Dracula by Bram Stoker

A creative masterpiece. Nothing I can say here will do this book justice haha. Hands down it’s one of the best books ever written.

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

An enjoyable novel from 1910. The Paris Opera is an enchanting setting. Some things he wrote about are actually true, like the chandelier crashing and there really is an underground “lake” beneath the Paris Opera! I love the musical, but it’s nice to read the original story and get more depth. 

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

This early 19th century story about the gangly Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman is a wonderful classic and quick read. 

Films

The classic films are awesome too. In the 1925 silent film Phantom of the Opera, Lon Chaney plays Erik and before the film was released they carefully kept how he looks a secret, (Lon Chaney did his own makeup in the film btw) and supposedly people fainted in the movie theaters during his unmasking scene.

The 1931 version of Dracula starring Bela Lugosi is also great. Bela Lugosi was actually buried in one of his Dracula capes when he passed away in 1956.