This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase with one of these links, I recieve a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read the full Affiliate Policy.

The spooky season is the perfect time to dive into some of the most popular gothic books that have ever been read. And because ‘ever been read’ spans a lot of time, it’s literally no surprise that the top 10 Gothic books listed on Goodreads are all classics. So that’s what we’re going to look at today.

Whether you’re trying to get into the classics or you’re looking for a book to read this Halloween, then some of these might be perfect for your autumn reading! I’ve read a couple of them, but not all of them. I’ll definitely talk to those I have read, but remember that I’m taking this list from Goodreads, which is a popularity vote. They’re the most voted-for Gothic books, and honestly … it’s a great list.

Let’s get into it!

Gothic Books to Read this Halloween Season

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Dracula by Bram Stoker

Dracula by Bram Stoker

10 Most Popular Gothic Books to Read this Spooky Halloween Season

Dracula by Bram Stoker
ISBN: 014143984X
on 26 May 1897
Genres: Gothic
Pages: 454
Goodreads

When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries in his client's castle. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in England: an unmanned ship is wrecked; strange puncture marks appear on a young woman's neck; and a lunatic asylum inmate raves about the imminent arrival of his 'Master'. In the ensuing battle of wits between the sinister Count and a determined group of adversaries, Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing into questions of identity, sanity and the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.

Perhaps one of the most classic gothic stories of all time (although, all of these in the top 10 are, right?), Dracula is well known. Have I read it? No. No I have not.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
ISBN: 0141439572
on 4 February 2003
Genres: Gothic
Pages: 253
Goodreads

Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray exchanges his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life, indulging his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only his portrait bears the traces of his decadence.

I remember being fascinated by the concept of The Picture of Dorian Gray in school when we looked at Oscar Wilde and his writings. We never studied it, but I did read it a few years later, and watched the 2009 movie with Ben Barnes in it. While I probably remember the movie more than book, it’s definitely a gothic tale, so I can 100% understand why it’s in this list.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, Jonathan Lethem
ISBN: 0143039970
Published by Penguin Books
on 21 September 1962
Genres: Gothic
Pages: 146
Goodreads

Shirley Jackson’s beloved gothic tale of a peculiar girl named Merricat and her family’s dark secret
Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate.

Once upon a time, I created a project called The Travelling Novel. And the concept was that I read a book, rate it on ad additional page in the front cover, and then I sent the novel to a friend around the world and they added their ratings in the front when they had finished. The hope was that when the 10th person had read it, it would be sent back to me.

The reason I tell you this story is that We Have Always Lived in the Castle was one of the books that I sent overseas. It was short, it was light-weight, so it was a perfect book to send travelling. It’s definitely a gothic book, that’s for sure!

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
ISBN: 0143039989
Published by Penguin Classics
on 16 October 1959
Genres: Gothic
Pages: 182
Goodreads

It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, the lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

You know you know your niche when two of your books are in the top 10 most popular gothic books of all time. Shirley Jackson at it again with The Haunting of Hill House and I haven’t read this one, but it sounds pretty intense. Perhaps one to pick up this year!

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
ISBN: 1492699683
Genres: Gothic
Goodreads

Deep beneath the Paris Opera House, a masked man lives in silence…

Every night at the Palais Garnier, hundreds of guests sit on the edge of velvet-covered seats, waiting for prima donna La Carlotta to take the stage. But when her voice fails her, La Carlotta is replaced with unknown understudy Christine Daaé, a young soprano whose vibrant singing fills every corner of the house and wins her a slew of admirers, including an old childhood friend who soon professes his love for her. But unknown to Christine is another man, who lurks out of sight behind the heavy curtains of the opera, who can move about the building undetected, who will do anything to make sure Christine will keep singing just for him…

Okay, I love the musical adaptation of this novel, like a lot. And I loved the movie with Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum. But I haven’t actually read the book by Gaston Leroux.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
ISBN: 0141389508
Published by Penguin Books
on 29 November 2012
Genres: Gothic
Pages: 111
Goodreads

'All human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil'

The story of respectable Dr Jekyll's strange association with damnable young man Edward Hyde; the hunt through fog-bound London for a killer; and the final revelation of Hyde's true identity is a chilling exploration of humanity's basest capacity for evil.

