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Dracula is a novel in the best English Gothic style of the Victorian era, an unparalleled mix of horror, terror, and romanticism. Over time, it has immortalized the figure of the vampire, giving it the appearance that we all know today.

Written by Bram Stoker and published in 1897, it is a classic that no one should stop reading. Despite the fact that there were previous works that had a vampire as a character, it was Dracula who took center stage in the collective imagination.

The novel tells us about the vicissitudes of the lawyer Jonathan Harker and those close to him since he makes the decision to work for Count Dracula in Transylvania. From there, fear, the supernatural, and the characters’ struggle to escape evil come together.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a short psychological horror novel, a true classic of universal literature that deals with a very human and complex theme. Its exquisite descriptions and the atmosphere of mystery that remains until the end make it an emblematic work.

The central theme is the eternal dilemma between good and evil, which is so relevant and at the same time makes this a timeless book. Is it possible to be happy living in one of the extremes? What about tints and grays? These are some questions that may arise from reading this novel.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by R. L. Stevenson

The Canterville Ghost is a short story written by Oscar Wilde. What the author achieves with this work is proof of his mastery, his knowledge of the literary language, and his ability to poignantly mix mystery and humor.

It is a narrative text that leaves the reader captivated from start to finish. It’s about a ghost who, as usual, devises a plan to scare the new family that will move to Canterville Castle. The problem is that these people are not what he expected.

The Otis are part of a distinguished American family that is not impressed by the appearance of a simple ghost. This, logically, leaves the specter disconcerted and begins a conflict that finishes in an almost poetic way.

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

The Phantom of the Opera is a novel by French writer Gastón Leroux, published in 1910. Listed as a great work of Gothic literature, it mixes romance, drama, mystery, and veiled social criticism.

Without a doubt, the author revolutionized with his literary proposal where a strange being makes an appearance at the Paris Opera to horrify the public and be seen by a young singer he is in love with

The novel presents us with lyrical language mixed with a perfect gothic atmosphere to make this an unforgettable read.

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

The Black Cat is one of the most popular horror stories by Edgar Allan Poe, published in 1843. Literary critics have cataloged this story as one of the most horrifying ever written in the world.

A black cat occupies the main scene, along with the protagonist, a man who seems kind and peaceful, but who is a terrible alcoholic. Violence, death, and guilt are themes that intertwine in this masterpiece, leaving breathless any soul that reads it.

The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe

Frankenstein is a gothic horror novel, written in the early 19th century. It has become a universal classic due to the originality of its plot and its novelty at the time. It has also been cataloged as the first real work of science fiction.

Victor Frankenstein is a young man with great aspirations in the field of science. He wants to create something unprecedented: give life to a dead body. This leads him to experiment in the lab and, to his horror, he succeeds in undertaking it.

Seeing that he had created some kind of monster, Victor immediately regrets it, flees, and then tries to get rid of it, but cannot do it. The creature is a being that cannot adapt to the world and its unhappiness leads it to take revenge. Thus begins the persecution between creation and creator, which takes the characters to the limit of despair.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Call of Cthulhu is a story that tells us about the appearance of one of the mythological characters created by Lovecraft throughout his career as a writer. It was published in 1928 and received remarkable success, making Cthulhu one of the most popular entities in horror literature.

The story begins with the death of a professor, whose most important papers are left to the protagonist and narrator of the story. He becomes aware of the existence of a kind of octopus-headed monster called Cthulhu, who lies asleep in the depths of R’lyeh.

He also discovers that the professor was part of a cult that wants to awaken Cthulhu so that it can rule the world. With a disturbing plot, in this story, Lovecraft plunges us into a world of mystery that leaves us perplexed.

The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft

The Turn of The Screw is a short novel with a catchy, mysterious, terrifying, and surprising plot. It is masterfully written by Henry James, who creates a building tension throughout the narrative, as well as an unsettling atmosphere where you constantly feel that something terrible is about to happen.

With scenes capable of making your skin crawl, and characters described in great detail, both in their psychology and in their appearance, this novel makes an impression in everything it achieves in such a short length of pages.

