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Haunted States: An American Gothic Guidebook
A fusion of travel literature and cultural criticism investigating the dark history of the US and exploring how past horrors – from witch trials to slavery and genocide – continue to haunt the national consciousness.
Haunted States is a unique guidebook that explores the dark, often horrifying, history of the US. Based on the author’s journey across the United States in summer 2022, it explores locations connected to Gothic fiction and film, tracking the relationship between the American landscapes and the various forms of fictional horror the nation has produced over the centuries.
Part cultural history and part travelogue, Haunted States traces how the American Gothic draws inspiration from the natural and built environments, with the astounding geographical variation of the landscape influencing the distinctive forms of horror produced across its many diverse regions. The book also investigates how the horrors of the American Gothic have their roots in the nation’s dark history of colonialism, slavery, violence and oppression – past sins that continue to haunt the national consciousness to this day. Taking horror (in literature, film and the visual arts) as its starting point, Haunted States investigates the landscapes, places and cultures that produced it.
Incorporating first-person travel narrative, historical context and supplementary interviews, Haunted States journeys across the USA to learn about its eclectic, regional forms of horror.
Haunted States is a unique guidebook that explores the dark, often horrifying, history of the US. Based on the author’s journey across the United States in summer 2022, it explores locations connected to Gothic fiction and film, tracking the relationship between the American landscapes and the various forms of fictional horror the nation has produced over the centuries.
Part cultural history and part travelogue, Haunted States traces how the American Gothic draws inspiration from the natural and built environments, with the astounding geographical variation of the landscape influencing the distinctive forms of horror produced across its many diverse regions. The book also investigates how the horrors of the American Gothic have their roots in the nation’s dark history of colonialism, slavery, violence and oppression – past sins that continue to haunt the national consciousness to this day. Taking horror (in literature, film and the visual arts) as its starting point, Haunted States investigates the landscapes, places and cultures that produced it.
Incorporating first-person travel narrative, historical context and supplementary interviews, Haunted States journeys across the USA to learn about its eclectic, regional forms of horror.
352 pages, Paperback
First published October 8, 2024
13 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
October 5, 2024
Definitely not for anyone clinging to notions of America as synonymous with freedom and a chance at the good life. America as witnessed by academic Miranda Corcoran leans more towards read-it-and-weep, despite the odd flash of fragile optimism. Corcoran’s compelling, accessible blend of travel memoir and cultural analysis revolves around the American Gothic. For Corcoran American Gothic isn’t fixed but metamorphic, responsive to places and histories. She leaves Ireland for America to test out theories about its shifting forms, from its influence in literature to cinema and TV. She’s fascinated by relations between context and content, changing landscapes replete with their own brand of insidious anxiety: fleshy monsters formed in Southern swamplands; the conjurings of mediums and restless ghosts pervading New England; the mutated forms crawling forth from deserts scarred by nuclear testing.
Corcoran visits Lily Dale centre for American spiritualism where ghosts often had positive meanings. Women who channelled them, like the Fox sisters, the first to enter public speaking in 19th century America, the spirits they claimed to represent stirred up hope for a vibrant afterlife. A belief that Corcoran views as bound up with the area’s status as frontier region, attracting people in search of a brighter future. In contrast Hudson Valley’s revenants testify to legacies of war, the abuses of the past. Known for its diverse settlers bringing with them a rich store of European folklore and legend; its weather, its eerie mists, suggest weird things lurking in the shadows. Some are possibly remnants of half-submerged guilt stemming from the brutal colonisation and extermination of Indigenous peoples. In Salem Corcoran’s confronted by bizarre juxtapositions, solemn memorials to those who died during its infamous witch trials jostle with shops hawking witch-y merchandise. It's a tourist spot made popular by fans of Bewitched a kitschy show about a suburban mother with magical powers. But it also inspired Hawthorne and laid the foundations for Lovecraft’s sinister Arkham.
Wanderings through Vermont highlight the peculiar nature of American hauntings, an emphasis on domestic spaces, the houses integral to achieving the “American Dream.” Brickwork that oozes with desire and malevolence outlined in Shirley Jackson’s Bennington-based fiction - written when home for many American women was equivalent to a prison. Jackson was all too aware of Bennington's reputation for the unexplained: from vanishings to cryptids, even carnivorous stones. For Corcoran Virginia’s associated with tangible, visceral beings, Poe’s prematurely-buried women, vampires and undead weighed down by history. Many festering and reeking in its swamps and wetlands. References to the oral cultures of the enslaved detected in Poe’s work then direct Corcoran to Eatonville. A small town founded by emancipated slaves, where Zora Neale Hurston once lived, it highlights America’s violent divides. Here the swamp’s a site of resistance, hiding place and sanctuary. Resistance is paramount in New Orleans’s embrace of so-called “voodoo.” Vilified in white narratives, for its followers it symbolised a refusal to abandon their heritage. In New Orleans, Corcoran reflects too on the work of Jewelle Gomez and Anne Rice. Fiction whose messages counter the lament for the Antebellum South found in Charlaine Harris’s popular vampire novels.
Demons, devilry, and denial mark out California and the iconic Midwest. Corcoran’s travels through Texas, Nevada and New Mexico construct a persuasive account of techno-militaristic policies that birthed monsters and mushroom clouds. Entering Texas, Corcoran’s struck by the fact that meat is everywhere: highways festooned with animal skulls, flashes of pastureland where cows wait for death. Inevitably, Corcoran connects these images to Tobe Hooper’s seminal horror The Texas Chainsaw Massacre a vision of America descending into chaos, disinterring its hastily-buried dead, exposing the rotting flesh beneath its shiny surfaces. In keeping with a state that’s essentially a scab formed over histories of extensive ethnic cleansing. Nevada and nearby deserts yield stories of devastated environments, shattered ecologies, Indigenous and Hispanic communities forcibly uprooted to make way for nuclear testing. Events that fed into the oddly-beguiling, 1950s atom-age “bug” movies; and later Wes Craven’s arresting cannibal horror The Hills Have Eyes. Craven’s film highlights class injustices, sanctioned versus unsanctioned brutality. The all-American Carter family are the acceptable face of American perversity – the father delights in the vicious policing of people of colour - pitted against a mutated clan forged out of poverty and toxic waste.
I found Corcoran’s book’s incredibly readable, her imagery, her depiction of her encounters along the road, are lucid, inventive and insightful. Atmospheric, well-researched, engaged and occasionally provocative, highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Repeater Books for an ARC
Corcoran visits Lily Dale centre for American spiritualism where ghosts often had positive meanings. Women who channelled them, like the Fox sisters, the first to enter public speaking in 19th century America, the spirits they claimed to represent stirred up hope for a vibrant afterlife. A belief that Corcoran views as bound up with the area’s status as frontier region, attracting people in search of a brighter future. In contrast Hudson Valley’s revenants testify to legacies of war, the abuses of the past. Known for its diverse settlers bringing with them a rich store of European folklore and legend; its weather, its eerie mists, suggest weird things lurking in the shadows. Some are possibly remnants of half-submerged guilt stemming from the brutal colonisation and extermination of Indigenous peoples. In Salem Corcoran’s confronted by bizarre juxtapositions, solemn memorials to those who died during its infamous witch trials jostle with shops hawking witch-y merchandise. It's a tourist spot made popular by fans of Bewitched a kitschy show about a suburban mother with magical powers. But it also inspired Hawthorne and laid the foundations for Lovecraft’s sinister Arkham.
Wanderings through Vermont highlight the peculiar nature of American hauntings, an emphasis on domestic spaces, the houses integral to achieving the “American Dream.” Brickwork that oozes with desire and malevolence outlined in Shirley Jackson’s Bennington-based fiction - written when home for many American women was equivalent to a prison. Jackson was all too aware of Bennington's reputation for the unexplained: from vanishings to cryptids, even carnivorous stones. For Corcoran Virginia’s associated with tangible, visceral beings, Poe’s prematurely-buried women, vampires and undead weighed down by history. Many festering and reeking in its swamps and wetlands. References to the oral cultures of the enslaved detected in Poe’s work then direct Corcoran to Eatonville. A small town founded by emancipated slaves, where Zora Neale Hurston once lived, it highlights America’s violent divides. Here the swamp’s a site of resistance, hiding place and sanctuary. Resistance is paramount in New Orleans’s embrace of so-called “voodoo.” Vilified in white narratives, for its followers it symbolised a refusal to abandon their heritage. In New Orleans, Corcoran reflects too on the work of Jewelle Gomez and Anne Rice. Fiction whose messages counter the lament for the Antebellum South found in Charlaine Harris’s popular vampire novels.
