How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix Summary

How to Sell a Haunted House is a 2023 horror novel by Grady Hendrix that follows siblings Louise and Mark who must sell their deceased parents' home in South Carolina. The house contains their mother's extensive puppet collection and quickly reveals itself to be genuinely haunted. As the siblings attempt to deal with the estate, they confront not only supernatural forces but also deep-seated family trauma, unresolved conflicts, and the emotional weight of their past.

Grady Hendrix is a New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter known for blending horror with dark comedy. The South Carolina native has written acclaimed novels including Horrorstör, My Best Friend's Exorcism, and The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. His writing style combines lighthearted wit with genuinely frightening horror elements, creating stories that are both terrifying and emotionally resonant. Hendrix won the Bram Stoker Award for his non-fiction work Paperbacks from Hell.

How to Sell a Haunted House is perfect for readers who enjoy horror with emotional depth and psychological complexity. Fans of Grady Hendrix's previous works will appreciate his signature blend of humor and scares, while those interested in haunted doll stories and family drama will find compelling content. The book appeals to readers who can handle creepy supernatural elements—particularly possessed puppets—alongside mature explorations of grief, sibling relationships, and inherited trauma.

How to Sell a Haunted House received widespread critical acclaim and multiple award nominations, including the Bram Stoker Award and Goodreads Choice Awards. Readers praise it as "a piece of art" and "the tensest, most nerve-bending, creepiest horror/dark comedy" with a unique perspective on possession and family trauma. While some find it more emotionally heavy than Hendrix's earlier work, most consider it a masterful combination of horror and heartfelt family storytelling that justifies its five-star ratings.

How to Sell a Haunted House explores possession—both supernatural and emotional—as its central theme. The novel examines how traumatic memories, family secrets, and unresolved conflicts can haunt us as powerfully as any ghost. Additional themes include:

• Sibling rivalry
• Grief and loss
• The burden of inheritance
• The process of confronting personal demons

Hendrix weaves together horror elements with authentic explorations of family dynamics and the difficulty of letting go of the past.

How to Sell a Haunted House leans heavily into genuine horror while maintaining Grady Hendrix's trademark dark comedy. Readers describe it as "the tensest, most nerve-bending" story with legitimately frightening moments, particularly involving the possessed puppet collection. The book is "much more creepy than spooky," focusing on atmospheric dread and psychological horror rather than jump scares. While Hendrix's wit provides occasional levity, this novel is significantly more mature and emotionally intense than his previous campy horror offerings.

The puppets in How to Sell a Haunted House serve as the primary source of supernatural terror in the story. Louise and Mark's mother collected an extensive array of puppets that become possessed and create a genuinely menacing presence throughout the house. Readers consistently cite the puppet scenes as the most disturbing elements of the book, with one reviewer noting they now believe "those damn puppets we had in the Children's Ministry at my old church were probably 100% possessed by demons."

How to Sell a Haunted House represents a more mature and emotionally complex work compared to Grady Hendrix's earlier novels like Horrorstör and My Best Friend's Exorcism. While it maintains his signature blend of horror and humor, this book delves deeper into family trauma and psychological horror. Unlike his campy, nostalgia-driven earlier works, this novel focuses more on authentic emotional experiences alongside supernatural scares. It shares thematic DNA with The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires in addressing serious family dynamics within horror frameworks.

Louise and Mark have a deeply fractured relationship when they're forced to handle their parents' estate together. The siblings don't get along and must navigate their conflicting approaches to the haunted house situation—Louise remains in denial while Mark believes their cousin Mercy's warnings about the supernatural presence. Their strained dynamic forms the emotional core of the story as they must overcome years of resentment and miscommunication while facing both literal and metaphorical demons from their family's past.

How to Sell a Haunted House distinguishes itself by making the haunting inseparable from family trauma and emotional baggage. Rather than focusing solely on supernatural scares, Grady Hendrix uses the haunted house as a metaphor for how the past possesses us through unresolved conflicts and inherited pain. The novel's emphasis on estate settlement, sibling dysfunction, and generational secrets grounds the horror in relatable real-world situations. This combination of practical family drama with genuinely frightening supernatural elements creates a more layered experience than conventional haunted house tales.

How to Sell a Haunted House earned multiple prestigious nominations including the 2023 Bram Stoker Award for Novel, Goodreads Choice Awards for Horror, and the 2024 Locus Award for Horror. The book was also nominated for the British Fantasy Award's August Derleth Award and shortlisted for the RUSA CODES Reading List in Horror. Published by Berkley in January 2023, the novel solidified Grady Hendrix's reputation as a leading voice in contemporary horror fiction. These accolades reflect both critical and popular recognition of the book's quality and impact.

How to Sell a Haunted House contains substantial family drama that some readers found challenging to work through. The emotional complexity of Louise and Mark's relationship, combined with revelations about their parents and family history, creates significant dramatic tension beyond the supernatural elements. Reviewers note the book requires readers to "unpack" numerous emotional issues, making it as much a family drama as a horror novel. This depth distinguishes it from lighter horror fare but may feel heavy for readers seeking pure escapist scares.