Down a Dark Hall

Down a Dark Hall
Cover of the book, showing a girl standing in front of a spirit with a brown mansion in the background
First edition cover
AuthorLois Duncan
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung adult fiction, gothic fiction, thriller
PublisherLittle, Brown
Publication date
September 26, 1974
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover & paperback)
Pages181 (first edition, hardcover)
ISBN0-316-19547-2 (first edition, hardcover)
OCLC866553
LC ClassPZ7.D9117 Do

Down a Dark Hall is a 1974 young adult gothic novel by Lois Duncan. The book follows Kit Gordy, who is sent to a boarding school where only four students are admitted including herself. The students suddenly develop new talents, with Kit waking up one night playing a musical piece she has never heard. After they are told that they have been channeling the spirits of talented historical figures, Kit tries to escape the school before the bond between the spirits and the students becomes permanent.

Duncan began working on the novel based on the suggestion of an editor who had never seen a gothic novel written for young adults. One version of the novel that she submitted to the publisher was returned to her for revision because all the victims in the story were female whereas all the spirits they were channeling were male. The publisher was worried that feminists would not like this idea, so after Duncan made one of the spirits a woman the book was accepted for publication.

A revised edition of the novel was released in 2011 with updates to modernize the novel. Critical reception to the book was mostly positive, with staff at the University of Iowa adding the novel to their Books for Young Adults list. A film adaptation of the book starring AnnaSophia Robb and Uma Thurman was released in 2018.