Kemp, J. (2001) a glossary of Literary Gothic Terms. Web

1. Set in a haunted castle or house
The main location, usually an old castle plagued by an ancestral curse, is a vital element in Gothic fiction, providing a dark and threatening back-drop.
Horace Walpole was avidly interested in medieval architecture, transforming his villa into a castle, complete with turrets and towers. It is an early example of Gothic Revival architecture.
Placing a story in a domineering Gothic building drew on feelings of awe and isolation. Corvin Castle is undoubtedly the spookiest of all Gothic castles, located in Transylvania. Vlad the Impaler III (more commonly known as Dracula) was allegedly held prisoner here. See more spooky buildings.

Nosferatu le vampire de F.W. Murnau avec Max Schreck 1922 d’apres le roman de Bram Stoker/ Bridgeman Images

The scary visual of the isolated castle has famously translated to film. Most notably, an early example of a gothic castle in film can be seen in Nosferatu, where the titular vampire lives. Architecture is used throughout the film in addition to striking visual cues such as dramatic lighting – for which German Expressionist cinema is best known – to cause Orlok to appear frightening both up close and from afar.

Actress Kathleen Hughes (b/w photo) / Underwood Archives/UIG / Bridgeman Images

2. A damsel in distress
The female lead often face events that leave them terrified, screaming and fainting. Returning to her medieval role as damsel in distress, the virtuous heroine is typically incarcerated in a castle and pursued by a sadistic aristocrat. Early examples in this genre include Matilda in Horace Walpole’s ‘The Castle of Otranto’ and Emily in Ann Radcliffe’s ‘The Mysteries of Udolpho.’

Scenes from German Expressionist silent horror film, ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’,1920/ Bridgeman Images

Of course, the damsel in distress is as much a film icon as it is a literary one, with the character type being featured across a wide range of media. An early example in film is the character of Lil Dagover in F.W. Murnau’s The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, whose melodramatic flailing typifies what is today regarded as a somewhat dated character trope, but not without its clear display of visual dread.

Left : Poster for the stage version of ‘The Woman in White’ by Wilkie Collins

Right: Window, Castle Frankenstein (b/w photo) Simon Marsden/ Bridgeman Images