If you’re looking for the best modern ghost stories to read this winter, here are five atmospheric, unsettling, and beautifully written tales that showcase the very best of supernatural fiction by contemporary writers.
It’s been a long time since I put together one of my ‘Five Favourite’ posts. And while I’ve already shared my Five Favourite Creepy Stories, it feels remiss that I’ve never tackled my Five Favourite Ghost Stories.
Selecting just five was a hard call, but here they are — as of today. Ask me again in six months and the list might look very different.
1. The Woman in Black – Susan Hill
This one has everything: a superb gothic setting (an isolated mansion on a fog‑shrouded sea marsh, cut off by the tide at night), a credible but naïve hero you can’t help but empathise with, and — most importantly — a ghost who is both chilling and devastating in her intent. If you love ghost stories and haven’t read this yet, rectify that immediately!
Buy The Woman in Black on Amazon.
2. Pine – Francine Toon
A haunting tale set in the moody Scottish Highlands, following a girl and her father as strange events begin to fracture their world. Atmospheric, wintry, gothic, and unsettling — perfect reading for the darker months.
Buy Pine on Amazon.
3. Dark Matter – Michelle Paver
My favourite of Michelle Paver’s ghost stories. Who can resist a spectral presence in the Arctic wilderness? Set during an early‑20th‑century expedition, the story slowly isolates our uncertain hero in perpetual darkness, where he begins to fear the presence of “the one who walks”. Intense, claustrophobic, and genuinely chilling.
Buy Dark Matter on Amazon.
4. Carfax House – Shani Struthers
A standout ghost story from Brighton author Shani Struthers. A woman is left alone in a country house in the run‑up to Christmas when her husband is delayed in London.
Psychologically rich and deeply haunting, the story blends family memories with the creeping sense that something else resides within the walls.
Buy Carfax House on Amazon.
5. Ringing the Changes – Robert Aickman
Aickman’s “strange stories” defy easy categorisation, and this one is no exception. A newly married couple arrive in a seaside town just as a disturbing bell‑ringing ritual begins — a ritual that seems to rouse the dead. Whether you’d call it a ghost story is debatable, but it’s one of the most unsettling tales I’ve ever read. Not quite as modern as the rest of my list (Aickman died in 1981), but hugely influential on contemporary weird fiction.
Buy Dark Entries (the collection that includes Ringing the Changes) on Amazon.
Modern Ghost Stories: Honourable Mentions
It was exceptionally hard to keep this list to five, so here are a few favourites that could easily make the cut next time:
The Shining – It feels almost rude not to include the great man. A masterpiece.
Daughters of the Oak – Suffolk author Becky Wright is a huge favourite of mine; she’s a master of eerie, otherworldly suspense. Read my review of Daughters of the Oak on Goodreads.
The Little Stranger – A brilliant, class‑haunted tale of unrequited love with a superb twist.
The Weejee Man – A new voice in Irish ghost stories, NP Cunniffe crafts a tale that has all the classic elements but still feels fresh and original. Check out my review on Goodreads.
The Winter Spirits – A wonderful collection of festive chillers from some of the best contemporary writers of the macabre. Read my review of The Winter Spirits on Goodreads.
What are your favourite modern ghost stories? Let me know in the comments — I’m always looking for new chillers to add to my list.
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