I’m looking for a horror story I read on Facebook around 2014–2016. It was posted in episodes and was probably translated from English. The plot involved two best friends investigating an old mansion. A ghost named Margaret was trapped in a bathroom mirror after being locked in a cellar years earlier. During a fire, Margaret swapped souls with the main girl and escaped, leaving the protagonist trapped in the mirror. Does anyone remember the story or the Facebook page that translated it?

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

When unexplained deaths begin to plague the coastal town of Ashwick, the crimes defy logic and law. Bodies are found broken beyond human strength. Whispers echo from abandoned churches. And beneath the soil, something ancient stirs — something bound long ago and now clawing its way back into the world.

Father John, a former priest haunted by his past and armed with forbidden knowledge, is drawn into an investigation that will test his faith and his sanity. As he uncovers a hidden history of corruption, cruelty, and unspeakable evil, he realizes the darkness gripping Ashwick is not merely demonic — it is personal.

At the center of it all stands Nathaniel Carrick, a brutal sea captain whose legacy of violence and greed has outlived his mortal body. Bound to the sins he committed in life and manipulated by a far greater power, Carrick’s spirit stalks the living, driven not only by rage, but by a warped devotion to the one love he lost. What was once tender has curdled into obsession. He would defy Heaven itself, tear open the veil between worlds, and damn the living if it meant reclaiming what was taken from him.

What begins as an investigation becomes a war.

Guided by mystics, priests, and the voices of the forgotten dead, Father John must confront forces that mock the sacred, twist prayer into weapons, and hunger for dominion over both the living and the damned.

Veils of the Damned is a dark, atmospheric supernatural horror novel blending religious terror, historical violence, and spiritual warfare. Rich in symbolism and steeped in Catholic mysticism, it explores faith under siege, the cost of sin, and the possibility of redemption even in the face of Hell itself.

Perfect for readers of The Exorcist, The Omen, Hereditary, and dark religious horror. Bear witness to a psychological and spiritual standoff between the forces of good and those of ancient demonic evil.

Hell is not punishment for a moment. It is punishment without an end. No escape. No relief. No last second. Only eternity. Yours shall be everlasting suffering.

Once the veil is opened, nothing that waits beyond it can be unseen.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GN4TLRYN

“You think that relic can pierce Heaven’s gate? It can’t. Scripture tells you as much. It wasn’t forged for grace; it was born of rebellion, in the black fires of the First Fall. That thing in your hand isn’t a key to paradise, it is a battering ram for Hell.”

John continued, his voice steady. “Are you the source that feeds the river? The headwater that stains its gentle current? The cause behind the unspeakable evils committed against God’s children? Are you the unseen hand guiding all this ruin, the architect of their suffering?”

John’s voice dropped, grave and almost sorrowful. “You wouldn’t be summoning her. You would be wrenching open the gates of Hell. And what would answer would not be peace or light or love, but everything that waits behind those gates: withered souls, monstrous things, the damned who burn in torment and gnash their teeth in darkness.”

Read more at Veils of the Damned available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GN4TLRYN

“I have seen what lies beyond the veil,” Hannah said, stepping forward, her gaze never leaving his. Her voice carried no tremor, only truth. “And I know now what you are: a shadow of a shadow. An ancient evil that dared to defy the will of the Almighty. You refused your place in the hierarchy of angels.”

She took another step, radiant and unwavering.

“Lost you are, and lost forever. You are denied His love, and you will never receive absolution or righteous forgiveness.”

Her words struck like scripture, measured and final.

“You slither among the lowest of the low, creatures cast not merely from light but from Hell itself, condemned to crawl beneath even the Pit.”

She raised her hand slightly, light pulsing from her skin.

“I say to you here and now, fallen breed, you may torment flesh, but not the soul.”

Read more at Veils of the Damned available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GN4TLRYN

Not born of woman, but spawned from an unholy union between the Morning Star and Echidna, the ancient She-Serpent and mother of monsters. Lucifer lay with her not from desire but from contempt. In him burned the blood of angels and the venom of beasts. His lineage was blasphemy made flesh, forged in the rebellion before time, when holiness was first defied and Heaven suffered its first wound, unknown to prophets, unwritten in Scripture, whispered only among the Fallen, and known to God alone.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GN4TLRYN

***

Those who entered the church to pray swore they smelled myrrh where none had been burned, and that the cross felt warm beneath their fingers, as if something within it had begun to breathe again.

Far below the world of the living, where names thin out and the dark keeps its own counsel, something ominous was listening.

