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A haunted house is a common plot device in horror or more lately paranormal based fiction.
The actual structure can be anything from a decaying European feudal castle to a newly occupied suburban ranch house of fairly recent construction, though many authors and movie directors prefer that the architecture be from the 1900s or earlier. The key feature of a haunted house, however, is the presence of one or more ghosts, often due to a murder or other tragic death having occurred on the property, or to an owner of the house elsewhere, at some time in the past.
Many stories and legends about haunted houses have a basis in reported experience, and authors from William Shakespeare to Stephen King have featured them in their writings.
A popular dark ride at Disney theme parks, The Haunted Mansion, references many of the stereotypes and memes associated with haunted houses.
In North America, an event open to the public in which simulates the experience of visiting a haunted house is itself referred to by the term haunted house. These events are commonly held in the month of October as a Halloween activity. Notwithstanding the name, such events are not necessarily held in houses, nor are the edifaces themselves necessarily regarded to be actually haunted.