The greatest haunted house story ever written, the inspiration for a 10-part Netflix series directed by Mike Flanagan and starring Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, and Timothy Hutton First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill … unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a “haunting”; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.
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This is a beautifully written novel that I believe will haunt ME for a long while. Following Eleanor’s journey is unsettling and creepy, even if it isn’t outright scary. I had a hard time putting it down.
I should warn you however, if you liked the Netflix series of the same name, the book is not the same. While the show used elements of the book, it is very different. You should still read it though.
I read this in 1961 and thought it was fabulous. Definitely couldn’t put it down and was sorry to see it end. I’ve read everything of Shirley Jackson’s, even “Life Amongst the Savages”, which is witty.
Shirley Jackson is one of my favorite authors; her prose and her subject matter are always unique and slightly twisted, even when based on supposedly mundane events. At first glance, The Haunting of Hill House appears to be a standard haunted house tale, but there are things lurking beneath the surface and it’s difficult to tell whether the house or it’s visitors are haunted. Maybe it’s a bit of both.
This novel is perfect. Curl up on a dark and stormy night and prepare to be creeped out.
Thoroughly gothic, thrilling, and at times terrifying, THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE takes the reader into a haunted house by way of a haunted narrator–one equal parts sympathetic and unpleasant. What begins as an experiment in science to validate the supernatural quickly becomes personal and dangerous for the participants. In addition to genuinely scary moments (I had to stop reading one night), what is perhaps most disturbing is how fine the line is between paranoia and warranted fear, a desire to belong and obsession, and psychotic episodes versus actual ghosts.
My only prior exposure to the writing of Shirley Jackson came through her story, “The Lottery.” THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE secures my good impression of her work. It’s a slim volume–180 pages–and can be read easily in just a few nights. I recommend picking up a copy and doing just that. It was exhilarating to get lost in a good, old-fashioned, scary story, and I am eager to read Jackson’s other writings.
Classic horror story – I’ve loved this since I was a preteen. It’s scary, puts you on edge and it delves deeply into the psyche of Eleanor and how she becomes victimized by her thinking and the house.
I told myself I wouldn’t read this book in the evenings, but I couldn’t resist. It was the perfect thing to read as the days grow shorter and the darkness comes on more quickly. If you like psychological horror, gothic literature, Alfred Hitchcock movies, and wandering your house in the dead of night, you’ll love this book.
To be honest, this book is the way horror was intended to be. It’s like never seeing the shark, but knowing there’s a maneater under the water. I don’t want to say too much. Those who have been drawn to the Netflix series and think this book is the same thing… HELL NO! You will get real anxiety reading this old jam. Although it’s a bit hard to keep up with the narrative, given the time it was written in. That era of lit is quickly going the way of “Old English.”
I love Shirley Jackson and had been holding onto Hill House for several months to make it my annual Halloween horror read. She didn’t disappoint. This is psychological suspense at its best.
Shirley Jackson, famous author of the short story, “The Lottery” helped to define the genre of the “haunted house.” If you have not read this novel, run for it now before it disappears.
Four people go to a house claimed to be haunted in order to study the paranormal. As the unresolved issues of those who have come are released, so does the otherworldly power of the house grow.
This book was written in 1959. Scenes from this book are still with me today. They have haunted me from the first read.
Review in Le Coeur de l’Artiste http://www.djadamson.com/le-coeur-de-lartiste
What can anyone say about a classic like this? I read The Haunting of Hill House every year in October to savor the creepiness.
To me this is the best haunted house story ever written. It has everything it needs to scare you, to install and press those panic buttons and keep you turning the pages.
Shirley Jackson understood people and their motivations. She effectively offers unreliable characters who play perfectly off the mind-games of the antagonist, the malevolent spirit that lives in every brick and stone of Hill House. I loved the TV show, but in all honesty, nothing compares to the text that inspired it all. A must read for fans of the haunted house and gothic genres.
‘The Haunting of Hill House’ is a wonderfully complex book, complete with psychological twists and thrills. From the introduction of the characters, we are pulled into the mind of innocent, strange Eleanor, who has had connections with psychic phenomena in her past. We get to be in her mind as she experiences the terrifying grip of a house that seemingly has a personality of its own.
This book is a classic piece of horror and a fascinating look at the decline in Eleanor’s sanity as she stays in Hill House. The house’s story is one of sorrow, betrayal, and strange occurrences that is pieced together as the novel progresses, and even once it ends, you want to know more even as you draw away from the horrors of Hill House.
This book is a good read if you enjoy being thrilled and chilled by a mystery that might never be solved. The ending is shocking, yet it is perfect for the book. There is really no other way it could have concluded. Shirley Jackson is a master of storytelling, and her chilling tale will make you wonder what secrets your own house holds in its walls.
This has to be one of the most memorable and scary books I’ve ever read. If you’ve seen the movie version and decided not to read this book, you are missing out big time. It is a book that was before its time, with plot twists I didn’t see coming. Jackson literally had me jumping out of my chair a couple of times because I did not expect certain things to happen. She is truly a master of the macabre and a suspenseful storyteller. You start the book thinking, “Oh great! Another paranormal group out for a ghost hunt!” but half way through, you’re thinking “What in the sam hill did they get themselves into? How do you get out of this?” For me, this was way scarier than The Exorcist. If you’re looking for a good, scary book to keep you awake at night, this an excellent choice. But don’t blame me if you start getting the creeps when you hear noises in your house you’ve never heard before!
Unhappy with the way her life is going, Eleanor jumps at the chance of helping out when Dr Montague invites her and two others to stay at the mysterious Hill House. Along with Theodora and Luke, she soon discovers the initial cheerful atmosphere in the house becoming oppressive.
Famously inspirational to authors like Stephen King and Donna Tartt, and reminiscent of the likes of Lovecraft and MR James, this is a solid study of psychological horror. Unlike many horror novels, nothing very much actually happens, but the underlying menace as the house plays its own role in the story is enough to keep readers on edge. And while it didn’t scare me in the way other horror/ghost stories have, there is an unsettling and disconcerting quality to Jackson’s writing. Her descriptions of the interior of the house would definitely stop me going anywhere near the place.
I can see why this is a classic but it felt lackluster to me. I loved the atmosphere and the characters and it was a bit creepy and intense at times. I just wish something more had happened. Part of the ending just leaves you hanging and with questions. While the other part felt rushed. Do not let this fool you though I did enjoy it I just felt like I was waiting for something big to happen.
Written in 1959, this is the mother of all haunted house stories. And in 2017, it will still scare the bejeezus out of you. A masterful, subtle, keep-you-up-all-night, then sleep-with-the-lights on read.
The netflix series is very loosely based on this horror classic. If you’ve already seen the series, this will feel like an entirely different story. The writing is sublime!
Entertaining and well-written ghost story. I first read it decades ago and reread it after watching the series on Netflix.
This was the first horror book I read years ago. My first and really, my last. Wonderfully written but scary in a way I’ve never read again. A bl/white movie was made of it and the movie was very good. However, not as scary as the book. IF you like this kind of book, I can’t recommend it enough. Truly wonderful.
A classic.