haunted received mixed to favorable reviews from critics upon its release. "haunted" received a negative review from "the new york times" columnist tom shone who noted that despite being referred to as a horror novel it is "...stubbornly unscary. it burps up its shock moments with so little ceremony that the gothic virtue of stealthily sidewinding suspense -- the art of allowing a story to steal up on you before you even knew it was there -- is left whistling in the wind." shone additionally noted the repetitive nature of many of the stories within the novel noting that every single story regardless of which character was narrating all utilized palahniuk's distinctive style.