully penned and published short stories along with a series of successful novels.

Mexican Gothic is a gripping story set in 1950’s Mexico. Our protagonist, sparky socialite Noemí Taboada, is sent by her father on an errand of mercy to check on her cousin Catalina.

Catalina appears to have fallen seriously ill, shortly after marrying the heir to a controversial silver mine. She claims her husband is trying to kill her, and Noemí is rapidly cast into the role of detective, determined to get to the bottom of exactly what is wrong with the Doyle family dynasty.

The characters are complex, and we find ourselves rooting for Noemí from the start, as she outpaces the manipulative Doyles, integrating herself into the rural village community.

There is sumptuous Gothic atmosphere to be found here in Moreno-Garcia’s rich and opulent description. Beyond the horror and thrills, the novel touches upon themes such as colonialism and the feminist movement.

Mexican Gothic delivers something of Edgar Allen Poe’s House of Usher here, with a twist that is truly unexpected.

4. Diavola by Jennifer Thorne (Titan Books 2024)

This a genuinely scary story that’s fun, enraging, and full of creeping terror but is just as suited to a poolside read as a cosy fire. Unusually, it’s the story of a family summer holiday to rural Tuscany. Sounds idyllic right?

Unfortunately, the family are at each other’s throats from the start, leaving you wondering quite why any of them agreed to the trip in the first place. A locked tower and incredulous neighbours indicate there’s something clearly very wrong with the villa they are renting.

Diavola is told through the eyes of Anna, the outsider of the family. Likeable, relatable, and scathing, Anna brings a fresh voice to the well-known Gothic tropes.

She provides a ringside view as her dysfunctional family inevitably unravels, triggered by unexplained events in the house, such as rapidly rotting food and strange noises. It soon becomes clear to Anna that their personal ghosts are not the only ones in residence. 

5. The Apparition Phase by Will Maclean (Penguin Random House 2021 – previously Cornerstone)

This novel opens in the early 1970s with teenage twins Tim and Abi, both obsessed with the idea of the supernatural. When they manage to capture something in a home photo, it leads to a prank on a schoolmate that goes horribly wrong.

Soon after, Abi goes missing, leaving Tim to navigate an unfamiliar and threatening world that doesn’t always offer clear answers. By chance, he eventually finds himself part of a paranormal investigation team at a big rural house in Suffolk.

Beyond the engaging characters and tense scene setting, this is a book about loss, being lost, loneliness, class, and about seeking answers. It captures the era so effectively that those who grew up during the 70s and 80s, will be provided with heaps of haunting nostalgia, too. Perfect for the spooky season.

Main picture: Mansour De Toth, Wikkimedia Commons