Greetings ghouls, goblins, and grotesque creatures of the night. If you are looking for tales of human depravity and soul crushing angst, you’ve come to the right place. Here we have gathered a brief history of the subgenre to better help readers understand what separates gothic horror from the rest. 

Originally the term gothic refers to a type of architecture characterized by vaulted ceilings, intricate stone carvings, gargoyles, etc.. Christian cathedrals were often built and designed in this style, which is probably a factor that contributed to the prevalence of religion within early gothic fiction. The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris is one of the most famous examples of this type of architecture.

Gothic fiction as a genre was first established with the publication of Horace Walpole’s dark, foreboding The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story in 1764. Walpole is the first known writer to use the term gothic specifically in relation to his work. Since then, any story that resembles his writing has been categorized as gothic. 

 

For example, the Castle of Otranto takes place within a medieval castle, features supernatural occurrences, a dastardly villain, as well as an atmosphere of foreboding and dread. You might recognize these elements within other famous works of gothic horror such as Dracula, but not every gothic title has to follow this outline exactly.

The battle between humanity and unnatural forces of evil (sometimes man-made, sometimes supernatural) within an oppressive, inescapable, and bleak landscape is considered to be the true trademark of a gothic horror novel. These are the core elements that separate gothic horror from its cousin, gothic romance. (Check out our brief history of gothic romance here!)

The genre blew up shortly after the publication of The Castle of Otronto with many similar tales of human depravity, supernatural events, and grisly affairs gaining rapid popularity.

Early novels in the gothic horror subgenre heavily feature discussions of morality, philosophy, and religion. There is generally a good vs. evil set up with a protagonist facing off against a villain who was often a metaphor for some sort of human temptation the hero must overcome. Happy endings are not guaranteed, and romance is never the focus. In the centuries since, gothic fiction has not only flourished, but also branched off into many popular subgenres.

In 1818, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s debut novel, Frankenstein, marked a shift in gothic horror by changing the typical gothic villain from an evil man or supernatural creature into an physical embodiment of human folly, brought to life through the power of science. Edgar Allan Poe managed to condense elements of gothic horror within his short stories, starting in 1839 with the release of "The Fall of the House of Usher." For more information on the Father of American Goth, check out our post: Where to Start with Edgar Allan Poe. 

The Victorian era (1837-1901) produced some of the most well-known examples of gothic horror with the publication of such novels as Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White (1859) and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) and novellas such as Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla (1871) and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). H.P. Lovecraft borrowed heavily from the genre, as did the authors of pulp fiction novels and comics that were published in the years following the end of the Victorian era. As a film genre, gothic horror saw a boom during the earlier days of cinema, with the release of film adaptations of many of these novels, such as Universal’s Dracula (1931).

Although the genre was named after the gothic castles and crumbling medieval ruins so prevalent in early novels, many modern gothic novels have moved away from this traditional setting towards more contemporary locations, such as the haunted house featured in Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House (1959) or the Bramford apartment building in Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby(1967). As long as the environment invokes a disturbing sense of unease and/or terror within the reader, then anywhere is fair game in a gothic horror novel!

So whether you’re a fan of creepy castles or terrifying apartment complexes, we’ve gathered a list of gothic horror novels and novellas that are guaranteed to chill and thrill! (Summaries adapted from the publishers.)

Early Gothic

The Castle of Otranto (1764) by Horace Walpole

In a faraway medieval realm, Manfred, an arrogant and evil prince, rules with an iron fist. Banishing his wife to the castle dungeon, he confines—and plans to wed—the lovely Isabella, fiancée of his recently deceased son.

The prince's plans are foiled, however, when a well-meaning peasant helps the young woman escape through the castle's underground passages. Grisly, supernatural events further aid in fulfilling a prophecy that spells doom for the prince and justice for Isabella's rescuer and rightful heir to the throne.

 

The Monk (1796) by Matthew Lewis

The Monk recounts the diabolical decline of Ambrosio, a Capuchin superior, who first succumbs to temptations offered by a young girl who has entered his monastery disguised as a boy, and then continues his descent with increasingly depraved acts of sorcery, murder, incest, and torture.

Combining sensationalism with acute psychological insight, this masterpiece of Gothic fiction is a powerful exploration of how violent and erotic impulses can break through the barriers of social and moral restraint.

 

Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

The story of Dr. Frankenstein and the obsessive experiment that leads to the creation of a monstrous and deadly creature.

 

 

 

 

 

Woman in White (1859) by Wilkie Collins

Recommended by Anne Rouyer

Engaged as a drawing master to the beautiful Laura Fairlie, Walter Hartright is drawn into the sinister intrigues of Sir Percival Glyde and his "charming" friend, Count Fosco, who has a taste for white mice, vanilla bonbons, and poison.

