How to Build a Haunted House: The History of a Cultural Obsession

SHORTLISTED FOR THE FOLKLORE SOCIETY KATHARINE BRIGGS AWARD 2026 A CRIB NOTES MUST-READ FOR SPOOKY SEASON 'Glorious' PHILIP HOARE 'A supernatural safari - just the sort of book to read over Halloween' DAILY MAIL Do you have what it takes to cross the threshold? Crumbling turrets, crenelated walls, creaking floorboards. We all know a haunted house when we see - or feel - one. That creeping sense of wrongness. An icy shiver stealing down the spine. But why do certain structures set this super-sensory alarm bell jangling, while others leave us unmoved? Can a house be purpose-built to be haunted? And does a building need a bloody legacy to set the skin tingling? Tiptoe through the haunted gallery at Hampton Court Palace, encounter the spectral residents of Chillingham Castle and lose yourself in the labyrinthine layout of Winchester Mystery House as Caitlin Blackwell Baines unravels the psyche, the history and the folkloric fabrication that make a haunted house take on a life of its own. Enter if you dare... 'Every horror fan, coffin boffin and certified creep needs to read this book' ALICE SLATER