Demons, devilry, and denial mark out California and the iconic Midwest. Corcoran’s travels through Texas, Nevada and New Mexico construct a persuasive account of techno-militaristic policies that birthed monsters and mushroom clouds. Entering Texas, Corcoran’s struck by the fact that meat is everywhere: highways festooned with animal skulls, flashes of pastureland where cows wait for death. Inevitably, Corcoran connects these images to Tobe Hooper’s seminal horror The Texas Chainsaw Massacre a vision of America descending into chaos, disinterring its hastily-buried dead, exposing the rotting flesh beneath its shiny surfaces. In keeping with a state that’s essentially a scab formed over histories of extensive ethnic cleansing. Nevada and nearby deserts yield stories of devastated environments, shattered ecologies, Indigenous and Hispanic communities forcibly uprooted to make way for nuclear testing. Events that fed into the oddly-beguiling, 1950s atom-age “bug” movies; and later Wes Craven’s arresting cannibal horror The Hills Have Eyes. Craven’s film highlights class injustices, sanctioned versus unsanctioned brutality. The all-American Carter family are the acceptable face of American perversity – the father delights in the vicious policing of people of colour - pitted against a mutated clan forged out of poverty and toxic waste.
I found Corcoran’s book’s incredibly readable, her imagery, her depiction of her encounters along the road, are lucid, inventive and insightful. Atmospheric, well-researched, engaged and occasionally provocative, highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Repeater Books for an ARC
September 7, 2024
Interesting, entertaining, and incredibly well written. Corcoran takes us on a journey all the way around the United States of America, from East to South, across to the West, and back again, exploring each territory's own Gothic histories.
This was really well-researched, and I loved the fact she designed it to read as a travel log. If you’re interested in the Gothic, particularly pertaining to American culture, this is a must read. It covers everything from witches and folklore, Voodoo and the undead, monsters and mushroom clouds, to celebrity murders and cults.
I’m already familiar with Miranda Corcoran’s scholarship, so I jumped at the opportunity to read this. I will read anything she writes! Maybe a guidebook of her own haunted homeland (Ireland) next? Let’s hope.
This was a pleasure to read and review. Many thanks to @netgalley and @repeaterbooks for allowing me to read this early copy in exchange for my thoughts.
This was really well-researched, and I loved the fact she designed it to read as a travel log. If you’re interested in the Gothic, particularly pertaining to American culture, this is a must read. It covers everything from witches and folklore, Voodoo and the undead, monsters and mushroom clouds, to celebrity murders and cults.
I’m already familiar with Miranda Corcoran’s scholarship, so I jumped at the opportunity to read this. I will read anything she writes! Maybe a guidebook of her own haunted homeland (Ireland) next? Let’s hope.
This was a pleasure to read and review. Many thanks to @netgalley and @repeaterbooks for allowing me to read this early copy in exchange for my thoughts.
September 18, 2024
An engaging exploration of America's supernatural folklore. I particularly enjoyed how the book felt like a travel guide for the paranormal, taking readers on a journey across haunted locations and eerie landmarks in the United States. Corcoran’s research is thorough, yet her writing is accessible, making it easy to imagine these chilling sites. She weaves historical context and local legends seamlessly, providing fascinating insights into the myths and stories that shape the culture of each region.
As someone not originally from the States, Corcoran is able to provide fresh observations and perspectives, often pointing out the quirks and contradictions in American ghost stories that a native author might overlook. Her outsider’s view adds depth to her commentary, giving the reader a more objective and sometimes humorous take on how we approach the supernatural. While I wished for a bit more narrative flow at times, overall, Haunted States is a compelling and informative read for anyone interested in paranormal history or unique travel experiences.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a honest review.
As someone not originally from the States, Corcoran is able to provide fresh observations and perspectives, often pointing out the quirks and contradictions in American ghost stories that a native author might overlook. Her outsider’s view adds depth to her commentary, giving the reader a more objective and sometimes humorous take on how we approach the supernatural. While I wished for a bit more narrative flow at times, overall, Haunted States is a compelling and informative read for anyone interested in paranormal history or unique travel experiences.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a honest review.
October 5, 2024
This book traces the history of the United States in its geographical landscapes & how these have influenced its culture. The Gothic genre found in British novels is different to American Gothic, & the author posits that America is haunted by its own past & history, even if these take very different regional forms. Travelling from the East coast to the West, from Lily Dale, NY, to LA & San Francisco, Corcoran explores the origins of Spiritualism, the witch trials, & the legends of vampires & zombies. Discussing the works of authors such as Shirley Jackson, Edgar Allan Poe, to Anne Rice, the author asks the reader to examine the America beneath the surface.
This was a really interesting read - I'd never heard of Lily Dale before & it sounds a fascinating place. I also really enjoyed the sections on Sleepy Hollow, Poe, & LA, but I must be honest, I didn't think that the chapter on Texas & Nevada & the atomic legacy worked as well as the others. To me it seemed slightly incongruous alongside the other topics. Overall though it was very informative & gives the reader a lot to think about. 3.5 stars (rounded up)
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Repeater Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
This was a really interesting read - I'd never heard of Lily Dale before & it sounds a fascinating place. I also really enjoyed the sections on Sleepy Hollow, Poe, & LA, but I must be honest, I didn't think that the chapter on Texas & Nevada & the atomic legacy worked as well as the others. To me it seemed slightly incongruous alongside the other topics. Overall though it was very informative & gives the reader a lot to think about. 3.5 stars (rounded up)
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Repeater Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
October 9, 2024
This book is fantastic. It is a thorough exploration (and guide) to different areas of the vast US, searching for the creepy stories that shaped our nation and the intricate relationships between landscape, history and local lore. From the green forest of Vermont and the birth of spiritualism , to the arid desert of New Mexico with its almost Martian geography , going through the revenants who inhabits the Deep South bayous, and much more, this book makes you want to pack and start the ultimate American road trip. A real treat of a book
May 11, 2025
Will I read every iteration of this type of history/cultural criticism/travelogue focused on the gothic and macabre? Yes. Is this book a great addition to the genre? Yes.
December 28, 2024
Thank you to Miranda Corcoran, Repeater Books, and Netgalley for the ARC!
This part travelogue part cultural criticism written from the perspective of an Irish academic taught me so much about the eerie underbelly of my own country. Her journey through the US along with it's corresponding legends, folklore, true crime, and references in media was so fascinating. The descriptions of the changing landscapes and cultures of different regions of the United States also reminded me just how diverse and unique our country is. I think Corcoran's position as an outsider (and someone who doesn't drive- having to use our shoddy public transport to travel) lends to some really distinct and interesting commentaries and connections in this way. It's critical at times yes, but it's not without a lot of thought and what is clearly very conscious and thoughtful observations. The American Gothic is intrinsically tied with the past and the reality of our own imaginations of American history and values. That is, a history of violence and oppression. However, the inclusion of beloved books and movies that have come out of this ideal highlight insightful responses to what is both wrong with our country and usually unidentifiable or hard to articulate. It's an incredibly refreshing take on our ideas of "haunted", and an essential read for anyone interested in American history and how it influences horror.
This part travelogue part cultural criticism written from the perspective of an Irish academic taught me so much about the eerie underbelly of my own country. Her journey through the US along with it's corresponding legends, folklore, true crime, and references in media was so fascinating. The descriptions of the changing landscapes and cultures of different regions of the United States also reminded me just how diverse and unique our country is. I think Corcoran's position as an outsider (and someone who doesn't drive- having to use our shoddy public transport to travel) lends to some really distinct and interesting commentaries and connections in this way. It's critical at times yes, but it's not without a lot of thought and what is clearly very conscious and thoughtful observations. The American Gothic is intrinsically tied with the past and the reality of our own imaginations of American history and values. That is, a history of violence and oppression. However, the inclusion of beloved books and movies that have come out of this ideal highlight insightful responses to what is both wrong with our country and usually unidentifiable or hard to articulate. It's an incredibly refreshing take on our ideas of "haunted", and an essential read for anyone interested in American history and how it influences horror.
September 1, 2024
A 3.5! This was like a haunted tour guide. The author sounded like one of my history college professors and I liked it. I have not lived in all the places covered in the book and I there were stories I had never heard about. I wish there were more pictures but this is not a picture book so I get it. I too believe but have not had anything happen so like the author I will wait. I would love to read haunted Ireland! Will that be next?
October 7, 2024
A fusion of travel literature and cultural criticism investigating the dark history of the US and exploring how past horrors – from witch trials to slavery and genocide – continue to haunt the national consciousness.
