The Haunting of Hill House (1959) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 3 stars

“I just finished Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, and like a lot of critically praised masterpieces, I’ve been for the most part bored out of my mind.

Sure, it’s well-wrtten and literary, but well-written literary fiction doesn’t translate to entertaining here.

The premise:

scary house, assorted house guests with wildly different backgrounds thrown together to prove or disprove the existence of the supernatural. Ok, fine, but for a supposed lurking house terror, it’s a shy one, taking over a hundred pages just to rattle a fricking doorknob! Was this scary by 1950′s standards, or am I simply the product of my uncouth upbringing in the Indiana Public School System, where I was force-fed fine literature, an experience about as much fun as being tear gassed (which I have been, but that’s for another blog). Arguably, the latter might be true, as my priorities back then were chasing tail and getting drunk on cherry vodka in the boy’s bathroom before my first class started.

Still, shaky doorknobs, cold-spots, a long build-up to pedestrian poltergeist activities, and trying to figure out if one of the characters is a lesbian or not, made me want to go running back to my copy of Stephen King’s It.
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• Rated 5 stars

“Shirley Jackson really puts other horror writers to shame. The psychological aspects of her writing are so much more frightening than any blood and gore could ever be.”

• Rated 5 stars

“
A professor wants to investigate - scientifically! - the haunted Hill House. He invites many people, but only a few show up - the lovely Dorothea, the man who will inherit the house, the professor, and Eleanor, who the house has decided to claim for its own.

It's creepy in a gothic fashion and was exactly want I wanted to read after reading about Poe. Even if you don't like typical horror novels, try this out.”

• Rated 3 stars

“The reportedly haunted Hill House is the star of this horror tale even more so than the 4 people who have come to live there for the summer. Dr. Montague, who is a scholar studying the supernatural, invites three others to join him in his quest to prove the old mansion is indeed haunted. Luke Sanderson is the heir to the property; Eleanor Vance is a 32-year old woman who has spent much of her life caring for a sick mother; Theodora (just Theodora) is a self-proclaimed psychic. These four intend to spend the summer at Hill House recording all they experience for a book that Dr. Montague intends to author.

Hill House is a bizarre collection of rooms within rooms, angles that do not meet, doors that refuse to stay open and sudden bitterly cold areas. It becomes an almost living breathing entity during the story and it is immediately obvious that it wants Eleanor. Eerie laughter and muffled conversations are often heard in empty rooms; loud knocking on doors become a nightly experience; mysterious writing appears on the walls. Eleanor is frightened but feels herself being pulled into the house itself and ultimately not wanting to leave.

I think I would have enjoyed this book much more if I hadn't read the particular edition that I did. It is part of Stephen King's Horror Library with a lengthy introduction by King which was very interesting all the way up to the point where he tells you the ending. Really? What kind of "introduction" is that? Other than that I thought the story was quite creepy and the house is positively frightening. The interactions between the four houseguests are well developed even though they all seem to have developed involved fantasy lives for themselves. I really enjoyed Dr. Montague's wife - what a shrew! - but she definitely livened things up when she came for her visit. On the whole it was a good read. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“This was one of those books I have heard about for years, and figured I would read at some point. The opportunity fell into my lap with finding it on CD at my local library, and I have to say it was very good. I understand it was the inspiration for two film adaptations. I won't go into comparisons with those in my review. I will, however, bring up the fact that Stephen King has cited this book as a major influence on him, and there is speculation that it inspired Rose Red. Whether that is true or not is not for me to decide, but I did find the similarities between the two very apparent. Not a judgement on SK or Rose Red! In fact, I liked the similarities, and enjoyed seeing where King may have drawn inspiration. Putting all that aside and speaking of Shirley Jackson's book itself, I loved how it began, and how it ended. I did lose some interest through the middle of the narrative, unfortunately. I suspect another reading will be in order one day. Regardless, I highly recommend the book to any reader who loves slowly building menace and subtle but effective terror. This house is one of the most frightening I have ever read about, because it doesn't give up its secrets easily, and always gets what it wants in the end.”

• Rated 4 stars

“Read for The Gothic in Literature and Film course. This book read fairly easily and kept a steady pace. I think it built very well, both in plot and in Eleanor's mental state. Mrs. Montague was perfectly hateable.”

• Rated 5 stars

“THE haunted house book, with layers on layers, classic and spine-chilling. MUST READ!!! Considered to be one of the most formidable achievements in genre fiction....ever.”

• Rated 3 stars

“In the spirit of The Shining, this house has a few creepy nights for the visitors who are weak in belief of themselves.”

• Rated 4 stars

“The Haunting Of Hill House By Shirley Jackson

4 Stars

The Haunting Of Hill House is a classic horror story. The story begins with Dr. Montague who is a scholar of the occult wanting to have final evidence of a true haunting. He gathers information looking for the perfect people to help him. He rents Hill House for the summer. A house with a tragic past that the town it sits in won't even discuss. The house sits all alone and began it's life tragically when 80 years prior Hugh Crain built the house for his wife who died moments before even reaching it. The tragedies continue from there and no one that has lived there has for very long. Dr.Montague invites his assistant Theodora, Luke the future heir of the house and Eleanor a complicated young women who has had experience with the occult to stay with him. The story moves quickly and many things happen to it's guests. The house is powerful and it's goal is to keep it's inhabitants off kilter at all times. It builds power and takes what it wants for it's own.

This was a genuinely creepy story. It's one that you really should read sitting in the dark of night. The subtlety of the horror is what I loved most. Horror novels usually do not phase me but this one did. If it touches me and gives me pause then it is definitely good. The characters all had their flaws that were exposed while there. The doctor does not know what he has really done until it's too late. I am glad that I finally picked this up and it will be with me for a long while.”

• Rated 4 stars

“Because this novel is told solely from the point of view of Eleanor—a fragile, lonely, childlike woman—I’m left unsure if the paranormal events were real or if they were only in her head. Nor could I trust Eleanor’s account of her interactions with her housemates. What really happened to her at Hill House? This is a great psychological thriller, and one I’ll certainly be thinking about for a while!

I listened to this on audio and thought Bernadette Dunne’s narration was excellent. Her renditions of the characters—most especially Eleanor, Theo and Mrs Montague—brought them to life and greatly enhanced my enjoyment.
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