Spooky Books (and movies) for Armchair Travelers
(A big thank you to Jessica Fick, a fantastic bookstagrammer (and fan of the Fall!), for this timely list of spooky books and movies with a great sense of place. Get your terror on while also taking a trip!)
Halloween is a holiday for some, a lifestyle for others. Americans in particular enjoy the traditions that have become part of Halloween and many people indulge in movies and books to get them in the holiday spirit. If you’re looking for a book or movie with a spooky vibe that is heavy on location, check out the following list.
Spooky Books for Armchair Travelers
A Discovery of Witches
Author: Deborah Harkness
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Fantasy
Places Featured: Oxford, England, United Kingdom
When an American professor, Diana, finds a rare manuscript at Oxford, she discovers that she has powers beyond her imagination and garners the attention of various people and creatures. With the help of a vampire, Diana sets out to find out more about her powers as a witch and discover what the rare book is hiding. The feeling of an old university and all of the atmospheric vibes that go with that makes this is a perfect book.
Dracula
Author: Bram Stoker
Genre: Fiction, Classic, Horror
Places Featured: Transylvania (Romania) & England, United Kingdom
This classic novel is one that most people associate with Halloween; it tells the story of a vampire, Dracula, who attempts to move from Transylvania to England. He is looking for new blood and the opportunity to create more undead but what he finds is a group of people willing to battle him to protect their loved ones. While some scenes have the geography of places intentionally distorted, this book is known for making Bran Castle in Transylvania a popular tourist destination.
Of Light and Darkness
Author: Shayne Leighton
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy
Places Featured: Prague, Czech Republic
Charlotte, an ordinary girl in a world of magic and monsters, accidentally starts a war between the creatures of light and of darkness. Covens, vampires, and elves are the inhabitants of this alternate Prague and part of the war that has taken over the city. Prague is as much a character of this book as any of the people, and the city comes alive through storytelling. This fairy-tale city is the perfect setting for a plot with such fantastical creatures.
Stalking Jack the Ripper
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Genre: Fiction, Horror, Crime/Mystery, Children’s/Young Adult
Places Featured: London, England, United Kingdom
This young adult novel is a deliciously creepy novel in which a young woman, Audrey Rose, is secretly studying forensics despite her father’s desire for her to be a proper Lord’s daughter. Victorian London is being ravaged by Jack the Ripper and Audrey Rose finds herself hot on the trail of this notorious killer. This story takes us from the beautiful privileged areas of London to the slums and the docks, giving the reader a feeling for both sides of the Victorian city.
The Devil in the White City
Author: Erik Larson
Genre: Nonfiction, Historical, Mystery/Crime
Places Featured: Chicago, Illinois, United States
This is a non-fiction book which tells the story of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in tandem with the story of H.H. Holmes–often referred to as the first modern serial killer. From the plans and problems that went into making the White City and the Exposition of 1893 a success to the plans and problems that went into Holmes preying on the women that came to Chicago for the Exposition, this book reads like a novel and is highly detailed and fascinating. (As a native Chicagoan, I can say that I learned more about the streets, buildings, and history of my city from this book than I have from any other source. Chicago wouldn’t be the city that is is today if it weren’t for the events and buildings described in this book.)
The Gilda Stories
Author: Jewelle Gomez
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Horror
Places Featured: Multiple including New Orleans, Louisiana, San Francisco, California and New York, United States
Another vampire novel, this follows the story of a black bisexual heroine and frequently challenges the widely accepted vampire myths. Opening in Louisiana where the main character is a runaway slave and is made into a vampire, it continues to follow her throughout the next 200 years of her life as she tries to discover a place to call home and people with whom she can connect while occasionally having to face off against other vampires who abuse their powers. This novel features many locations but San Francisco circa 1890 and New York City circa 1981 are vibrant, colorful, and beautifully described.
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
Author: Katherine Howe
Genre: Fiction, Historical
Places Featured: Salem, Massachusetts, United States and Marblehead, Massachusetts, United States
Connie needs to spend her summer doing research for her dissertation, but Connie needs to go to handle the sale of her late grandparents’ house near Salem. In this house Connie discovers an old family Bible that launches her on to research about her family’s history. Transitioning seamlessly between the witch trials era and contemporary time, this book about witch history is fascinating. Since Connie is new to Salem and Marblehead, this book gives the reader a great overview of the area and the spots that stand out and would catch a newcomer’s attention.
