The Uninvited

This past year I've been revisiting older books I love that most people won't know about today. This is one of three that were published before 1950, and made into movies that are now regarded as classics. This one became a 1942 hit starring a young Ray Milland.

But as so often happens--the books are all much (much) better than the films! And in this case, the film is quite a bit better than most "ghost stories," but the book is a really good novel, genre or not.

Dorothy Macardle's The Uninvited is a believably disturbing ghost story set in… show more.

This book had the greatest influence on my desire to write my own ghost story.

I liked the stalwart Brit characters, Roderick and Pamela, even though they were a bit slow putting together the clues. I figured out the secret before they did, which only added to the fun. The writing style is old-fashioned enough to add to the atmosphere, and the story is beautifully told.

This old-fashioned thriller from 1942 is a classic ghost story with an undercurrent theme of the feminism of the time. It’s available now through Tramp Press’ Recovered Voices, one of the programs that are making available old works of literature. I love the trend of bringing old books back for new readers.

Brother and sister Roderick and Pamela buy a suspiciously-cheap house in Devon in the UK, the previous home of a dead and misogynistic artist whose daughter sold Roddy and Pamela the house. The siblings soon decide the house is haunted by revenants of the artist’s love triangle with… show more.