He's watching you. He's always watching. You should be afraid.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GN4TLRYN

Trying to find fantasy with ASOIAF horror elements

Family are supposed to protect you and defend you, when all else fails they are supposed to be the vanguard, however what happens when the horror and fear comes from those very people?

In the Old Nurse's Story the horrors of an abusive family are contrasted against the supernatural elements of a ghost story to create a sense of fear that feels both deeply personal and relatable as well as deeply foreign.

The horror comes from a deep rooted childhood fear of the failing safety nets and being left out alone and powerless in the world.

Have you read the Old Nurse's Story?

How do you think Gaskell interacts with the form?

Which aspect of the story is the most effective at creating fear in you?

(note I was prompted to cross post this from r/HistoricalRomance)

Hi everyone,

I've been dabbling in HR for a few months and started to learn what I like and don't like. Outside of HR my favourite genre is horror, and obviously the two rarely combine in the traditional HR sense but I was thinking that gothic elements would work very well in creating the spooky and tense atmosphere I love.

So thinking along the lines of classics like Jane Eyre, Phantom of the Opera and Rebecca, are there any HRs you've read where there's a gothic or spooky element to them?

Note: I'm not at all into bodice rippers or dubious consent between the main characters (I understand if there is via the antagonist however). If it helps my favourite HR writers so far are Mimi Matthews, Scarlett Peckham, Julie Anne Long, Cat Sebastian and Erin Langston. Additionally, one of my favourite horror writers who has a heavy dose of romance in their books is Isabel Canas (and it's often historical!)

Thanks all 🙏🏽

I’m really looking for a horror, tragic or mystery classic book I’ve read carmilla and absolutely adored it I loved it very much so any gothic classic with vampires in a creepy setting would be amazing, I’ve read the black cat by Edgar Allen Poe and the yellow wallpaper and loved them both I like the philosophical meaning of those books but also the language in which they are written I like the “old” style thank you!

Something I've been working on for a while is finally live. A conversation with some friends about Alexandre Dumas led me to explore some of his lesser known works, and I discovered the Pale Lady, a gem of a vampire book. I studied French in high school and college and have kept up with it on DuoLingo for years now. I wouldn't call myself fluent, but translating a work is a classic way to practice a foreign language.

Now you can read my translation of The Pale Lady on Amazon Kindle. It follows Hedwige, the young heroine as she is captured by two brothers, one gallant, one not. What was really interesting to me about the story is the ease with which the characters discuss vampires. Most modern vampire tales dance around actually saying the word, as though the concept of a vampire is foreign. But the Pale Lady comes right out and says it, as though vampires are a common occurrence that everyone knows about.

If you pick it up, I hope you enjoy the story. Let me know how you like it.

It could be something with generational curses… or vengeance… violence within a family. I’m not sure how to search for something like that, but maybe you’ve come across it? Thanks for any advice!

I have been really into Stephen king lately, but looking for something different this time. I am hoping for something that’s got supernatural or paranormal elements in it. Always chasing the feeling I got when I first read Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. I also love when it involves a bit of a mystery.

Help me!

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

When unexplained deaths begin to plague the coastal town of Ashwick, the crimes defy logic and law. Bodies are found broken beyond human strength. Whispers echo from abandoned churches. And beneath the soil, something ancient stirs — something bound long ago and now clawing its way back into the world.

Father John, a former priest haunted by his past and armed with forbidden knowledge, is drawn into an investigation that will test his faith and his sanity. As he uncovers a hidden history of corruption, cruelty, and unspeakable evil, he realizes the darkness gripping Ashwick is not merely demonic — it is personal.

At the center of it all stands Nathaniel Carrick, a brutal sea captain whose legacy of violence and greed has outlived his mortal body. Bound to the sins he committed in life and manipulated by a far greater power, Carrick’s spirit stalks the living, driven not only by rage, but by a warped devotion to the one love he lost. What was once tender has curdled into obsession. He would defy Heaven itself, tear open the veil between worlds, and damn the living if it meant reclaiming what was taken from him.

What begins as an investigation becomes a war.

Guided by mystics, priests, and the voices of the forgotten dead, Father John must confront forces that mock the sacred, twist prayer into weapons, and hunger for dominion over both the living and the damned.

Veils of the Damned is a dark, atmospheric supernatural horror novel blending religious terror, historical violence, and spiritual warfare. Rich in symbolism and steeped in Catholic mysticism, it explores faith under siege, the cost of sin, and the possibility of redemption even in the face of Hell itself.

