# What are some horror books set mainly in one building? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 21, 2019, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417 "2019-07-21T22:02:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2019, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/1 "2019-07-21T22:02:38Z")
What are some examples of some horror books set in a single building? I’m interested in things like a mall, theater, skyscraper, or maybe a large mansion, but not an ordinary house. I’m also not interested in any books with “snow globe” style plots twists. Thank you for any recommendations 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2019, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/2 "2019-07-21T22:16:30Z")
[High-Rise](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-Rise_(novel)) by J.G. Ballard. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2019, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/3 "2019-07-21T22:22:24Z")
_Hell House_ by Richard Matheson is a classic. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2019, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/4 "2019-07-21T22:29:43Z")
_The Haunting of Hill House_, by Shirley Jackson. I read it outside on a bright, clear day, and was still creeped out so bad, for days, everything looked sinister. If a stranger smiled at me, I was sure they were Jack the Ripper. Freaking scariest thing ever. She has another book called _We Have Always Lived in the Castle_, that I have thought about reading many times, but I’ve never quite felt safe enough. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2019, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/5 "2019-07-21T22:30:27Z")
Psycho by Robert Bloch. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2019, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/6 "2019-07-21T22:45:56Z")
_The Shining_? ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2019, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/7 "2019-07-21T22:48:51Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > _The Haunting of Hill House_, by Shirley Jackson. I read it outside on a bright, clear day, and was still creeped out so bad, for days, everything looked sinister. If a stranger smiled at me, I was sure they were Jack the Ripper. > > Freaking scariest thing ever. She has another book called **_We Have Always Lived in the Castle_,** that I have thought about reading many times, but I’ve never quite felt safe enough. The bolded is more a psychological study than horror, so you can read with no fear. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2019, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/8 "2019-07-21T22:54:39Z")
More Stephen King: _Misery Gerald’s Game_ ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2019, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/9 "2019-07-21T23:32:15Z")
The novella (and presumably the graphic novel based on it) Trapped by Dean Koontz takes place almost entirely in a house and its yard. There’s also his novel, The Face, that takes place in the main character’s employer’s home. Another that takes place in one “house” is The Thief of Always by Clive Barker. And lastly, though it’s not my favorite, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski does as well, but it’s another story set in a “house” rather than a normal house. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/10 "2019-07-22T00:13:50Z")
nm. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/11 "2019-07-22T01:04:37Z")
J.B. Priestley’s **Benighted,** filmed in 1932 (with Boris Karloff, Ernest Thesiger, and the chick who played Old Rose in **Titanic** ) as **The Old Dark House.** ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/12 "2019-07-22T01:14:20Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > More Stephen King: > > _Misery > Gerald’s Game_ Aren’t those just in ordinary houses? ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/13 "2019-07-22T03:22:36Z")
Kings short story “Toys” ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/14 "2019-07-22T12:56:57Z")
[Horrorstör](https://www.amazon.com/Horrorstor-Novel-Grady-Hendrix/dp/1594745269/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2DNC4ZVH0RWIS&keywords=horrorstor+a+novel+by+grady+hendrix&qid=1563800123&s=gateway&sprefix=horrorstor%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-1)by Grady Hendrix\*\* \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/15 "2019-07-22T13:20:57Z")
Richard Bachman’s Rage. Set in a classroom ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/16 "2019-07-22T14:04:40Z")
[The Relic](https://www.amazon.com/Relic-Pendergast-Book-Douglas-Preston-ebook/dp/B00FIL1UNM/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=The+Relic&qid=1563804179&s=gateway&sr=8-3). Set in a museum. Really pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/17 "2019-07-22T14:26:28Z")
There’s _Nyctophobia_ by Christopher Fowler, which is set in ‘a grand old home in southern Spain’, so i think it probably qualifies as a mansion. Or maybe _Five Stories High_ which consists of 5 novellas by different authors, all set in the same building, Ironwood Lodge, with a connecting narrative between the stories to tie it together. The editor and author of the links is Jonathan Oliver and the novella writers are Nina Allan, K.J. Parker, Tade Thompson, Roberet Shearman & Sarah Lotz. Bentley Little also has several which qualify, I think: _The Store, The Resort, The University,_ aka _The Night School_ (may be multiple buildings), _The Academy_, probably others. There’s one set on a farm and one mainly in a church, iirc. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Gulch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/0ea827/32.png) [@Miss\_Gulch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Gulch)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2019, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/18 "2019-07-22T17:14:29Z")
The Manitou - Graham Masterton The Well - Jack Cady The Keep - F. Paul Wilson Origin - J.A. Konrath The Devil in Silver - Victor LaValle 14 - Peter Clines The Exorcist ? The Green Mile - Stephen King ? The Amityville Horror I’m pretty sure James Herbert has one or two horror novels that take place in a single building. Also maybe these? Into the Drowning Deep - Mira Grant (not a building, but a massive research ship) The Unit - Ninni Holmqvist (not exactly horror, but pretty horrible) The Ruins - Scott Smith (not a building, but ancient ruins) ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/19 "2019-07-23T10:15:22Z")
The Turn of the Screw is set in a mansion, and is brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-horror-books-set-mainly-in-one-building/837417/20 "2019-07-23T11:55:39Z")
[“14” by Peter Clines](https://www.amazon.com/14-Peter-Clines/dp/1618680528) Set in a mysterious apartment block in Los Angeles with many dark secrets. Reminiscent of Lovecraft.