5 Gothic classics to read on Halloween To get in the mood for the scariest night of the year

Dark cathedrals with statues ready to follow us with their icy glances, old houses immersed in fog, family secrets as old as time. Whatever the reason, when Halloween comes, there is nothing better than letting yourself be enveloped in an atmosphere so mysterious and irrational that it takes us to a world capable of keeping us from turning a blind eye to terror. And if horror movies and TV series are now an indispensable tradition for the night of October 31, what better time to also rediscover some great classics of Gothic literature? From medieval castles full of secret passages to country houses where what is not real seems to be confused with simple madness, here are five cult books for those who want to spend Halloween with their noses buried in the pages of a creepy story.

Five classic Gothic books for a creepy Halloween

The Crackdown, Henry James

A young governess is hired to take care of Miles and Flora, two orphaned children who live on Bly's beautiful estate, far from the eyes of their uncle and entrusted to the care of the governess. To the young woman it seems like the perfect opportunity to start over, but here lies the pitfall: the governess begins to see mysterious figures wandering around the property, and she is convinced that the children are in some way linked to these presences. But do these presences really exist, or is it just a fantasy of the governess so isolated from the rest of the world? Published in 1898, The Crackdown is capable of making you doubt even what you have just read. Henry James plays with fear and human ambiguity, constructing a story in which the real horror could hide as much in the paranormal as in paranoia. If Bly sounds familiar to you, don't go wrong: among the most famous transpositions, the Netflix miniseries The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020) has taken up the atmosphere and some fundamental elements of the story, intertwining them with other works by James and transforming them into a story of ghosts and mourning (and jumpscare, but this is another story).

Carmilla, Sheridan Le Fanu

Laura lives with her father in an isolated castle in Styria, when a mysterious accident brings to their home a young woman named Carmilla, who is fascinating and shrouded in mystery, with whom Laura forms an increasingly intense bond, made of trusts and feelings that are difficult to explain. It's a pity that, while the girl feels closer and closer to her host, unexplained deaths and strange illnesses begin to occur in the surroundings. Who is Carmilla, and why does her presence seem to slowly consume those around her? Released on the market in 1872, this story by Sheridan Le Fanu anticipates many of the elements that will become iconic in typical vampire literature, well before Bram Stoker's Dracula. Here terror is intertwined with desire, giving life to a story of vampirism and forbidden attraction that makes Carmilla an unmissable read for those who love that darker and more ambiguous genre of Gothic. Carmilla is one of those characters that you just can't escape.

The Mysteries of Udolpho, Ann Radcliffe

Emily St. Aubert is a young woman whose life changes radically after the death of her father. Entrusted to her aunt Madame Cheron, she soon finds herself involved in the plans of the latter's new husband, the creepy Montoni, who leads her to the remote castle of Udolpho, in the Italian Apennines. Here, far from the person she loves and surrounded by dark corridors and sinister noises, Emily begins to suspect that behind the walls of the fortress there is something terrible. Published in 1794, Ann Radcliffe's novel is one of the great cornerstones of Gothic literature and mixes suspense and romance in an atmosphere that seems to be made especially for autumn nights. If heroines dealing with manipulative men and slowly emerging truths are your thing, then maybe you've found your Halloween reading.

The castle of Otranto, Horace Walpole

It is the wedding day of Corrado, son of Manfredi, Prince of Otranto, when a shocking event occurs: a huge helmet falls from the sky under inexplicable circumstances and crushes the young man, leaving everyone speechless. For Manfredi, however, this tragedy represents the possible fulfillment of an ancient prophecy destined to steal the castle from his lineage. Determined to preserve power at any cost, the prince makes increasingly desperate decisions, while mysterious apparitions and disturbing omens begin to shake the lives of those who live in the fortress. With the first edition of 1764, The Castle of Otranto is considered by most to be one of the basic works of the Gothic novel, with all the ingredients that we still associate with this imagination today: medieval atmospheres, curses, immeasurable ambitions and supernatural manifestations. Perhaps compared to contemporary horror it might seem a bit theatrical and over the top... but it's his beauty, after all. So why not start reading where it all started?

The Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux

At the Opéra Garnier, disturbing incidents, disappearances and strange events begin to occur, fueling the legend of a ghost hidden in the dressing rooms, the basement of the building and even the stage. Meanwhile, the young soprano Christine Daaé conquers the public with her voice, convinced that she is guided by a mysterious Angel of Music. Behind that apparently benevolent presence hides Erik, a brilliant and tormented man who lives in the meanders of the theater and who obsessively falls in love with the singer. When Christine approaches Viscount Raoul de Chagny, her childhood friend, the Ghost's passion turns into an increasingly dangerous threat. First published in episodes between 1909 and 1910, then in volume in 1910, Gaston Leroux's novel mixes mystery, melodrama, horror and obsessive love, giving life to a figure that has become one of the most famous in the Gothic imagination. The musical, which premiered in London in 1986, helped transform this story into an international phenomenon, making its monumental scenery, masks and songs so iconic unforgettable. They also made a film in 2004 with Emmy Rossum (yes, the one from Shameless) and Gerard Butler. Prepare your lungs, because after reading it and watching the movie you won't be able to stop singing THE PHAAAANTOM OF THE OPERA IS THEEEEERE...