This is an interesting guide book of some of America's darker history. Not all of it,mind you, but a good portion.
Corcoran visits the East, South,and west of the United States.
In the East she tackles what you would expect,the Gothic history of Massachusetts and Main. Limited iny opinion considering how much haunted and tragic history is in the surrounding states like New York, Pennsylvania,and even New Jersey. She goes the typical route and visits Salem and gives her commentary on the witch trials.
I'm not sure she painted Salem, Massachusetts in a very good light, making it seem like a cheesy tourist fleecing place thena spot of historic significance.
From here she heads south to Richmond, Virginia and gives a very interesting speech about Edgar Allen Poe and slavery.
The horror of slavery will always be present in the south no matter how hard they try to white-wash that history but I was expecting stories of haunted locations.
In the West, California and Vegas with and the lore and scandals there. Very interesting stories of the days of nuclear test and their legacy as well as how they lead to classic horror movies such as The Hills have Eyes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Again not was I was hoping for but interesting nonetheless.
It's a very well written book by an obviously intelligent writer who did her research. You can tell she is an educator as the book takes on the feel of a college text book.
But if your expecting Halloween scares to share around a fire you won't find them here. This is not your typical
Haunted tales reference book.
Not sure how I feel about that but I can't deny this was a interesting read.
Recommended for those wanting more educational than titillating.
Thanks to @netgalley and Repeater Books for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
This is an interesting guide book of some of America's darker history. Not all of it,mind you, but a good portion.
Corcoran visits the East, South,and west of the United States.
In the East she tackles what you would expect,the Gothic history of Massachusetts and Main. Limited iny opinion considering how much haunted and tragic history is in the surrounding states like New York, Pennsylvania,and even New Jersey. She goes the typical route and visits Salem and gives her commentary on the witch trials.
I'm not sure she painted Salem, Massachusetts in a very good light, making it seem like a cheesy tourist fleecing place thena spot of historic significance.
From here she heads south to Richmond, Virginia and gives a very interesting speech about Edgar Allen Poe and slavery.
The horror of slavery will always be present in the south no matter how hard they try to white-wash that history but I was expecting stories of haunted locations.
In the West, California and Vegas with and the lore and scandals there. Very interesting stories of the days of nuclear test and their legacy as well as how they lead to classic horror movies such as The Hills have Eyes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Again not was I was hoping for but interesting nonetheless.
It's a very well written book by an obviously intelligent writer who did her research. You can tell she is an educator as the book takes on the feel of a college text book.
But if your expecting Halloween scares to share around a fire you won't find them here. This is not your typical
Haunted tales reference book.
Not sure how I feel about that but I can't deny this was a interesting read.
Recommended for those wanting more educational than titillating.
Thanks to @netgalley and Repeater Books for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
September 3, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this one! There was so much love and research poured into this, I could tell how much Corcoran put into this. The book explored so much of America’s history, through folklore, ghost stories and true crime that became folklore over time. The incorporation of societal horrors contrasting against more fictional ghost stories was a really interesting addition. Overall, this was an incredibly well researched book, I really felt like I was touring America and it’s confusing, haunted history with the author. And I learned a lot too!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #HauntedStates #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #HauntedStates #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
September 25, 2024
A big thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read Haunted States by Miranda Corcoran! I’m giving it a solid four stars—it was a real treat for anyone who loves the eerie side of American history.
Corcoran dives deep into some iconic places like Salem, New Orleans, and Hollywood, and she really captures the vibe of each location. I especially loved how she tied the spooky stories to their settings—those dark, ancient East Coast forests feel like they’re hiding all sorts of secrets.
While I was hoping for a few more ghost stories and a bit less emphasis on literary and film comparisons, I still found some gems to add to my reading and viewing list. Her recommendations are definitely worth checking out!
Overall, Haunted States is a great pick if you're into gothic tales and atmospheric reads. Corcoran's writing pulls you in and makes you feel like you’re wandering through haunted landscapes yourself. Perfect for anyone who enjoys a good scare mixed with history!
Corcoran dives deep into some iconic places like Salem, New Orleans, and Hollywood, and she really captures the vibe of each location. I especially loved how she tied the spooky stories to their settings—those dark, ancient East Coast forests feel like they’re hiding all sorts of secrets.
While I was hoping for a few more ghost stories and a bit less emphasis on literary and film comparisons, I still found some gems to add to my reading and viewing list. Her recommendations are definitely worth checking out!
Overall, Haunted States is a great pick if you're into gothic tales and atmospheric reads. Corcoran's writing pulls you in and makes you feel like you’re wandering through haunted landscapes yourself. Perfect for anyone who enjoys a good scare mixed with history!
April 7, 2025
Irish author Miranda Corcoran sets out to traverse the United States and explore the myriad guises which the supernatural takes across the disparate regions of the country. The resulting book is a unique combination of travel writing, history and cultural analysis, as Corcoran draws lines between the unique geography, history and culture of each region and how this has manifested - from spiritualism and witchcraft in the North East to vampires and voodoo in the Deep South and aliens and mutants in the South West.
Corcoran writes that 'The American Gothic is metamorphic, moulding itself to the contours of history and topography.' For example, she posits how the North Eastern fear of witchcraft and Satan reflected the fragility of their newly-established settlements, carved out of a dense, unknowable wilderness and threatened by rightfully hostile indigenous people. She poses questions which encourage the reader to interrogate their own understanding, questions, such as what is it about the Salem witch trials that has made them such an important, much discussed series of events, when similar atrocities have been lost to history?
Haunted States hghlights forgotten chapters in American history and the hypocrisy of America's ideas of itself - the 'Land of the Free' which has equality enshrined in its constitution but which was founded by slave owners and is still riddled with systemic racism and inequality. Corcoran's non-US perspective means that she does not shy away from criticising domestic policy which has been consistently prejudiced against non-white Americans, and she is unafraid to confront the atrocities perpetrated by the US government at home and abroad.
Corcoran's descriptions evoke not only the present day of the places she visits but also their pasts; an early chapter on Niagara Falls is particularly memorable. Rather than focusing purely on the most common meaning of 'haunted' - to be harassed or harmed by malevolent, inhuman beings - she muses on other interpretations, such as being
haunted by a vanished past and an unrealised future. The fact that she travels exclusively on public transport and stays mostly in locally-run motels and guest houses makes Corcoran's descriptions and observations feel more authentic; she has immersed herself in the places she visits in order to get a true sense of them. I appreciated how she captured the diversity of America not just in its supernatural lore but in its biomes, history, culture and demographics as well.
Furthermore, if anyone were to pick up this book expecting a pulpy, sensationalised collection of ghost and monster stories, they might also be surprised by the academic rigour with which Corcoran approaches her subject, drawing on real life events but also cinema, art and literature and examining how the manifestations manifest themselves in culture in all its forms. The language is at times gorgeously verbose. 'If travel is dynamic, emblematic of perpetual change and renewal,' Corcoran writes, 'then surely this runs counter to the Gothic's preoccupation with the oppressive weight of history,' noting an inherent contradiction in her project which may well otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Haunted States is not a perfect book: some chapters feel overly long and it sags in the middle under the weight of repetitive descriptions of the Deep South's swamps, but overall it is a fascinating, ambitious and original book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Repeater Books for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Corcoran writes that 'The American Gothic is metamorphic, moulding itself to the contours of history and topography.' For example, she posits how the North Eastern fear of witchcraft and Satan reflected the fragility of their newly-established settlements, carved out of a dense, unknowable wilderness and threatened by rightfully hostile indigenous people. She poses questions which encourage the reader to interrogate their own understanding, questions, such as what is it about the Salem witch trials that has made them such an important, much discussed series of events, when similar atrocities have been lost to history?
Haunted States hghlights forgotten chapters in American history and the hypocrisy of America's ideas of itself - the 'Land of the Free' which has equality enshrined in its constitution but which was founded by slave owners and is still riddled with systemic racism and inequality. Corcoran's non-US perspective means that she does not shy away from criticising domestic policy which has been consistently prejudiced against non-white Americans, and she is unafraid to confront the atrocities perpetrated by the US government at home and abroad.
Corcoran's descriptions evoke not only the present day of the places she visits but also their pasts; an early chapter on Niagara Falls is particularly memorable. Rather than focusing purely on the most common meaning of 'haunted' - to be harassed or harmed by malevolent, inhuman beings - she muses on other interpretations, such as being
haunted by a vanished past and an unrealised future. The fact that she travels exclusively on public transport and stays mostly in locally-run motels and guest houses makes Corcoran's descriptions and observations feel more authentic; she has immersed herself in the places she visits in order to get a true sense of them. I appreciated how she captured the diversity of America not just in its supernatural lore but in its biomes, history, culture and demographics as well.