Another classic gothic story that has been around since the dawn of time (okay, 1886), but also one that I haven’t read. But I do think that Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is one of those stories that you think of when you then gothic, dark, almost stormy in mood book. And there have been plenty of adaptations of it, too.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
ISBN: 0316323705
on 17 December 2013
Genres: Gothic
Pages: 449
Goodreads

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again..."

Ancient, beautiful Manderley, between the rose garden and the sea, is the county's showpiece. Rebecca made it so - even a year after her death, Rebecca's influence still rules there. How can Maxim de Winter's shy new bride ever fill her place or escape her vital shadow?

A shadow that grows longer and darker as the brief summer fades, until, in a moment of climatic revelations, it threatens to eclipse Manderley and its inhabitants completely...

Rebecca is categorised under Fiction, Mystery, Gothic, Romance. And the description of it definitely gives those vibes. I haven’t read this one, and if I’m honest, hadn’t even heard of it until I popped this blog post together. Or if I had, I didn’t recall. But it sounds like one I should give a go sometime.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
ISBN: 0141439556
Published by Penguin Classics
Genres: Gothic
Pages: 359
Goodreads

Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange, situated on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before; of the intense relationship between the gypsy foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw; and how Catherine, forced to choose between passionate, tortured Heathcliff and gentle, well-bred Edgar Linton, surrendered to the expectations of her class. As Heathcliff's bitterness and vengeance at his betrayal is visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past.

Whenever I think of Wuthering Heights (which, granted isn’t that often), I think of a song by a New Zealand singer called Haley Westenra. Which is, funnily enough, called Wuthering Heights. Another classic Gothic story I haven’t read, but I know the general flow of the plot.

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
ISBN: 0141198966
on 26 April 2012
Genres: Gothic
Pages: 269
Goodreads

The scientist Victor Frankenstein, obsessed with possessing the secrets of life, creates a new being from the bodies of the dead. But his creature is a twisted, gruesome parody of a man who, rejected for his monstrous appearance, sets out to destroy his maker.

Mary Shelley's chilling Gothic tale, conceived after a nightmare in 1816 when she was only eighteen, became a modern myth. It is a disturbing and dramatic exploration of birth and death, creation and destruction, and one of the most iconic horror stories of all time.

Ah! Frankenstein. The one where everyone thinks Frankenstein is the monster. Classic. And yes, another one of the classic Gothic novels that I haven’t read. But I think this one is actually quite short, and so it’s definitely one that I’ve been meaning to pick up.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
ISBN: 0142437204
on 4 February 2003
Genres: Gothic
Pages: 532
Goodreads

Charlotte Brontë tells the story of orphaned Jane Eyre, who grows up in the home of her heartless aunt, enduring loneliness and cruelty. This troubled childhood strengthens Jane's natural independence and spirit - which prove necessary when she finds employment as a governess to the young ward of Byronic, brooding Mr Rochester. As her feelings for Rochester develop, Jane gradually uncovers Thornfield Hall's terrible secret, forcing her to make a choice. Should she stay with Rochester and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions - even if it means leaving the man she loves? A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre dazzled readers with its passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom.

And the top most popular Gothic book to read this spooky season is none other than Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. I actually started this book once when I was probably in my late teens or early 20s and couldn’t get into it. But it’s one I think I need to try again (now that I’m older and wiser, you know? 😉).

So there we have it! 10 of the most popular Gothic books that you could pick up this Halloween/spooky season! These are all very much classics, and a mix of authors and slightly changes in genre across the list, as well. I definitely need to pick up some more of these, but I’d love to know if you’ve read any of these! Drop a comment and tell me!