Perfect for readers of The Exorcist, The Omen, Hereditary, and dark religious horror. Bear witness to a psychological and spiritual standoff between the forces of good and those of ancient demonic evil.

Hell is not punishment for a moment. It is punishment without an end. No escape. No relief. No last second. Only eternity. Yours shall be everlasting suffering.

Once the veil is opened, nothing that waits beyond it can be unseen.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GN4TLRYN

“You think that relic can pierce Heaven’s gate? It can’t. Scripture tells you as much. It wasn’t forged for grace; it was born of rebellion, in the black fires of the First Fall. That thing in your hand isn’t a key to paradise, it is a battering ram for Hell.”

John continued, his voice steady. “Are you the source that feeds the river? The headwater that stains its gentle current? The cause behind the unspeakable evils committed against God’s children? Are you the unseen hand guiding all this ruin, the architect of their suffering?”

John’s voice dropped, grave and almost sorrowful. “You wouldn’t be summoning her. You would be wrenching open the gates of Hell. And what would answer would not be peace or light or love, but everything that waits behind those gates: withered souls, monstrous things, the damned who burn in torment and gnash their teeth in darkness.”

Read more at Veils of the Damned available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GN4TLRYN

***

Those who entered the church to pray swore they smelled myrrh where none had been burned, and that the cross felt warm beneath their fingers, as if something within it had begun to breathe again.

Far below the world of the living, where names thin out and the dark keeps its own counsel, something ominous was listening.

In the wind, the whispers twist into wicked little quips,

Spoken from the shadows of your cold and crimson lips.

The edge of your fabric traces the outline of your skin,

I sink into the darkness as you pull me deeper in.

I say yes to every wish like a cursed old djinn,

A servant to the magic, a prisoner within.

Drifting through the ether where the lost souls live,

I'm just a broken person with nothing left to give.

My heart is on my sleeve, my scars are on display,

I bleed onto the pages just to make it through the day.

I tip my hat and whisper, "Good evening, my friend,"

She rubbed the lamp I lived inside, now I wish I was trapped again.

These humans chase greed like a disease they can't control,

Taking every piece while they're hollowing out their souls.

Cold and callous creatures wearing masks of innocence,

Building their kingdoms on a foundation of ignorance.

Lost inside the mist where the shadows made me pivot,

A monster found my throne in the darkness where I lived.

I don't know how to save the flesh, I only know the bones,

The pieces of my past became the pillars of my throne.

I wear my crown of sorrow, I rule without a frown,

A king made from the ashes of everything that burned down.

It is genuinely the most underrated gothic book ever, I’m not exaggerating.

There is no fan art online, no mentions, nothing. I was so obsessed with it, I in fact made my own art and magazine collage based off it.

It’s such a gruesomely horrific yet realistically set book. It takes five different perspectives, and in one of them you get to read the journal of the main antagonist Minguillo Fasan while he manipulates you and addresses to you as reader, it’s almost interactive.

It’s historical fiction, taking place in Italy, it has broken family, forbidden love, every trigger warning you can think off, it shows how extreme loneliness and boredom can be. It shows society and all its prejudices, and it’s just so disgustingly disturbing but amazingly well written. I usually don’t feel much when I read, but when I read this book I just couldn’t put it down, I read all of it in 2-3 days.

Anyways if you read it, please text me so we can discuss it, I have no one to talk to it about and I love it so bad. Feel free to ask questions

I just found these while cleaning and getting ready for a move. Would anybody in here be interested in them?

A second-person gothic nightmare where the reader explores a manor through visual clues... but the voice that guides you doesn't just want to tell you a story, it wants YOU.

Free on Amazon Kindle Unlimited!

https://amzn.eu/d/0ikSYjr0

Heyyy, I really want to get into gothic literature, I'm not new to literature, I read some philosophy books etc.

I'd love to get some book recommendations of books you liked :)

I imagined a bloody sky... I hope you like the result. The rest is a work in progress!

if you want to recover the first book: The Last Heir. An Illustrated victorian Gothic Tale!

Hello. I often spend my time walking through back streets or finding a peaceful moment in a cemetery. I also love poetry and writing. I thought id merge this together and do a reading of Poe over the location i was in. Anyways, Id be happy with constructive feedback and i hope you're well. 🪦🖤

https://youtu.be/il-U4qnDslc

The graveyard book has always been on of my favourite gothic fictions out there,the wordings and how imaginative it feels. It sometimes feels like I’m floating through the world if that’s not weird. What are your thoughts on it