Furthermore, if anyone were to pick up this book expecting a pulpy, sensationalised collection of ghost and monster stories, they might also be surprised by the academic rigour with which Corcoran approaches her subject, drawing on real life events but also cinema, art and literature and examining how the manifestations manifest themselves in culture in all its forms. The language is at times gorgeously verbose. 'If travel is dynamic, emblematic of perpetual change and renewal,' Corcoran writes, 'then surely this runs counter to the Gothic's preoccupation with the oppressive weight of history,' noting an inherent contradiction in her project which may well otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Haunted States is not a perfect book: some chapters feel overly long and it sags in the middle under the weight of repetitive descriptions of the Deep South's swamps, but overall it is a fascinating, ambitious and original book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Repeater Books for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 28, 2025
Corcoran has such a wonderful, poetic way of describing each American state she visited. She had a real understanding of the areas, the people, customs, the past, and stories within. I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book. Corcoran's will and determination and patience to engage with people and hear their stories - past and present was truly what made the book so readable. It gave such an insight into an America we wouldn't usually see or hear about. Haunted States shows how entwined the past and the present are. With ghosts, the uncanny, being the connection between now and an, at times, uncomfortable past. I recommend this book to everyone, it won't disappoint. A well deserved 4 stars.
October 3, 2024
This is a great read. A travelogue, selected history, and cultural criticism/exploration all in one. Corcoran is from Ireland and her impressions of America are fascinating and very well written.
I expected this to be more focused on the spookier aspects of her journey across the United States, but it's so much more than ghost stories of America. Corcoran takes stock of American history and appreciates individual Americans. It's such a fun book.
Highest recommendation if this sounds like your style.
Thank you NetGalley and Repeater Books for the ARC.
I expected this to be more focused on the spookier aspects of her journey across the United States, but it's so much more than ghost stories of America. Corcoran takes stock of American history and appreciates individual Americans. It's such a fun book.
Highest recommendation if this sounds like your style.
Thank you NetGalley and Repeater Books for the ARC.
September 4, 2024
My thanks to NetGalley and Repeater Books for an advance copy of this book that looks at how the geography of the United States and history of the lost, the unremembered, the forgotten and those the victors pushed to the side, have influenced the art of horror in literature and thought, and the dreams of how America views itself.
I've lived in Connecticut for most of my life, but I think I've only passed through Sleepy Hollow New York and maybe went to Salem Massachusetts on a field trip, maybe a family vacation. I have always been drawn to the paranormal, books, movies, comics, music, have been a mainstay since I found a book about hauntings in my children's library. However my interest is not in the tourist sense. I've worked with people who love to do this. Go to Amityville to see the house. Do a Headless Horsemen tour, go to Salem on the Witch's Eve. I know places have energy, and sometimes that energy can be strong. And unsettling. However after reading this book a combination of biography, history and tour guide, I might have to make an exception. Haunted States: An American Gothic Guidebook by Miranda Corcoran is a view of America through its actual history and our paranormal one, and how these influences affected literature and the stories America tells about itself.
Miranda Corcoran is from Ireland, a place that she writes gives her a lot of leeway in America as many have such a fantastic view of it. After a introduction discussing books, and horror genres and America in general, we read how Corcoran crosses the border from Canada to Niagara Falls, using her own feet which makes her a stranger in this country. The book becomes a tour of America broken into four parts, New England, the South, the West, and of course California. Corcoran moves across this country in ways that are familiar to Europeans, exotic to Americans; by train, bus, ferry Uber and taxi. Corcoran hits all the big places, spending time learning about witches in Salem, Edgar Allan Poe, Voodoo, the South, and the cult of course the best coast, California. Along the way Corcoran writes about she sees, and how writers and artists have been influenced by this history, the American Gothic that remains so popular today.
I book that was not what I expected, but a book that I found really hit me in a lot of spots. I love history, love books, love to read about writing. This book did all this. And more. Corcoran is a really good writer, and as an outsider to America, being Irish and a person who does not drive, really gets to see America as even few Americans see it. From bus stations, ferry stops, train stations and more. Along with this Corcoran sees America through her feet walking and paying attention, rather than paying attention to a GPS giving directions. I enjoyed her take on the standard places, Salem and the like. However it is the small places, the ones with historical markers grown over by weeds, that are the most interesting and revealing. Graveyards for left do decay, numerous massacres and battles. Corcoran has a very good writing style, and I enjoyed the mix of history and paranormal. Also I enjoyed the lack of ghost hunting bro writing. No ghost detectors, no speakers, no ultrasound. Just a person walking, listening, learning and sharing.
A fun book for travellers, the paranormal interested, horror fans, and people who just like good writing. Sort of a Paul Theroux of the shadow world, without all the grumpiness. I really enjoyed this book and would like to read more by Miranda Corcoran.
I've lived in Connecticut for most of my life, but I think I've only passed through Sleepy Hollow New York and maybe went to Salem Massachusetts on a field trip, maybe a family vacation. I have always been drawn to the paranormal, books, movies, comics, music, have been a mainstay since I found a book about hauntings in my children's library. However my interest is not in the tourist sense. I've worked with people who love to do this. Go to Amityville to see the house. Do a Headless Horsemen tour, go to Salem on the Witch's Eve. I know places have energy, and sometimes that energy can be strong. And unsettling. However after reading this book a combination of biography, history and tour guide, I might have to make an exception. Haunted States: An American Gothic Guidebook by Miranda Corcoran is a view of America through its actual history and our paranormal one, and how these influences affected literature and the stories America tells about itself.
Miranda Corcoran is from Ireland, a place that she writes gives her a lot of leeway in America as many have such a fantastic view of it. After a introduction discussing books, and horror genres and America in general, we read how Corcoran crosses the border from Canada to Niagara Falls, using her own feet which makes her a stranger in this country. The book becomes a tour of America broken into four parts, New England, the South, the West, and of course California. Corcoran moves across this country in ways that are familiar to Europeans, exotic to Americans; by train, bus, ferry Uber and taxi. Corcoran hits all the big places, spending time learning about witches in Salem, Edgar Allan Poe, Voodoo, the South, and the cult of course the best coast, California. Along the way Corcoran writes about she sees, and how writers and artists have been influenced by this history, the American Gothic that remains so popular today.
I book that was not what I expected, but a book that I found really hit me in a lot of spots. I love history, love books, love to read about writing. This book did all this. And more. Corcoran is a really good writer, and as an outsider to America, being Irish and a person who does not drive, really gets to see America as even few Americans see it. From bus stations, ferry stops, train stations and more. Along with this Corcoran sees America through her feet walking and paying attention, rather than paying attention to a GPS giving directions. I enjoyed her take on the standard places, Salem and the like. However it is the small places, the ones with historical markers grown over by weeds, that are the most interesting and revealing. Graveyards for left do decay, numerous massacres and battles. Corcoran has a very good writing style, and I enjoyed the mix of history and paranormal. Also I enjoyed the lack of ghost hunting bro writing. No ghost detectors, no speakers, no ultrasound. Just a person walking, listening, learning and sharing.
A fun book for travellers, the paranormal interested, horror fans, and people who just like good writing. Sort of a Paul Theroux of the shadow world, without all the grumpiness. I really enjoyed this book and would like to read more by Miranda Corcoran.
October 10, 2024
Miranda Corcoran’s Haunted States offers a compelling blend of travelogue and cultural criticism, bringing together history, geography, and Gothic horror to explore the dark undercurrents of the American landscape. The book is not your typical guide to haunted houses or ghost stories; it dives much deeper, revealing how the terrifying parts of America’s past—witch trials, slavery, genocide—continue to cast shadows over the nation’s collective consciousness and cultural productions.
Corcoran’s journey across the United States in the summer of 2022 becomes the lens through which she explores the relationship between real historical horrors and the fictional Gothic traditions of American literature and film. The book’s structure weaves together personal travel narrative with historical context, seamlessly integrating interviews and observations about specific locations. These include places that have inspired famous works of Gothic fiction and horror cinema, such as New England, the South, and the West, where each region’s unique landscape has shaped its distinct Gothic tradition.
