Start with The Haunting of Hill House, read by Bernadette Dunne: it is the classic haunted-house novel. If you want something more modern and faster, pick Riley Sager’s Home Before Dark or Grady Hendrix’s How to Sell a Haunted House. For a classic you can finish in an evening or two, Emma Thompson reads The Turn of the Screw.

The six picks

Book Narrator What kind of haunting Audiobook edition
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (1959) Bernadette Dunne (Blackstone) Investigators spend a summer in a house that may be haunted, or may be working on Eleanor’s mind Bernadette Dunne
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898) Emma Thompson, introduction by Richard Armitage (Audible Studios) A governess at a country estate believes the children are haunted by former servants Emma Thompson
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (2009) Simon Vance (Penguin Audio) A country doctor and a declining family in a crumbling Warwickshire mansion, 1948 Simon Vance
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2020) Frankie Corzo (Random House Audio) 1950s socialite investigates her cousin’s new family at High Place, a remote mansion Frankie Corzo
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager (2020) Cady McClain and Jon Lindstrom (Penguin Audio) A daughter returns to the house her father wrote about in a “true” ghost book McClain and Lindstrom
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (2023) Mikhaila and Jay Aaseng (Penguin Audio) Siblings clearing their late parents’ house, and their mother’s puppet collection Mikhaila and Jay Aaseng

The Haunting of Hill House

Dr. John Montague invites a small group, including Eleanor Vance and Theodora, to spend a summer at Hill House to study it. Jackson never settles whether the events are supernatural or come from Eleanor, which is why the book still works so well read aloud. Bernadette Dunne’s reading is published by Blackstone Audio. On screen there are two films (1963 and 1999); Mike Flanagan’s 2018 Netflix series borrows the title and characters but changes the story heavily, so expect a different plot.

The Turn of the Screw

The shortest pick, a novella. A young governess at a remote English country house becomes convinced that the two children in her care, Miles and Flora, are being haunted by the ghosts of former servants. Emma Thompson reads the Audible Studios edition, with an introduction by Richard Armitage. It was filmed as The Innocents (1961) and loosely reworked as Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020).

The Little Stranger

In 1948, Dr. Faraday, whose mother once worked as a maid at Hundreds Hall, is drawn into the life of the declining Ayres family as strange things start to happen in the house. It is slow and ambiguous, and it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Simon Vance reads the Penguin Audio edition. Lenny Abrahamson’s 2018 film stars Domhnall Gleeson and Ruth Wilson.

Mexican Gothic

Noemí Taboada leaves 1950s Mexico City for High Place, a mansion in the mountains, after her newly married cousin writes that her husband is poisoning her. The house and the family turn out to share a much stranger secret. Frankie Corzo reads the Random House Audio edition. A Hulu series was announced in 2020, but Hulu decided not to go ahead in April 2024.

Home Before Dark

Maggie Holt returns to Baneberry Hall, the house her father wrote about in House of Horrors, his account of the family’s supposed haunting in the 1990s. The novel alternates Maggie’s present-day narration with chapters from her father’s book, 25 years apart. It is not a found-footage story. Cady McClain and Jon Lindstrom narrate the Penguin Audio edition.

How to Sell a Haunted House

After their parents die, Louise Joyner returns to South Carolina and fights with her brother Mark over the funeral and the sale of the family home, while their mother’s puppet collection, led by a clown puppet named Pupkin, turns dangerous. It mixes family drama, humor and horror. Mikhaila and Jay Aaseng share the narration of the Penguin Audio edition. Legendary acquired the film rights in 2023.

FAQ

What is the best haunted-house audiobook to start with?

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, read by Bernadette Dunne for Blackstone Audio. It is the classic of the subgenre.

Which haunted-house audiobook is the most modern?

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (2023), read by Mikhaila and Jay Aaseng, or Home Before Dark by Riley Sager (2020), read by Cady McClain and Jon Lindstrom.

Is Home Before Dark found footage?

No. It alternates Maggie Holt’s present-day narration with chapters from House of Horrors, the book her father wrote about the family’s time at Baneberry Hall. The audiobook has two narrators, Cady McClain and Jon Lindstrom.

Which of these have been adapted for the screen?

The Haunting of Hill House (1963 and 1999 films, and Mike Flanagan’s loose 2018 Netflix series), The Turn of the Screw (The Innocents, 1961, and The Haunting of Bly Manor, 2020) and The Little Stranger (2018 film). Hulu dropped its planned Mexican Gothic series in 2024.

Sources

For possession stories such as A Head Full of Ghosts, see books like The Exorcist .