The Castle of Otranto
A haunted castle, medieval atmosphere and a feeling that the walls know something you do not.
- Kind of horror
- Gothic
The Castle of Otranto brings a haunted castle and medieval atmosphere together, then lets the unease settle in. That is enough to tell you what sort of evening you are in for. If a castle in a book is haunted, I am already wondering whether I should make another coffee or leave the lights on. Possibly both.
I would put it at a two for scares. This is one for someone who likes an uneasy mood more than the feeling of being frightened out of their skin. The castle does a lot of the inviting, though I would hesitate before accepting. You do not need to be a devoted horror reader to be curious about it; an appetite for strange old stories will do. I rather like a book that can make a room feel less comfortable without asking me to leave the sofa.
It suits a quiet night when you want your reading to feel a little stranger than the room around you. It matters, too: this novel is widely treated as the beginning of Gothic fiction, and Walpole gave it the subtitle A Gothic Story in its second edition. If you are curious about where that atmosphere took hold, here is a place to turn the page.
If you like this, try
'Salem's Lot
A writer goes home to Jerusalem's Lot and finds the neighbours have started keeping very strange hours.
Dracula
A young solicitor's business trip abroad turns into something he never signed up for.
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
A scientist stitches together a new kind of life, then can't face what he's made.
Interview with the Vampire
Anne Rice’s debut novel lets a vampire tell his life story to a reporter, with plenty of room for unease.