What sets Haunted States apart is its exploration of how the physical geography of America informs the horror genres that emerge from each region. Corcoran shows how the desolate expanses of the West give rise to tales of isolation and madness, while the South’s tangled history of slavery and racial violence fuels a distinctly Southern Gothic, filled with haunting specters of the past. Her insights into how the landscape shapes horror are thought-provoking and often eerie, making readers look at familiar genres in a new light.
The book also critically examines how America’s Gothic imagination is tied to the country’s darkest histories of oppression, violence, and colonialism. Corcoran doesn’t shy away from confronting how horrors like slavery and the displacement of Indigenous peoples have left their mark on the national psyche. These historical traumas are revealed as the true ghosts that continue to haunt America, often more terrifying than any fictional monsters.
While Haunted States deals with weighty historical and cultural issues, Corcoran’s writing is accessible and engaging. Her first-person narrative, filled with vivid descriptions of her travels and the places she visits, adds a personal dimension that makes the history feel immediate and relevant. The supplemental interviews with locals, historians, and cultural critics provide additional perspectives, enriching the book’s analysis.
One of the strengths of Haunted States is its ability to speak to both academic readers interested in cultural studies and casual readers drawn to the American Gothic and horror genres. It invites readers to reconsider the landscapes they know and reflect on the unsettling realities beneath the surface of American history.
In conclusion, Haunted States is a hauntingly insightful work that combines travel writing with cultural critique, offering a fresh and critical look at how the horrors of the past continue to influence American art, culture, and identity. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the intersection of history, geography, and the Gothic, as well as those who want to understand how America’s landscapes are as haunted by real history as they are by fictional horrors.
Corcoran’s journey across the United States in the summer of 2022 becomes the lens through which she explores the relationship between real historical horrors and the fictional Gothic traditions of American literature and film. The book’s structure weaves together personal travel narrative with historical context, seamlessly integrating interviews and observations about specific locations. These include places that have inspired famous works of Gothic fiction and horror cinema, such as New England, the South, and the West, where each region’s unique landscape has shaped its distinct Gothic tradition.
What sets Haunted States apart is its exploration of how the physical geography of America informs the horror genres that emerge from each region. Corcoran shows how the desolate expanses of the West give rise to tales of isolation and madness, while the South’s tangled history of slavery and racial violence fuels a distinctly Southern Gothic, filled with haunting specters of the past. Her insights into how the landscape shapes horror are thought-provoking and often eerie, making readers look at familiar genres in a new light.
The book also critically examines how America’s Gothic imagination is tied to the country’s darkest histories of oppression, violence, and colonialism. Corcoran doesn’t shy away from confronting how horrors like slavery and the displacement of Indigenous peoples have left their mark on the national psyche. These historical traumas are revealed as the true ghosts that continue to haunt America, often more terrifying than any fictional monsters.
While Haunted States deals with weighty historical and cultural issues, Corcoran’s writing is accessible and engaging. Her first-person narrative, filled with vivid descriptions of her travels and the places she visits, adds a personal dimension that makes the history feel immediate and relevant. The supplemental interviews with locals, historians, and cultural critics provide additional perspectives, enriching the book’s analysis.
One of the strengths of Haunted States is its ability to speak to both academic readers interested in cultural studies and casual readers drawn to the American Gothic and horror genres. It invites readers to reconsider the landscapes they know and reflect on the unsettling realities beneath the surface of American history.
In conclusion, Haunted States is a hauntingly insightful work that combines travel writing with cultural critique, offering a fresh and critical look at how the horrors of the past continue to influence American art, culture, and identity. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the intersection of history, geography, and the Gothic, as well as those who want to understand how America’s landscapes are as haunted by real history as they are by fictional horrors.
October 10, 2024
This is an excellent book for the upcoming spooky season. Miranda Corcoran produced a part-travel account, part-cultural criticism book about the American Gothic. The book is not a guide to American locations associated with specific hauntings, as it might seem at first. Rather, Corcoran describes her journey through five specific locations associated with very particular iterations of American Gothic - ghostly New England, vampire and African American spirituality fuelled Southern Gothic, atomic New Mexico and Nevada and Hollywood/cult focused California, with a surprising bonus chapter on the Midwestern Gothic. In each location, Corcoran explains the location-specific iteration of Gothic through an analysis of various literary and film examples of these trends, with a hefty dose of historical context and background.
Look, I lap up books like these, and this one is very well put together. It assumes no prior knowledge of the subject, so it might not be of much interest to professional scholars or very well-read enthusiasts of the American Gothic. However, Corcoran does an excellent job of providing a concise yet wide enough selection of scholarship on the distinct subjects she chose to cover. The book never feels like just her own analysis, not grounded in previous research, she always gives credit where it is due (some authors of trade books like these cite no one and pretend by assumption to be the first people to have come up with the ideas they discuss). The bibliography occupies about 10% of the book, and as someone without prior comprehensive knowledge of the topics I found it very inspirational, there are quite a few books in it I now want to pick up (both primary and secondary sources). Corcoran covers a very impressive breadth of subjects, from the memory of Salem Witch Trials and the woes of Edgar Allan Poe to Zora Neale Hurston's anthropological work and 'desert horror' movies such as The Hills Have Eyes. I didn't want this book to end, and I stretched it out as much as I could.
In addition to cultural analysis, it is a very interesting travelogue of the USA. The author does not drive, so she primarily took busses on her epic journey from Niagara Falls to San Francisco via New York, New Orleans, Texas, New Mexico and Los Angeles (and back to New York via the Midwest, with some stops in Iowa and Chicago). She shows the sort of America one sees on these busses, the type of America most Americans will probably never get to see.
Although I want to give this book 5 stars, as I enjoyed it a lot, I had a couple of pretty serious issues with it.
Some minor issues first. Corcoran is fantastic at evoking a sense of place and making the chapters very distinct. The atomic chapter, in particular, was the one I learned most from, as I rarely think of atomic horrors as a part of the Gothic. The introduction implied the chapter would cover UFOs, and it doesn't, which made me a bit sad, as that chapter was by far the shortest (sans the Midwestern epilogue), so I felt like there could have been some extra material in it. Some of the analyses are also quite repetitive. It felt a bit like the author was told to make it more accessible, so they stressed the key points a tad more often than most readers would need.
Now we come to the meatier ones. Corcoran does generally a good job of emphasising the bloody past and present of the USA, especially in relation to race. However, the range of texts she covers does not always reflect her vocalised commitment to antiracism. Although she covers a couple of seminal Black authors and texts (Beloved, Their Eyes Were Watching God), most of the cultural output she discusses in detail was produced by white writers and filmmakers. It is especially jarring in her treatment of Indigenous themes - she fully acknowledges the genocide of Indigenous people, and yet she never includes Indigenous perspectives on the American Gothic (Indigenous horror is an absolutely thriving genre, throughout the 20C and especially now). In this book, Indigenous people are designated to the role of a passive victim, whose slaughter is to be reckoned with in white people's Gothic. Her choice to stick with the term 'Voodoo' as a descriptor for some forms of Southern Black spirituality (even though she did acknowledge its racist connotations) also raised my eyebrows.
Although she spoke of America's bloody past and sins, she rarely brought up specific issues with the individual authors she discussed (and the ways in which those issues impacted their work). Just by reading this book, we would never learn of Lovecraft's rampant racism or Poe's child bride (he was 27, she was 13 when they married, and all we learn from the book is his grief at her passing). These are not 'minor points' about these authors. They are integral to their experiences, their personalities, and their work. Ultimately, they're inseparable from their versions of the American Gothic.
With these issues in mind, this is still a very worthwhile book, which I am popping onto my Christmas list as I want a paper copy in addition to my electronic one. If you liked Edward Parnell's Ghostland or Matthew Beaumont's Nightwalking, this is a perfect read for you.
Thank you, NetGalley and Repeater Books, for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Look, I lap up books like these, and this one is very well put together. It assumes no prior knowledge of the subject, so it might not be of much interest to professional scholars or very well-read enthusiasts of the American Gothic. However, Corcoran does an excellent job of providing a concise yet wide enough selection of scholarship on the distinct subjects she chose to cover. The book never feels like just her own analysis, not grounded in previous research, she always gives credit where it is due (some authors of trade books like these cite no one and pretend by assumption to be the first people to have come up with the ideas they discuss). The bibliography occupies about 10% of the book, and as someone without prior comprehensive knowledge of the topics I found it very inspirational, there are quite a few books in it I now want to pick up (both primary and secondary sources). Corcoran covers a very impressive breadth of subjects, from the memory of Salem Witch Trials and the woes of Edgar Allan Poe to Zora Neale Hurston's anthropological work and 'desert horror' movies such as The Hills Have Eyes. I didn't want this book to end, and I stretched it out as much as I could.
