Ooo-Spooky Reads

Oh the classics, some were so dry and difficult to get through. But the paranormal has a long history in literature, and today I’m going to explore just a few of those classics that stayed with me (bear in mind, some are modern classics).

First on my list is the ultimate spooky book: Dracula. Bram Stoker upped the ante on spookiness with the dark, brooding grandfather of all vampires. This is the book that made vampires sexy, that turned Vlad the Impaler into a sexy nightmare monster. If you haven’t read the book that inspired the likes of Lestat, Spike, Angel, and my own Menolly, I highly recommend it. My favorite movie rendition of this is 1994’s Dracula, with Gary Oldman.

Second, Turn of the Screw. Henry James wrote this gothic novella that follows the story of a governess with two children who are…problematic, to say the least. The ghostly story has been made into several movies, the best of which I think is the Innocents, from 1961.

Third, The Amityville Horror, by Jay Anson. A supposed non-fiction book from 1977, covers the story of the Lutz family who moved into a haunted house and were terrorized by the paranormal while they were there. Now, the murders recounted, did happen in the house, so—whether the haunting actually happened, it was suspenseful and nerve-wracking. The movie from 1979 was just as frightening.

Next, we have Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley (who happens to be a distant relative of my husband’s!). The mother of science fiction, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus when she was eighteen! I note here: so many people mistakenly call the monster ‘Frankenstein’ when Frankenstein was actually the scientist/doctor who built him. Named as one of the 100 most influential novels, it created an entire genre of literature. There are dozens of Frankenstein movies, with some giving nods to the book, and others based on the book. A couple of my favorites are Young Frankenstein, and Rocky Horror Picture Show.

A modern classic that I love is The Shining, by Stephen King. To me, this is one of his greatest books, and it scared me speechless when I read it. It’s almost too real, to me, because I am able to connect with spirits, and they often show up when I least expect it. Luckily, I tend to attract animal spirits a lot more than human ones. But the entire ‘cut off from the outside with the enemies inside’ motif, and then the disintegration of Jack’s personality as the ghosts influence him, provide for hours of spooky reading. Now, I will be honest—I didn’t like the movie with Jack Nickolson, but I loved the miniseries—I believe King actually oversaw the making of it and it was so much more true to the book.

Shirley Jackson wrote The Haunting of Hill House, which has had several movie versions made. The story about a timid woman who’s been forced to care for her mother for years, meets at the house in the title with a group of other people, all who are there to experience the supernatural activity haunting the house. A brooding moody atmosphere carries you away into a world of ghosts, hauntings, and terror. The movie, from 1963, is called The Haunting and is as spooky as the book.

There are so many more spooky books, (many of mine included), but when I’m talking about the Classics, these are the ones that come to my mind! Happy reading!

~Yasmine