Book Review: The House That Horror Built

A single mother working in the gothic mansion of a reclusive horror director stumbles upon terrifying secrets in Christina Henry’s latest novel, The House That Horror Built.

What is The House That Horror Built about?

Harry Adams loves horror movies, so it’s no coincidence that she accepted a job cleaning house for horror-movie director Javier Castillo. His forbidding gray-stone Chicago mansion, Bright Horses, is filled from top to bottom with terrifying props and costumes as well as glittering awards from his career making movies that thrilled audiences—until family tragedy and scandal forced him to vanish from the industry.

Javier values discretion, and Harry always tries to keep the house immaculate, her head down, and her job safe. Then she hears noises from behind a locked door, noises that sound remarkably like a human voice calling for help. Harry knows not asking questions is a vital part of keeping her job, but she soon discovers that the house may be home to secrets she can’t ignore.

What did I think?

I love a gothic, creepy house as a setting so that alone made me excited to read this book. Add to that Christina Henry’s talent for storytelling, and it was a no brainer! While the book delivers on the creepy vibes, the brooding mansion, and a celebration of horror movies, over all I found this book to be only okay. For me, it didn’t hold the same magic as some of Henry’s other books.

Harry Adams is a single mother struggling to support herself and her son Gabe paycheck to paycheck. When the pandemic hits (and yes, this is unfortunately another pandemic book), she takes an unconventional job working as a housekeeper for Javier Castillo. Javier is a renowned horror movie director who has turned reclusive. His home is filled with costumes and props from horror movies, adding to the creepy vibe of the book.

Javier also has some questionable things in his past, particularly surrounding his son Michael who went missing long before and had some other rumors surrounding him at the time. When Javier meets Harry’s son Gabe, the two bond. Gabe has always been obsessed with horror movies and he’s excited to be in the home of such a famous director. Javier also seems to adore Gabe, but the situation makes Harry uncomfortable and she feels like she needs to keep a little bit of distance.

In part this is because Javier is distinctly odd. He can be cold at times, but overly interested other times. He keeps plenty of secrets and his house is full of strange and often creepy objects. Sometimes Harry even can sense that something even more sinister is lurking in the walls.

Via Harry, Henry makes a lot of commentary on the discrepancies between the wealthy and the poor. Harry and Gabe may be forced out of their apartment, which she can already barely afford. It may mean an even longer commute, but she’s hoping not to pull Gabe out of his school. Harry is a good mother and the reader can see that. Javier’s lifestyle is out of touch for most people, something that is glaringly apparent in contrast to how Harry and Gabe live.

I found this book to be slow and somewhat tedious. Even though I felt sympathy for Harry, I didn’t connect with her at all. Javier may seem cold but Harry often does as well. All three of the central characters felt underdeveloped, particularly for how small of a cast there is in this novel and how much backstory we get on both Harry and Javier.

After a slow plodding novel without much action, the ending moves at warp speed and then abruptly ends. It’s certainly a shocking ending, but I didn’t think it had the impact intended. I felt confused like there should be another chapter or epilogue after. Past the 90% mark is too late for the book to gain traction, in my opinion.

I didn’t stop reading it and I think horror fans may enjoy the nods and references to the genre, particularly in the first half. The setting is well-developed but the characters were underdeveloped. I liked this novel but it wasn’t a favorite for me.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and Penguin Random House for my copy. Opinions are my own.