In addition to cultural analysis, it is a very interesting travelogue of the USA. The author does not drive, so she primarily took busses on her epic journey from Niagara Falls to San Francisco via New York, New Orleans, Texas, New Mexico and Los Angeles (and back to New York via the Midwest, with some stops in Iowa and Chicago). She shows the sort of America one sees on these busses, the type of America most Americans will probably never get to see.
Although I want to give this book 5 stars, as I enjoyed it a lot, I had a couple of pretty serious issues with it.
Some minor issues first. Corcoran is fantastic at evoking a sense of place and making the chapters very distinct. The atomic chapter, in particular, was the one I learned most from, as I rarely think of atomic horrors as a part of the Gothic. The introduction implied the chapter would cover UFOs, and it doesn't, which made me a bit sad, as that chapter was by far the shortest (sans the Midwestern epilogue), so I felt like there could have been some extra material in it. Some of the analyses are also quite repetitive. It felt a bit like the author was told to make it more accessible, so they stressed the key points a tad more often than most readers would need.
Now we come to the meatier ones. Corcoran does generally a good job of emphasising the bloody past and present of the USA, especially in relation to race. However, the range of texts she covers does not always reflect her vocalised commitment to antiracism. Although she covers a couple of seminal Black authors and texts (Beloved, Their Eyes Were Watching God), most of the cultural output she discusses in detail was produced by white writers and filmmakers. It is especially jarring in her treatment of Indigenous themes - she fully acknowledges the genocide of Indigenous people, and yet she never includes Indigenous perspectives on the American Gothic (Indigenous horror is an absolutely thriving genre, throughout the 20C and especially now). In this book, Indigenous people are designated to the role of a passive victim, whose slaughter is to be reckoned with in white people's Gothic. Her choice to stick with the term 'Voodoo' as a descriptor for some forms of Southern Black spirituality (even though she did acknowledge its racist connotations) also raised my eyebrows.
Although she spoke of America's bloody past and sins, she rarely brought up specific issues with the individual authors she discussed (and the ways in which those issues impacted their work). Just by reading this book, we would never learn of Lovecraft's rampant racism or Poe's child bride (he was 27, she was 13 when they married, and all we learn from the book is his grief at her passing). These are not 'minor points' about these authors. They are integral to their experiences, their personalities, and their work. Ultimately, they're inseparable from their versions of the American Gothic.
With these issues in mind, this is still a very worthwhile book, which I am popping onto my Christmas list as I want a paper copy in addition to my electronic one. If you liked Edward Parnell's Ghostland or Matthew Beaumont's Nightwalking, this is a perfect read for you.
Thank you, NetGalley and Repeater Books, for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 11, 2024
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.
Miranda Corcoran’s “Haunted States: An American Gothic Guidebook” is a fascinating blend of travel literature and cultural criticism that delves into the eerie and often unsettling history of the United States. This guidebook is a journey through haunted locations and an exploration of the dark narratives that have shaped American consciousness.
The book is structured around Corcoran’s travels across the United States during the summer of 2022. Each chapter focuses on a different location, from the infamous Salem, Massachusetts, to the haunted plantations of the South. Corcoran investigates how historical events, such as witch trials, slavery, and genocide, have left an indelible stain on the places where these tragic miscarriages of justice occur.
Corcoran’s writing is engaging and informative, striking a perfect balance between storytelling and analysis. Her vivid descriptions bring each location to life, while her insightful commentary provides a deeper understanding of the cultural and historical contexts that contribute to the haunting atmosphere. The narrative contains anecdotes and personal reflections, making it a compelling read for both history and supernatural fans.
“Haunted States” explores themes of memory, trauma, and the lingering effects of past atrocities. Corcoran examines how these dark histories continue to influence contemporary American society and culture. This book delves into the concept of the Gothic as a means to view and understand these haunted landscapes, offering a unique perspective on the intersection of places and narratives.
“Haunted States” blends travelogue with cultural criticism. Corcoran addresses the uncomfortable truths about America’s past, and her analysis is thought-provoking and enlightening. She skillfully connects the dots between historical events and their representation in Gothic fiction and film, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of how these stories impact societal views and fears.
“Haunted States: An American Gothic Guidebook” is a must-read for anyone interested in the darker side of American history and culture. Miranda Corcoran has crafted a book that is informative and captivating, offering readers a unique journey through the haunted heart of the United States.
Whether you’re a fan of Gothic literature, a history enthusiast, or simply someone who enjoys a good ghost story, this guidebook is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Miranda Corcoran’s “Haunted States: An American Gothic Guidebook” is a fascinating blend of travel literature and cultural criticism that delves into the eerie and often unsettling history of the United States. This guidebook is a journey through haunted locations and an exploration of the dark narratives that have shaped American consciousness.
The book is structured around Corcoran’s travels across the United States during the summer of 2022. Each chapter focuses on a different location, from the infamous Salem, Massachusetts, to the haunted plantations of the South. Corcoran investigates how historical events, such as witch trials, slavery, and genocide, have left an indelible stain on the places where these tragic miscarriages of justice occur.
Corcoran’s writing is engaging and informative, striking a perfect balance between storytelling and analysis. Her vivid descriptions bring each location to life, while her insightful commentary provides a deeper understanding of the cultural and historical contexts that contribute to the haunting atmosphere. The narrative contains anecdotes and personal reflections, making it a compelling read for both history and supernatural fans.
“Haunted States” explores themes of memory, trauma, and the lingering effects of past atrocities. Corcoran examines how these dark histories continue to influence contemporary American society and culture. This book delves into the concept of the Gothic as a means to view and understand these haunted landscapes, offering a unique perspective on the intersection of places and narratives.
“Haunted States” blends travelogue with cultural criticism. Corcoran addresses the uncomfortable truths about America’s past, and her analysis is thought-provoking and enlightening. She skillfully connects the dots between historical events and their representation in Gothic fiction and film, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of how these stories impact societal views and fears.
“Haunted States: An American Gothic Guidebook” is a must-read for anyone interested in the darker side of American history and culture. Miranda Corcoran has crafted a book that is informative and captivating, offering readers a unique journey through the haunted heart of the United States.
Whether you’re a fan of Gothic literature, a history enthusiast, or simply someone who enjoys a good ghost story, this guidebook is sure to leave a lasting impression.
April 7, 2025
Part travelogue, part American history lesson, party literary critique, HAUNTED STATES explores how regional history, trauma, and culture contributed to the development of the Gothic in the United States.
As someone who grew up reading more "classic" Gothic literature and has started to dive into Southern Gothic writing, I was really excited to better understand how the Gothic has been developed in the U.S., especially considering how diverse our regions are. I was extra intrigued that this book is essentially a travelogue recounting the writer's road trip across the U.S. I love travel writing and was delighted as much by her descriptions of the towns and people she encountered as by her analysis of films and novels.
The book is broken up into four chapters/regions: New England, the South, the West, and California. Personally, as a Midwesterner, I was disappointed that Midwestern Gothic got so little attention in this book (just a tiny bit in the Epilogue), though I understand that she couldn't cover the *entire* U.S. The areas she did focus on, though, were immensely interesting. I loved reading about hauntings in New England, the undead in the South, cults in California, and especially loved reading about how the effects of the atomic bomb and fears around nuclear war fueled Gothic writing in the West. If nothing else, this book has made me want to travel the U.S. more, exploring areas I maybe would never had considered or discovered on my own.
I do second other reviewers, though, that I felt like we were missing out on some opportunities with this book. In addition to completely ignoring the entire Midwest--which is rife with all kinds of Gothic influence--there were other stories that felt they should have a place here. Other reviewers noted that Corcoran spoke about the Indigenous populations but didn't dedicate any conversation or analysis to the incredibly fruitful genre of Indigenous horror writing which, if anything, is only growing year by year. This is perhaps a personal preference, too, but the latter half of the book felt very film-centric. Obviously, Hollywood has a huge connection to California, but it felt amiss to not have some literature for balance.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book. It sparked a further interest in the topic and has fostered a new appreciation for my country's history. I would recommend this book to anyone interesting in travel writing, literary/film analysis, and American history -- or folks who are just looking for spooky travel destinations! I look forward to reading more of her work.
Thanks to NetGallery and Repeater Books for this eARC!
As someone who grew up reading more "classic" Gothic literature and has started to dive into Southern Gothic writing, I was really excited to better understand how the Gothic has been developed in the U.S., especially considering how diverse our regions are. I was extra intrigued that this book is essentially a travelogue recounting the writer's road trip across the U.S. I love travel writing and was delighted as much by her descriptions of the towns and people she encountered as by her analysis of films and novels.
