Books Like The Shining

Stephen King published his third novel, The Shining, in 1977 and it quickly cemented his reputation in the horror genre. It took the haunted house genre to new heights by setting the story in an isolated historic hotel in the Colorado Rockies. The protagonist, Jack Torrance, accepts a position as the off-season caretaker of the hotel, which leaves him and his entire family trapped there after a winter storm. To make matters worse, the ghosts haunting the hotel quickly chip away at Jack's sanity, causing him to become a threat to his wife and son. The Shining was popular enough to be adapted into a feature film by Stanley Kubrick as well as a television miniseries and even an opera. However, haunted houses have been firm favorites with authors and readers for many years, so check out these other books like The Shining.

The Well

by Jack Cady

The Well is a 1981 novel by an American author named Jack Cady who was awarded the World Fantasy, Nebula, and Bram Stoker Awards during his lifetime. The Well features a middle-aged man named John Tracker who returns to the centuries-old house of his family after getting told it is scheduled for demolition. Jack fled the place many years ago to get away from his family as well as the house, which is full of tricks and traps that his grandfather rigged in an effort to capture the Devil. Just like in The Shining, Jack and his girlfriend become trapped inside the house during a blizzard, only to find that maybe his grandfather was not as crazy as Jack thought.

The Haunting of Hill House

by Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of Hill House is a 1959 novel by Shirley Jackson that has been described as one of the greatest haunted house stories ever written. It features four characters who set out to investigate the paranormal events that are said to occur at the creepy Hill House. It's a place with a tragic history that was built in the late 1800s. One of the characters, Eleanor, experiences more of the spooky things happening at the house than the other guests, which causes her to begin losing touch with reality. The Haunting of Hill House has received two film adaptations as well as a loose television adaptation.

The Supernatural Enhancements

by Edgar Cantero

The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero was published in 2014 and is set in the fictional town of Point Bless. The story is told in the form of notes, recordings, diary entries, and other documents that were compiled to piece together the events that took place. One of the protagonists, known only as "A", inherits a supposedly haunted mansion from a distant cousin who committed suicide. "A", along with a mute 16-year old girl named Niamh move into the mansion where they begin to research the life of the previous owner and make some startling discoveries. It also doesn't take long for the two of them to begin experiencing paranormal phenomena.

The Family Plot

by Cherie Priest

The Family Plot is a haunted house story by Cherie Priest that is set at the ancient Withrow house in Chattanooga, Tennesee. The massive family estate becomes the property of Chuck Dutton, owner of Music City Salvage after the previous owner shows up at his office to unload it for a check and a handshake. Chuck is thrilled with the purchase as he makes a living from stripping doomed historic properties and selling anything of value left behind. Chuck believes that the property will be a gold mine, so he puts his daughter Dahlia in charge of overseeing the project. However, when Dahlia and her crew arrive at the house they discover that there is much more to the place than what meets the eye. While the house is empty, it's definitely not abandoned.

Kill Creek

by Scott Thomas

The setting for Kill Creek by Scott Thomas is the Finch House, a place that has been empty, overgrown, and abandoned for many years. Set at the end of a dark prairie road, it has gained the reputation as one of the most infamous haunted houses in the country. As a publicity stunt, the best-selling horror author Sam McGarver and three other writers of modern horror, are invited to spend Halloween night at the house. Sam reluctantly agrees but never expected that this action would awaken an entity that has been lurking in the shadows. Thanks to this entity Sam and the other guests will have to fight for their survival or they will end up as part of the legacy of Kill Creek.

The Grip of It

by Jac Jemc

The Grip of It by Jac Jemc is a literary horror novel about Julie and James, a young couple from Brooklyn who is forced to relocate upstate due to Jame's gambling addiction. Moving into a new house, which sits between a lake and a forest, was supposed to be a fresh start for them and an attempt at saving their marriage. By flipping and selling the house they might also be able to put an end to their financial issues. Unfortunately, the house which is filled with all kinds of secret rooms, hidden passages, and weird crawl spaces, seems to be haunted. Since they poured all their savings into the house they can't just leave, but the things that they experience while living there begin to wear on their sanity.

The Restless

by Chanel Harry

The Restless by Chanel Harry is another novel that sees a family moving into an old house where things are not quite right. Stephen and Marlo are trying to save their marriage, so when Marlo inherits a house through her family trust they agree to move there with their twin girls. There's just one catch, though, Marlo's old aunt, Anabelle, is still living in the house and requires care-taking. Initially, they think that Anabelle is just old and senile when she beings talking about family curses and the dead roaming the halls of the house, but then they begin to experience some paranormal events themselves.