Whether it’s Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, Darren Aronofsky’s Mother!, or Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic, I’ve always been drawn to stories about houses.
And what’s not to love? Pulling apart the details of a house’s history or exploring what lies in a room someone’s been told to stay out of sounds like an evening well spent.
From grand Victorian mansions to dilapidated structures in small towns, houses have always been a mainstay of horror, providing a fitting backdrop for murder, mystery, paranormal investigation, or something more sinister.
It’s not just abandoned or old houses that haunt well though.
In suburbia, horror houses are plentiful, exploring the notion that behind the fresh paint and picket fence is a festering rot, and our neighbours might not be as friendly as they seem. Shirley Jackson is a master of leading readers into that unease, the movie Summer of 84 plays into that idea, and in Grady Hendrix’s The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, the idea of a vampire hiding within an immaculate suburban setting is an interesting one.
You have the more creative takes on the haunted house too. Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves tells the story of a house with a larger interior than exterior through an essay covered with notes from the people it’s passed through. Its words are formatted on the page to echo feelings of uncertainty and claustrophobia, not just narrating the house but making you feel like you’re stuck inside it.
I’ve loved seeing horror houses move into the modern world, with stories taking place in new builds, apartments, in cities with plenty of people around as opposed to standing isolated at the end of long drives.
Last year, I talked about His House, a film that felt like a fresh take on the genre, taking place in a residence the UK government provides a refugee couple from South Sudan. Last week, I watched The Night House. It also felt fresh, telling a haunting story of grief in a newly built lake house.
One of the short stories in Josh Malerman’s Goblin is about a man so scared of being scared he tries to ghost-proof his small apartment and Airbnb/rentals, an invention ripe for horror, has inspired its own slew of stories (Zach Cregger’s The Barbarian comes to mind).
But what is it about houses that have so much staying power? What is it that keeps writers coming back for more?
For me, it lies in the fact that houses - the best houses - are as compelling and complex as human characters.
When I read Stephen King’s Misery, I remember feeling a distinct sense of dread every time Annie Wilkes entered the room. Knowing what she was capable of, paired with her unpredictability, was a powerful combination.
When you realise a house can create the same sensations, armed with walls that have heard more conversations that you can dream of and a history that outstretches yours, you have an interesting playground. When it’s presented as something that goes beyond a setting to shaping the narrative and you start to question what it’s capable of, the fun can begin.
So the next time you enter a house, fictional or real, take a moment. Ask yourself whether it wants you stay. Whether it wants you leave. Whether its walls have something to say.
I’ve mentioned quite a few books and movies in this post, which I recommend checking out. For ease, I’ve listed them here, with a few extras for good measure.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Mother! by Darren Aronofsky
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Summer of 84 by Matt Leslie and Stephen J. Smith
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski
His House by Remi Weekes
The Night House by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski
Goblin by Josh Malerman
Barbarian by Zach Cregger
Misery by Stephen King
Hell House by Richard Matheson
We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson
Before you go
I live in other corners of the internet. I attempt to keep an Instagram updated, tweet every now and then, and have started using Threads.
I also have a book out on August 31 called Buried By Sunset.
It’s a small-town supernatural horror set in the desert. You can read more about it here.
/ JJW
Hill House is one of my favorite characters. The idea that your home, a place that’s supposed to be your sanctuary can end up being your hell is so unsettling. Great article!