The Witches of New York: A Novel
Author: Ami McKay
Genre: Fiction, Historical
Places Featured: New York City, New York, United States
New York City in 1880 is fascinated with the occult and spiritual pursuits. A tea shop run by Eleanor and Adelaide is a place for tea, sympathy, and magic. When 17 year old Beatrice starts to work at the tea shop she begins to discover her own magical powers as well as the darker side of New York City. Victorian New York City is beautiful, sparkling, and spooky. McKay’s descriptive powers are incredible and it brings the story an additional dimension.
These Witches Don’t Burn
Author: Isabel Sterling
Genre: Fiction, Children’s/Young Adult
Places Featured: Salem, Massachusetts, United States
Hannah is a teenager who lives in Salem and she is an elemental witch. Despite living in Salem, her magic is a secret that she has to keep within her family and coven. Soon dark magic begins to appear in Salem, but only Hannah and her ex-girlfriend Veronica believe it. They’re afraid it is a Blood Witch there to hurt their coven, and they’re determined to figure out who the blood witch is before anyone gets hurt. Since Hannah is a native of Salem, this book (and its sequel!) have the streets and shops of Salem incorporated into the fabric of this book.
Honorable Mention Halloween Books for Armchair Travelers
Frankenstein
Author: Mary Shelly
Genre: Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction
Places Featured: Geneva, Switzerland
A young scientist creates a sentient humanoid creature in an unethical experiment. The creature escapes and swears revenge and the story follows the creator and the monster and their interactions. While this is set in Geneva, the castle and scientist that inspired the story are set in the Rhine Valley of Germany where Shelly visited prior to writing this story.
The Devil’s Dreamland: Poetry Inspired by H.H. Holmes
Author: Sara Tantlinger
Genre: Poetry
Places Featured: Chicago, Illinois, United States
This book of poems about H.H. Holmes and his time as a serial killer in Chicago (mentioned above) is brilliantly written and while Chicago is less of a main character in the story, it does feature as a key part of these poems as it did of H.H. Holmes’ life.
The Elf of Luxembourg
Author: Tom Weston
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy
Places Featured: Luxembourg
While not a particularly spooky novel, this story does feature elves and vampires. Two sisters, visiting relatives in Luxembourg, end up in the middle of a feud between the elves and the vampires attempting to unearth a secret that lies beneath the city. Luxembourg is an incredible country, and this book taught me as much about it as any travel guide did. Weston describes both the city and the culture in vibrant detail.
Five Spooky Movies with a Great Sense of Place
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Rating: R
Genre: Classic, Horror
Places Featured: Texas, United States
A group of friends is travelling when they fall victim to a family of cannibals in Texas. This 1974 movie is considered a classic, but it isn’t for the faint of heart.
The Thing (1982)
Rating: R
Genre: Science Fiction
Setting: Antarctica
A group of researchers in Antarctica encounter an extraterrestrial life form that can take the form of other creatures. The group realizes that any of them could be the Thing in disguise and they become paranoid and distrustful of each other.
Children of the Corn (1984)
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Places Featured: Nebraska, United States
Based on a book by horror great Stephen King, this movie is about Burt and his girlfriend, Vicki, traveling through a small town in Nebraska that appears to be abandoned. While exploring the town they discover children who have killed off all the adults in town and become a cult whose God lives in the cornfield. While Burt and Vicki fight for their lives while the cult experiences inner turmoil.
Ghostbusters (1984)
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction
Places Featured: New York City
A trio of parapsychologists in New York City start a ghost catching business. This comedic movie is another family friendly spooky movie with some great actors and fun shots of New York City. A newer all-female movie came out in 2016 and it’s fun, too, but the original really is a classic. (And have we mentioned the theme song?!?)
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Children’s/Young Adult
Places Featured: Salem, Massachusetts, United States
This family-friendly Halloween classic will put a spell on you! Three witches in Salem in 1693 are condemned to death for stealing the souls of the town’s children. However they put a curse out that on Halloween when there is a full moon a virgin will light the black flame candle and bring them back. 300 years later exactly that happens, the witches come back to the 1990s and they have only one night to brew a potion and steal the souls of the towns children to help them live forever.
Jessica Fick earned her B.A. in English Literature but works in STEM. She enjoys reading about far away places, travelling, and hiking. Her favorite holiday is Halloween and if she could, she would become a vampire so that she had significantly more time to read books. She lives with her very cranky cat, Puck. She shares her love of reading and travel on her Instagram page @iread.itravel.ibecome because the people in her personal life got sick of hearing about it.
