1. The secret garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The book and also the movie breath of gothic vibes, first of all the setting, the moors and Misselthwaite Manor. All the shadows and secrets surrounding Mary’s uncle. All the tension, the mystery around the mansion and its inhabitants. There is tragedy, Mary’s parents death and her isolation, her abandonment. That secret garden, why would someone close a garden? I find it a beautiful example of foreshadowing

2. Casper (1995), movie by Brad Silberling
Again, there is a big haunted mansion, Whipstaff Manor. It has a history and a strong personality. We got the father of the protagonist who has a melancholic life trying to find the ghost of her wife, while his teenage daughter feels like a weirdo. Turbulent emotions are in place by the two lawyers who want to sell the house and for that they wanna get rid of the ghosts. Dr Harvey that in search of her dead wife dedicated his work life to the search of spirits and ghosts with unfinished businesses. Kat, who finds Casper, a friendly ghost who doesn’t remember much about her human life and quickly finds a kindred friendship. It's such a beautifully made movie. The feelings that bring to their viewers.

3. The romance of the forest (1791) by Ann Radcliffe (the said “mother” of gothic novels).
From the beginning of the story evokes the darkest and most dramatic aspects of nature. The main plot takes place in an abandoned and half-ruined abbey. A place of terror and of safety
We got a mysterious main protagonist, Adeline. She appears when the couple La Motte are running away from their creditors and wanna be in a remote place where no one knows them. Adelaine seems to be in the hands of some wrongdoers who gave her away to Monsieur La Motte.
From the first pages, the reader needs to know more about the characters’ motives, desires and backstories. Everyone there seems to be covering some mysteries.
But the reader will soon discover that even those who seemed like good characters don't always have good intentions. Who can Adeline really trust? The book is dramatic and often tends toward melodrama. It has all the cliché elements of a gothic novel.

4. The Night of the Hunter (1955) directed by Charles Laughton.
The director uses elements of the southern gothic to build a suspense story. The dark, shadowy landscape is the perfect setting for the story of good and evil. The justification of evil deeds to do good. As well as human greed. The inherent evil in man.
The dramatic lighting, the shadows, the confrontation between the preacher and Willa, the images are often distorted and unnatural creating a claustrophobic sensation. You can't take your eyes off the screen to see if the two little ones, John and Pearl, will manage to escape. In the movie, instead of a mythical creature like Dracula or Frankenstein, we have a corrupted priest, a malicious man. The soundtrack is another significant part of this eerie and scary sensation the director builds throughout the film.

5. Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, this book could be
This book could be a tribute to gothic vampire novels. There's a mystery from the past that affects the main character. A rural setting filled with superstitions. Two new residents move into a mansion steeped in the town's most macabre legends. The author builds the town of Jerusalem Lot, formed by a choral group of characters. We learn about their daily worries and secrets. We gradually discover strange clues: a strange disease is ravaging the town. Some people are being attacked by some kind of “thing”.
The mystery is served.

Estrella

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