Old-school horror novels like Addison House take me back to my middle school days, when I walked to the library after school and checked out stacks of horror novels by John Saul, Dean Koontz, and any others I could get my hands on. My parents never supervised my reading.
I found Addison House at a local used bookstore. It’s an old-fashioned ghost story.
Doreen Addison is a foster mom to a group of orphans. She moves her entire family into an abandoned old house that’s been empty for decades. It’s rumored to be haunted, which has scared away many other would-be renters from moving in. But Doreen refuses to let old rumors and superstitions prevent her from moving into her dream home.
Just days after Doreen and her kids move into the house, the workers she’s hired to fix up the place start having accidents and dying. It’s not long before Doreen’s own children start acting strangely under the influence of ghosts. Doreen is eventually forced to deal with the haunted house and decide whether she wants to stay and duke it out with the ghosts and demons.
Addison House is classic horror camp. The dialogue is cheesy, the story is cheesy, and even Doreen’s romance with the ghost man is cheesy. The fact the boyfriend is a ghost is easy to spot from a mile away. But the demon- and ghost-possessed children really make this novel spooky and creepy. It’s not one of the author’s best by far, but it wasn’t boring, either.
There are no surprises in Addison House. In the end, the demons are exorcised, the ghosts resolve their unfinished business, and everyone lives happily ever after. If you’re looking for a horror novel with an unexpected twist, steer clear of this one.
Other books by Clare McNally include:
- Stage Fright (1995)
- Goodnight, Sweet Angel (1996)
- Blood Relations (1997)
Which books do you remember and like by Clare McNally?
Last Updated on November 25, 2025 by Sarah Ann
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