The main narrative voice is that of a governess who goes to work in a Victorian house, where she begins to perceive a series of supernatural phenomena. This, together with her suspicion that something terrible happened recently in that place, leads her to do an almost detective investigation that finishes in a totally unexpected way.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Carmilla is a gothic horror novel, the precursor of the vampire stories that inspired later works such as Dracula. It was published in 1872 and written by Sheridan Le Fanu, who gave the narrative different elements that make it enter the Gothic genre.

The protagonist, Laura, narrates how her life with her father changes radically after the accidental arrival of a beautiful, seductive and irresistible young woman. The two become close friends after Carmilla’s carriage crashes in front of Laura’s house.

The unconscious young woman is received at the father and daughter’s home for her to recover. From then on, the strangest events begin, especially in Carmilla’s behavior.

Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

The Portrait of Dorian Gray is considered a classic of gothic horror literature, with innovative ideas for the time and dealing with controversial themes. This work was first published in 1890 and, we can appreciate the main character who likes to corrupt souls everywhere in a selfish eagerness to please himself.

The young Dorian Gray makes a dark pact in which he has a free pass to live a sinful life without suffering the consequences of the passage of time on his body. However, no pact with evil is free, something is always taken in return. Dorian must suffer the consequences of a life without limits that will inexorably lead him to a tragic end.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The House of the Seven Gables is a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, for many critics the best American work of that time. It was published in 1851 and dealt with the curse that has fallen on the Pyncheon family, more specifically on the land where their mansion is built.

It all originated at the end of the 16th century when Colonel Pyncheon became infatuated with the idea of appropriating a piece of land owned by Matthew Maule, who refused to give it up. Using his influence as a judge, Colonel Pyncheon took advantage of the witch-hunting moment to accuse Maule of sorcery.

Before being executed, the man put a curse on Pyncheon, who shortly after building his house of seven roofs, died mysteriously. The consequences of this curse have enveloped generation after generation until the 19th century as if the family’s sins could be inherited.

The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

At the Mountains of Madness is one of the most famous novels by the American author H.P. Lovecraft. It is part of his Cthulhu mythology and tells the story of an expedition to Antarctica by a group of scientists from the fictional Miskatonic University.

The expedition team has a newly created drill that will allow them to penetrate the subsoil to find fossils and other evidence of how life has developed in that part of the planet.

The expedition was divided into two groups, one of which went to a mountain range where they made impressive discoveries of fossils never seen before. But, out of nowhere, these scientists disappeared. The other group went in search of them, and when they arrived they found a mountain full of evil.

In the mountains of madness, it tells us about the defenselessness and vulnerability of the human race, before other cosmic beings of great power.

At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft

The House on the Borderland is a novel that masterfully combines supernatural horror and fantasy. Some of the events narrated in the book are considered by many critics to be unique in this type of literature, at least until the year of its publication in 1908.

A man lives in a house in Ireland, where he experiences a series of frightening encounters with creatures that seem to emerge from the depths of this place. This nightmarish journey is the result of the man opening a portal to another dimension.

In addition to the terrifying creatures he has to deal with, the protagonist will be taken on a cosmic journey in which he learns about the beginning and end of the universe.

The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson

The War of the Worlds is a horror and science fiction novel published in 1898. It deals with an invasion of aliens from the planet Mars. The narrator is the author of articles classified as speculative science and is the protagonist of the novel, although his name is never revealed.

The Martians do not come in peace, they are ready to unleash a war, an intention that is clear from the first encounter with humans. Throughout the chapters, we will witness all the vicissitudes that the protagonist will live from the invasion.

The masterfully described attack and defense make this book a classic of science fiction that gives us for the first time the description of extraterrestrial beings. It would remain forever engraved in the collective memory.

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

Morella is a horror and suspense story written by Edgar Allan Poe and published in 1835. It is about a married couple formed by the protagonist narrator and Morella, a strange woman who reads books about mysticism. Due to the practices of dark magic, Morella manages to become immortal, however, her physique degrades more and more every day.

Her husband is afraid of her, however, he does not get away from her. When they have their daughter, Morella dies, but everything indicates that her soul entered the little girl’s body. Subsequently, a series of strange events unfold and keep the reader anxious until the end.

Morella by Edgar Allan Poe