What genre is House of Leaves?
Hybrid. It’s most often shelved as literary horror and postmodern metafiction, but it also squarely fits ergodic/experimental literature with epistolary and mock-documentary elements. Think haunted-house story refracted through academic notes and found footage.
Quick answer
Primary shelves
- Literary horror (slow-burn dread over gore)
- Postmodern/metafiction (book about texts)
- Ergodic/experimental (form demands effort)
Also relevant
- Epistolary (letters; Whalestoe)
- Mock documentary (The Navidson Record)
- Academic satire (footnotes & exhibits)
If you enjoy hybrid genres like documentary-style horror or puzzle-box literary fiction, you’re in the right place.
Why it’s hard to label
Form = meaning
Layout and typography mirror movement, distance, and confusion—genre becomes a reading behavior.
Layered voices
“Found” scholarship + editor commentary + “footage” blur fiction, critique, and evidence.
Haunted-house, reworked
Classic motif—doorways, corridors, the unseen—reframed as a map you read and build.
Is this your vibe?
Great fit if you like
- Atmospheric, idea-driven horror
- Marginalia, footnotes, and layered narration
- Books that reward annotation and rereads
Maybe not if you want
- Linear plots with tidy closure
- High-gore, jumpscare-heavy horror
- Seamless eBook reading (print is better here)
Related questions
Is it horror or literary fiction?
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Is it horror or literary fiction?
Both. The horror is psychological and architectural; the literary side plays with citation, voice, and form. Start with the summary, then dip into the themes hub.
What’s the best reading order for this hybrid?
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What’s the best reading order for this hybrid?
Main text with footnotes in place → appendices/exhibits → The Whalestoe Letters. Full guide: reading order.
Print or digital for this genre blend?
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Print or digital for this genre blend?
Print. Page geometry, rotation, and footnote navigation are far easier in hardcover or paperback. Compare formats.
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