# Ghost stories **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 22, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493 "2009-11-22T02:46:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/1 "2009-11-22T02:46:28Z")
The “ID this ghost story” thread makes me in the mood for a good 'ol haunted novel. Any you’d particularly recommend? ---
**Author:** ![Blut\_Aus\_Nord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Blut\_Aus\_Nord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blut_Aus_Nord)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/2 "2009-11-22T02:51:10Z")
“The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a lock on the door…” ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/3 "2009-11-22T03:06:39Z")
Well, that’s a very different two sentence story from the original. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/4 "2009-11-22T03:17:31Z")
Is that from a book I’m supposed to know? ETA: Was that supposed to be “knock” instead of “lock”? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/5 "2009-11-22T04:43:42Z")
• Shirley Jackson, _[The Haunting of Hill House](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Haunting_of_Hill_House)_ • Edward Bulwer-Lytton, [_The Haunted and the Haunters_](http://www.bartleby.com/166/6.html) • Horace Walpole, [_The Castle of Otranto_](http://castleofotranto.blogspot.com/) • Henry James, [_The Turn of the Screw_](http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/JamTurn.html) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/6 "2009-11-22T05:18:01Z")
How about some new ones from the last five years? The Ghost Writer by John Harwood Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill (he’s the older of Stephen King’s sons) ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/7 "2009-11-22T05:51:13Z")
[Ghost Story](http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Story-Peter-Straub/dp/0671685635) by Peter Straub. Slee ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/8 "2009-11-22T12:06:59Z")
A Winter Haunting by Dan Simmons is a pretty good ghost story. > **[Amazon.com: A Winter Haunting: 9780380817160: Simmons, Dan: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Winter-Haunting-Dan-Simmons/dp/0380817160)** > > Amazon.com: A Winter Haunting: 9780380817160: Simmons, Dan: Books It is the sequel to Summer of Night which is the best horror story I have ever read. > **[Amazon.com: Summer of Night: A Novel: 9780312550677: Simmons, Dan: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Night-Novel-Dan-Simmons/dp/0312550677)** > > Amazon.com: Summer of Night: A Novel: 9780312550677: Simmons, Dan: Books ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/9 "2009-11-22T16:20:54Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > [Ghost Story](http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Story-Peter-Straub/dp/0671685635) by Peter Straub. One of my favorites. Actually, anything by Peter Straub is pretty good, and often creepy. A recent one: [Her Fearful Symmetry](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/books/review/Cokal-t.html) But it is not thriller-chiller scary. Same with Peter S. Beagle’s [A Fine and Private Place.](http://www.amazon.com/Fine-Private-Place-Peter-Beagle/dp/0451450965) There is always [The Yellow Wallpaper.](http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/GilYell.html) ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/10 "2009-11-22T16:33:13Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > How about some new ones from the last five years? > > The Ghost Writer by John Harwood > Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill (he’s the older of Stephen King’s sons) I came in here to say Ghost Writer - it was such a find for me - I especially love the nested short stories in it. Heart Shaped Box was excellent as well. The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield, is wonderful. I’d say it’s not strictly, strictly speaking a ghost story, but in a way it does feature at least two “ghosts” and is deliciously gothic and creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/11 "2009-11-22T16:41:49Z")
> [@Caprese](#): > > There is always [The Yellow Wallpaper.](http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/GilYell.html) That’s not a ghost story, though; that’s a psychological horror story. It’s a good one, though. Very creepy, and I spent a lot of time in English class rereading it instead of paying attention. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/12 "2009-11-22T17:27:49Z")
[The Woman in Black](http://www.amazon.com/Woman-Black-Ghost-Story/dp/1567921892/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258910495&sr=1-1) by Susan Hill was a pleasant surprise. It’s been filmed but you can’t find a (legal) copy anywhere, and it’s been a play. It’s the creepiest story I’ve read in years. **imasquare** , those two Simmons books are excellent. There’s speculation that some of the events of _Summer of Night_ were all in Dale’s head, which is supposedly confirmed by what happens in _A Winter Haunting_. I’m tempted to re-read them, to see if that theory makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Levolor\_the\_Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc8723/32.png) [@Levolor\_the\_Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Levolor_the_Blind)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/13 "2009-11-22T17:45:18Z")
Anything by [M. R. James](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._R._James). ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/14 "2009-11-22T18:26:00Z")
**The House Next Door** , by Anne Rivers Siddons. Not a traditional haunted house story, but it’s excellent. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/15 "2009-11-22T20:33:00Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > [Ghost Story](http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Story-Peter-Straub/dp/0671685635) by Peter Straub. > > Slee Hell yeah! Good call. If you want a classic, **Malleus** , tis the season for _A Christmas Carol_. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/16 "2009-11-22T23:10:20Z")
> [@Imasquare](#): > > A Winter Haunting by Dan Simmons is a pretty good ghost story. > > [Amazon.com: A Winter Haunting: A Gothic Horror Tale of Isolation and a Past That Won't Stay Buried: 9780380817160: Simmons, Dan: Books](http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Haunting-Dan-Simmons/dp/0380817160/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258891472&sr=8-1) And if you like that one, you should really like the Peter Straub book A Winter Haunting is a rip off of: [If You Could See Me Now](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You_Could_See_Me_Now_(Peter_Straub_novel)). ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/17 "2009-11-23T00:34:15Z")
I haven’t read _The Little Stranger_ by Sarah Waters yet, but I want to. It’s supposed to be good, or so I’ve heard: > **[The Little Stranger: Waters, Sarah: 9781594484469: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Little-Stranger-Sarah-Waters/dp/1594484465)** > > The Little Stranger \[Waters, Sarah\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Little Stranger ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/18 "2009-11-23T00:52:54Z")
I know Ann Rice got bashed in the “Worst Popular Books” thread, and I’ll wholeheartedly agree that, in the series she has written, each successive book is weirder and more “WTF?” than the last. However, the first book in a series is another matter. Both _Interview with the Vampire_ and _The Witching Hour_ scared the crap out of me. (OK, _The Witching Hour_ gets pretty “WTF?” at the very end, but everything else up to that point is really creepy and scary.) **AuntiePam** , I’m definitely going to have to read _The Woman in Black_. I saw it the 1989 TV version and thought it was fabulous. (And it’s been long enough ago that I don’t remember the details, so I can get scared anew!) ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/19 "2009-11-23T01:12:05Z")
> [@kapri](#): > > I haven’t read _The Little Stranger_ by Sarah Waters yet, but I want to. It’s supposed to be good, or so I’ve heard: I liked it a lot, and so did everyone in my book group who read it. People were comparing it to _The Haunting of Hill House_. It’s not **that** good, but it’s pretty good. **freckafree** , I envy you, seeing it on film. And I envy all the Londoners who’ve enjoyed the stage play. Criminey, everything else is out on DVD – why not this? ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493/20 "2009-11-24T10:09:32Z")
> [@Chakra Nadmara](#): > > “The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a lock on the door…” That’s funny, I read it as _Knock…_ But, \*Lock \* makes it even more spooky. :eek: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ghost-stories/518493.md?page=2)