The book is broken up into four chapters/regions: New England, the South, the West, and California. Personally, as a Midwesterner, I was disappointed that Midwestern Gothic got so little attention in this book (just a tiny bit in the Epilogue), though I understand that she couldn't cover the *entire* U.S. The areas she did focus on, though, were immensely interesting. I loved reading about hauntings in New England, the undead in the South, cults in California, and especially loved reading about how the effects of the atomic bomb and fears around nuclear war fueled Gothic writing in the West. If nothing else, this book has made me want to travel the U.S. more, exploring areas I maybe would never had considered or discovered on my own.
I do second other reviewers, though, that I felt like we were missing out on some opportunities with this book. In addition to completely ignoring the entire Midwest--which is rife with all kinds of Gothic influence--there were other stories that felt they should have a place here. Other reviewers noted that Corcoran spoke about the Indigenous populations but didn't dedicate any conversation or analysis to the incredibly fruitful genre of Indigenous horror writing which, if anything, is only growing year by year. This is perhaps a personal preference, too, but the latter half of the book felt very film-centric. Obviously, Hollywood has a huge connection to California, but it felt amiss to not have some literature for balance.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book. It sparked a further interest in the topic and has fostered a new appreciation for my country's history. I would recommend this book to anyone interesting in travel writing, literary/film analysis, and American history -- or folks who are just looking for spooky travel destinations! I look forward to reading more of her work.
Thanks to NetGallery and Repeater Books for this eARC!
October 14, 2024
ARC provided by Repeater Books in exchange for an honest review.
Haunted States by Miranda Corcoran offers a captivating blend of travel writing, history, and cultural analysis, taking readers on a journey through some of the eeriest locations in the United States. Structured around Corcoran’s summer 2022 travels, each chapter explores a haunted site—from Salem’s witch trial legacy to the South’s plantation ghosts—revealing how historical events like slavery, genocide, and injustice have left a lingering presence.
As someone who loves Gothic-style books, I found Corcoran’s exploration of haunted places and dark narratives particularly compelling. The book delves deeply into the Gothic as a lens for understanding how trauma and memory shape both people and places, giving the stories a haunting richness that resonated with me.
Corcoran balances vivid storytelling with thoughtful critique, immersing readers in each location while addressing uncomfortable truths about America’s past. Her ability to connect real-world events with Gothic fiction, folklore, and film adds meaningful context to the eerie narratives.
Whether you're passionate about history, Gothic literature, or ghost stories, Haunted States promises an informative and thought-provoking journey that will leave a lasting impression. This is more than just a travel guide—it’s an invitation to reflect on how the past continues to shape the present, one haunted site at a time.
Haunted States by Miranda Corcoran offers a captivating blend of travel writing, history, and cultural analysis, taking readers on a journey through some of the eeriest locations in the United States. Structured around Corcoran’s summer 2022 travels, each chapter explores a haunted site—from Salem’s witch trial legacy to the South’s plantation ghosts—revealing how historical events like slavery, genocide, and injustice have left a lingering presence.
As someone who loves Gothic-style books, I found Corcoran’s exploration of haunted places and dark narratives particularly compelling. The book delves deeply into the Gothic as a lens for understanding how trauma and memory shape both people and places, giving the stories a haunting richness that resonated with me.
Corcoran balances vivid storytelling with thoughtful critique, immersing readers in each location while addressing uncomfortable truths about America’s past. Her ability to connect real-world events with Gothic fiction, folklore, and film adds meaningful context to the eerie narratives.
Whether you're passionate about history, Gothic literature, or ghost stories, Haunted States promises an informative and thought-provoking journey that will leave a lasting impression. This is more than just a travel guide—it’s an invitation to reflect on how the past continues to shape the present, one haunted site at a time.
November 17, 2024
I'm having a hard time reviewing this book - I did not enjoy reading it all (in fact this one ended early as a "DNF"), but I also don't think it's truly a bad book.
I am a massive fan of horror books and have also recently gotten really into nonfiction books where the author is traveling to interesting parts of the country/world. Therefore, when I saw this book go up for availability I thought this would be the perfect read for me.
The "Gothic Guidebook" is where I felt mislead. If you would be interested in reading a textbook about some places that have some dark history, but that the author writes about in the driest way possible - and makes clear that she doesn't believe in the supernatural, nor does she seem to like most of the places she travels to - then maybe you will enjoy it.
I, however, was not looking to read a textbook taking all the fun out of what should have been a fascinating exploration of the US. I've been to many of the places in the opening section of the book, and her disdain of having to visit there shines through and doesn't make for enjoyable reading. It is clear the author did a lot of research and a lot of traveling, however this is one trip I ended early.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me access to a free ebook of this title in exchange for an honest review.
I am a massive fan of horror books and have also recently gotten really into nonfiction books where the author is traveling to interesting parts of the country/world. Therefore, when I saw this book go up for availability I thought this would be the perfect read for me.
The "Gothic Guidebook" is where I felt mislead. If you would be interested in reading a textbook about some places that have some dark history, but that the author writes about in the driest way possible - and makes clear that she doesn't believe in the supernatural, nor does she seem to like most of the places she travels to - then maybe you will enjoy it.
I, however, was not looking to read a textbook taking all the fun out of what should have been a fascinating exploration of the US. I've been to many of the places in the opening section of the book, and her disdain of having to visit there shines through and doesn't make for enjoyable reading. It is clear the author did a lot of research and a lot of traveling, however this is one trip I ended early.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me access to a free ebook of this title in exchange for an honest review.
September 18, 2024
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!
I was really hyped up for this book, and hoping for a detailed 'Dark Tourist' style traversal through the United States of America. The USA, in what is a relatively short colonial history (and an incredibly rich and detailed indigenous history prior to that), is a creepy place in general. I do think that there could have been more of a focus on legends beyond the spiritualism that seemed to overwhelm the book at times, which was a bit of a shame.
The book was well-written and handled a lot of the locations with grace, and I particularly enjoyed the section on Salem. The intersection of the witch trials and the heavy historical burden of everything in there with the current 'novelty' of witchcraft that has become marketable was really interesting. I do think that there were some of the other locations that could have had a bit more of a focus on the folklore of the area and some of the weirder focuses beyond ghosts and magic.
I did enjoy the photos and the tone of the book as a whole, and it was an interesting travelogue of a section of America that doesn't always get much attention or focus. I'd love to see more in this kind of series with a dark tourism kind of focus in the future.
I was really hyped up for this book, and hoping for a detailed 'Dark Tourist' style traversal through the United States of America. The USA, in what is a relatively short colonial history (and an incredibly rich and detailed indigenous history prior to that), is a creepy place in general. I do think that there could have been more of a focus on legends beyond the spiritualism that seemed to overwhelm the book at times, which was a bit of a shame.
The book was well-written and handled a lot of the locations with grace, and I particularly enjoyed the section on Salem. The intersection of the witch trials and the heavy historical burden of everything in there with the current 'novelty' of witchcraft that has become marketable was really interesting. I do think that there were some of the other locations that could have had a bit more of a focus on the folklore of the area and some of the weirder focuses beyond ghosts and magic.
I did enjoy the photos and the tone of the book as a whole, and it was an interesting travelogue of a section of America that doesn't always get much attention or focus. I'd love to see more in this kind of series with a dark tourism kind of focus in the future.
January 15, 2025
HAUNTED STATES by Miranda Corcoran is a travel journal through the US and finding the deeply dark and mostly horrifying history of the US. She connects it to film, history, and social issues in a way that feels uniquely fresh and terrifying.
I particularly loved the section following the southern US through Texas for all the personal reasons. My family is buried in cemeteries between Mobile, New Orleans, and east Texas, so it felt quit eerily cozy to read about the conditions in these places where my own problematic heritage lies. Seeing these places through the eyes of someone from Ireland was also quite intriguing, especially the social aspects of travel and life in the deep south.
Corcoran's writing is deeply rich, very much living up to the gothic vibe of the whole book. The way she describes details as simple as the heat she's feeling or the state of the world in the 1970s is fascinating. I found myself drawn into every word, wanting to marinade in the environment that she was experiences that is familiar to me, yet a complete stranger through her eyes.
The book is very knowledge and it's obvious the amount of care and research that went into it. Corcoran handles sensitive topics with a level of care that respectful and intimate.