Pursuing questions of identity and insanity along the paths and corridors of English country houses and the madhouse, The Woman in White is the first and most influential of the Victorian genre that combined Gothic horror with psychological realism.
 

The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1886) Robert Louis Stevenson

A London lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde.

 

 

 

 

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) by Oscar Wilde

A young man's quest for eternal youth and beauty ends in scandal, depravity and death. Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray exchanges his soul for eternal youth and beauty.

Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton, Gray is drawn into a corrupt double life, indulging his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only his portrait bears the traces of his decadence.

 

Carmilla (1897) by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

When a mysterious carriage crashes outside their castle home in Styria, Austria, Laura and her father agree to take in its injured passenger, a young woman named Carmilla. As Carmilla and Laura's friendship grows, Carmilla becomes increasingly secretive and volatile.  

 

 

 

Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker

A young lawyer on an assignment finds himself imprisoned in a Transylvanian castle by his mysterious host. Back at home, his fiancée and friends are menaced by a malevolent force which seems intent on imposing suffering and destruction.

Can the devil really have arrived on England's shores? And what is it he hungers for so desperately?

 

The Turn of the Screw (1898) by Henry James

The story begins when a governess arrives at an English country estate to look after Miles, aged ten, and Flora, eight. At first, everything appears normal. Then events gradually begin to weave a spell of psychological terror.

One night, a ghost appears before the governess—it is the dead lover of Miss Jessel, the former governess. Later, the ghost of Miss Jessel appears before the governess and the little girl, and both the governess and the housekeeper suspect the two spirits have appeared to the boy in private. The children, however, adamantly refuse to acknowledge the presence of the two spirits, in spite of indications there is some sort of evil communication going on between the children and the ghosts…

 

Modern Gothic Horror

We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962) by Shirley Jackson

Recommended by Christina Lebec and Amanda Pagan

Two sisters, Merricat and Constance Blackwood, live in a mansion that is, at times, compared to a castle. Merricat might be a witch while the unwanted visitor to their house, Charles, may or may not be a ghost or a demon.  

Meanwhile, most of the villagers hate and fear the two sisters, who have been living in seclusion with their ailing uncle ever since a poisoned sugar bowl killed the rest of the Blackwood family.|
 

Rosemary's Baby (1967) by Ira Levin

Rosemary Woodhouse and her struggling actor husband, Guy, move into the Bramford, an old New York City apartment building with an ominous reputation and mostly elderly residents. Neighbors Roman and Minnie Castavet soon come nosing around to welcome the Woodhouses to the building and, despite Rosemary's reservations about their eccentricity and the weird noises she keeps hearing, her husband takes a special shine to them.

Shortly after Guy lands a plum Broadway role, Rosemary becomes pregnant, and the Castavets start taking a special interest in her welfare. As the sickened Rosemary becomes increasingly isolated, she begins to suspect that the Castavets' circle is not what it seems…
 

Interview with the Vampire (1976) by Anne Rice

This is the story of Louis, as told in his own words, of his journey through mortal and immortal life. Louis recounts how he became a vampire at the hands of the radiant and sinister Lestat and how he became indoctrinated, unwillingly, into the vampire way of life. His story ebbs and flows through the streets of New Orleans, defining crucial moments such as his discovery of the exquisite young child Claudia, wanting not to hurt, but to comfort her with the last breaths of humanity he has inside.

Here are the confessions of a vampire. Hypnotic, shocking, and chillingly erotic, this is a novel of mesmerizing beauty and astonishing force—a story of danger and flight, of love and loss, of suspense and resolution, and of the extraordinary power of the senses.

The Woman in Black (1983) by Susan Hill

Arthur Kipps, a young solicitor, travels to the north of England to settle the estate of Alice Drablow, but unexpectedly encounters a series of sinister events.

 

 

 

 

The Darkest Part of the Woods (2002) by Ramsey Campbell

For decades, the lives of the Price family have been snarled with the fate of the ancient forest of Goodmanswood. There, Dr. Lennox Price discovered an hallucinogenic moss which quickly became the focus of a cult. After Lennox is killed trying to return to his beloved wood, his widow sees and hears him in the trees—or is it a dark version of the Green Man that caresses her with leafy hands? Lennox's grandson heeds a call to lie in his lover's arms in the very heart of the forest, and cannot help but wonder what the fruit of that love will be.

As for Lennox's daughter, Heather, who turned her back on her father's mysteries and sought sanctuary in the world of facts and history? Goodmanswood summons her as well…

 

Thirteenth Tale (2006) by Diane Setterfield

Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence, and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long.

Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author's tale of gothic strangeness—featuring the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden, and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.