6 Spine-Tingling Thrillers and Horrors Set in Unusual Houses

By Emily Hoang

In seemingly perfect homes, something sinister lies beneath the floorboards, waiting to spring out. Once impressive establishments showing signs of decay and decline may be evidence of possible horrors behind closed doors. The house’s inhabitants will need to gather their wits and use up everything they have in their arsenal if they want to make it out alive.

The Drowning House

Cherie Priest

A violent storm washes a mysterious house onto the shore of a rural Pacific Northwest beach. The only woman who knows that this omen could mean dies and her grandson, Simon Culpepper, vanishes in the aftermath. His two childhood friends are left to comb the isolated island for answers. But it’s been decades since Melissa and Leo were close. They’ll have to put old grudges aside if they want to find the man who brought them together and prevent the evil that’s coming to Marrowstone Island.

Format

Trade Paperback

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The Manor House

Gilly Macmillan

Childhood sweethearts, Nicole and Tom, live a normal life until a massive lottery win changes their lives overnight. They move into a custom-built state-of-the-art Glass Barn and attain an exclusive lifestyle they could have never imagined. This dream quickly turns into a nightmare when Tom is found dead in the swimming pool. Nicole is devastated. Despite a young couple who live in the Manor itself, a middle-aged housekeeper, and one of Tom’s old friends, she feels lonely in the beautiful barn. She starts to realize that with the money comes big problems and big threats.

Format

Hardcover

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The Haunting of Hill House

Shirley Jackson; Laura Miller (Introduction by)

First published in 1959, The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of terror and turned into a hit Netflix series. The story follows four people who arrive at Hill House and have spooky, inexplicable encounters. Dr. Montague is an occoult scholar looking for evidence of a “haunting” with his assistant, Theodora. Despite her fragile appearance, Eleanor is well-acquainted with poltergeists. Luke is the future heir of Hill House. As Hill House gathers its powers, it’ll soon choose one of them to make its own.

Format

UK-B Format Paperback (Revised edition)

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Starling House

Alix E. Harrow

Opal, an orphan and high school dropout, is determined to find a better life for her younger brother, Jasper. The town of Eden, Kentucky is known for bad luck and E. Staling, the reclusive author of The Underland. Since she was a child, Opal has been obsessed with The Underland and can’t pass up the opportunity to step inside the Starling House, especially if it means extra cash. But Arthur, the house’s heir, has nightmares that become far too real and Opal may have to fight some ghosts if she wants to stay alive.

Format

Hardcover

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The Little Stranger

Sarah Waters

Dr. Faraday has built a quiet, respectable life as a country physician in rural Warwickshire. He’s called into the Hundreds Hall, home to the Ayres family who have lived in the Georgian house for over two centuries. The once impressive home is now in decline and its owners struggle to keep pace with the changing society and internal conflicts. The longer Dr. Faraday interacts with the family, the more he realizes that something more sinister may be haunting the family and that his life is about to become intimately entwined with theirs.

Format

UK-B Format Paperback

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The Estate

Sarah Jost

Camille Leray, an art historian, has made a career for herself by selling artwork worth millions. But she has a secret: she can enter the world of any piece of artwork and can take others with her. But this power comes with great risks and someone has been watching her. After she ruins her career and reputation by misusing her magic, she vows to get her life back. Maxime Foucault, an enigmatic aristocrat, invites her to his sprawling French estate for help in authenticating statues from a mysterious artist. The artist’s disappearance is a mystery Camille has been trying to solve for years. When she arrives, she slowly begins to discover that the Foucault family may not be who people think they are and there’s something not quite right in the grand chateau.

Format

Trade Paperback

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6 Spine-Tingling Thrillers and Horrors Set in Unusual Houses

The Drowning House

Format

Also available from:

The Manor House

Format

Also available from:

The Haunting of Hill House

Format

Also available from:

Starling House

Format

Also available from:

The Little Stranger

Format

Also available from:

The Estate

Format

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