I particularly loved the section following the southern US through Texas for all the personal reasons. My family is buried in cemeteries between Mobile, New Orleans, and east Texas, so it felt quit eerily cozy to read about the conditions in these places where my own problematic heritage lies. Seeing these places through the eyes of someone from Ireland was also quite intriguing, especially the social aspects of travel and life in the deep south.
Corcoran's writing is deeply rich, very much living up to the gothic vibe of the whole book. The way she describes details as simple as the heat she's feeling or the state of the world in the 1970s is fascinating. I found myself drawn into every word, wanting to marinade in the environment that she was experiences that is familiar to me, yet a complete stranger through her eyes.
The book is very knowledge and it's obvious the amount of care and research that went into it. Corcoran handles sensitive topics with a level of care that respectful and intimate.
September 23, 2024
Thank you NetGalley Galley and Miranda corcoran for allowing me to read Haunted States.
With spooky season approaching, I love diving into the haunted history of different places. While I’m not into Ghost Adventures-style investigations (you know, the over-the-top ghost-hunting shows—I don’t mess with spirits, no thanks!), this book took a more thoughtful, intellectual approach, which I really appreciated. The research was solid, and it provided great references, sources, and even pictures, which added to the authenticity.
I was immediately drawn in because the first location featured is close to home. I know that place is haunted!
My only real critique is the chapter formatting. It would be easier to digest if the chapters were shorter, maybe broken up by region. For example, Part 1: Northern, Chapter 1: City 1, Chapter 2: City 2, and so on, and then Part 2: Southern, following the same format. This way, the information would flow more naturally.
Overall, though, this is a fantastic read, perfect for anyone interested in history with a spooky twist. Highly recommend!
With spooky season approaching, I love diving into the haunted history of different places. While I’m not into Ghost Adventures-style investigations (you know, the over-the-top ghost-hunting shows—I don’t mess with spirits, no thanks!), this book took a more thoughtful, intellectual approach, which I really appreciated. The research was solid, and it provided great references, sources, and even pictures, which added to the authenticity.
I was immediately drawn in because the first location featured is close to home. I know that place is haunted!
My only real critique is the chapter formatting. It would be easier to digest if the chapters were shorter, maybe broken up by region. For example, Part 1: Northern, Chapter 1: City 1, Chapter 2: City 2, and so on, and then Part 2: Southern, following the same format. This way, the information would flow more naturally.
Overall, though, this is a fantastic read, perfect for anyone interested in history with a spooky twist. Highly recommend!
October 25, 2024
I think I was expecting this to be your average popular ghost stories from each state. But, this was much more than that.
This author definitely put in a ton of research as well as visiting haunted/spiritual locations. Each place told an in-depth history behind what happenings and folklore made it special, the people involved, and what it looks like today. Locals and historians told their stories, and the author voiced her thoughts, feelings, and any questions she was left with. She also included some pictures of the famous sites.
This was not a quick read. As I said, there was a lot of research, and each place was written about in depth. If you are interested in the detailed history behind famous haunted places and not in simple ghost stories or ghost hunting experiences, then this is definitely the book for you.
While this was very interesting, it did get a bit tedious for my easily distracted brain. I received an ebook copy, and I do think a physical copy would do it more justice.
3⭐️
As always, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This author definitely put in a ton of research as well as visiting haunted/spiritual locations. Each place told an in-depth history behind what happenings and folklore made it special, the people involved, and what it looks like today. Locals and historians told their stories, and the author voiced her thoughts, feelings, and any questions she was left with. She also included some pictures of the famous sites.
This was not a quick read. As I said, there was a lot of research, and each place was written about in depth. If you are interested in the detailed history behind famous haunted places and not in simple ghost stories or ghost hunting experiences, then this is definitely the book for you.
While this was very interesting, it did get a bit tedious for my easily distracted brain. I received an ebook copy, and I do think a physical copy would do it more justice.
3⭐️
As always, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 17, 2024
Through a mix of interviews, travel experiences, and historical and cultural insights, Miranda Corcoran explores America's various landscapes and their particular forms of Gothic and horror fiction.
The book shows that America, like the supernatural, defies a single definition. The nation’s regions and cultures are as fragmented and contradictory as the Gothic imagination. Each locale, from Hollywood’s faded glamour to New England’s haunted forests, has distinct fears, histories, and hopes.
Haunted States is rich with these narratives that are both as enlightening as they are entertaining. An engaging, thought-provoking exploration of America’s dark history. Well written and thoroughly researched, it blends travel literature with cultural criticism, examining how past horrors, real and imagined, continue to haunt the American consciousness. Highly Recommended.
In-depth review on Ep-11 Winter Ghosts - the BIRD's EyeView of Books podcast
I received a free copy. All opinions are my own.
The book shows that America, like the supernatural, defies a single definition. The nation’s regions and cultures are as fragmented and contradictory as the Gothic imagination. Each locale, from Hollywood’s faded glamour to New England’s haunted forests, has distinct fears, histories, and hopes.
Haunted States is rich with these narratives that are both as enlightening as they are entertaining. An engaging, thought-provoking exploration of America’s dark history. Well written and thoroughly researched, it blends travel literature with cultural criticism, examining how past horrors, real and imagined, continue to haunt the American consciousness. Highly Recommended.
In-depth review on Ep-11 Winter Ghosts - the BIRD's EyeView of Books podcast
I received a free copy. All opinions are my own.
August 9, 2025
Weaving her first person narrative as she spent months traveling the roads and rails of America with the historical horrors that have come to define the gothic of the geographic areas of America, Miranda Corcoran has written a book that will stay with you long after you put it down.
I love horror. It is my go-to genre for books and movies. It is where I go to forget the very real horrors that are on-going in the world today. In this book, Miranda Corcoran looks closely at the very real history of various regions of America and considers how that history shapes the types of ghosts, goblins, and terrors that represent those areas. From the ghosts of soldiers and haunted forests of the northeast, to the slave culture of the deep south, to the cults and religions of the far west, she reveals how the real world affected the folk stories of the areas.
This book is very well written, entertaining and at times funny, but ultimately it is a critique of the historical America when compared to the vision and history of America that we are told to believe.
Highly recommended to those interested in American history and the horror genre.
I love horror. It is my go-to genre for books and movies. It is where I go to forget the very real horrors that are on-going in the world today. In this book, Miranda Corcoran looks closely at the very real history of various regions of America and considers how that history shapes the types of ghosts, goblins, and terrors that represent those areas. From the ghosts of soldiers and haunted forests of the northeast, to the slave culture of the deep south, to the cults and religions of the far west, she reveals how the real world affected the folk stories of the areas.
This book is very well written, entertaining and at times funny, but ultimately it is a critique of the historical America when compared to the vision and history of America that we are told to believe.
Highly recommended to those interested in American history and the horror genre.
December 10, 2025
I felt this one was hampered by unsuccessful genre blending. I would have preferred less travelogue, more cultural criticism. I can't deny that the travelogue bit gives it a nice dose of reality, but there are far too many paragraphs in which Corcoran is standing in the middle of an unassuming, random, hapless American street and musing "Yet there is something uncanny about this street..." "And yet there is something haunted about these sidewalks..."
I've lived in New England and Virginia, so those bits had the added interest of my own familiarity. For truly haunted takes on New England, I strongly recommend Susan Howe's un-genre-able poetry and prose. The material on New York spiritualism was surprisingly upbeat. Las Vegas's nuclear bomb cocktail parties were quite amazing, but of isolated interest. I sped-read through the last twenty percent - there just wasn't enough to keep my interest. The material should be fascinating, but this isn't it.
I've lived in New England and Virginia, so those bits had the added interest of my own familiarity. For truly haunted takes on New England, I strongly recommend Susan Howe's un-genre-able poetry and prose. The material on New York spiritualism was surprisingly upbeat. Las Vegas's nuclear bomb cocktail parties were quite amazing, but of isolated interest. I sped-read through the last twenty percent - there just wasn't enough to keep my interest. The material should be fascinating, but this isn't it.
January 5, 2025
This book wasn't for me, the description sounded amazing! i Ghost tour around America! However i found it to be boring and more a personal tour rather than the highlight being the haunted sites themselves. If the author produces another book i would defiantly give it another go but this one fell flat for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.
October 8, 2024
Part travel log, part local histories, and cultural criticism. I’ve said for a long time, if you dig into local lore and ghost stories you will find some facinating history. While I liked the format of this book, it was dry and I struggled to finish it. I had such high hopes.
Thank you NetGalley and Repeater. #HauntedStates #NetGalley.
Thank you NetGalley and Repeater. #HauntedStates #NetGalley.
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