The Haunting of Hill House

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Summary: EVEN LARKS AND KATYDIDS ARE SUPPOSED, BY SOME, TO DREAM
Review: John Montague, a doctor of philosophy, invites Theodora, Eleanor Vance, and Luke Sanderson to assist him in seeking the possibility of psychic disturbances/manifestations in an eighty-odd year-old New England pile known locally as Hill House. Ever since it was initially published in 1959, THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE has been Shirley Jackson's gift to countless readers around the world who have relished reading this highly original and exceptionally chilling ghost story - if a there is such a thing as a ghost story receiving cult status - then this ingenious novellette would definitely qualify for first prize! Not the type of terror you'd find in a Stephen King (he was a Jackson fan who dedicated FIRESTARTER to "Shirley Jackson, who never needed to raise her voice") or Dean Koontz novel. Jackson's technique is much more finely grained and subtle: this is literature. There are Freudian aspects to be sure, but the symbolism is amazing; (did anyone catch the meaning of the heading?) thirty years after I first read the book (I was nine) I found new symbolic elements which I had missed priorly. Jackson paints her heroine Eleanor Vance as a rather drab and timid wisp of a thing: a 32 year-old spinster who's "never known a life of her own". As you commence reading the book, you are drawn inside the mind of a schizoid person who desperately needs to be loved, yet cannot relate to people rationally, so she finds a safe friend in Hill House itself. Jackson writes in a poetic and mystical fashion which aids the reader throughout the book. Theodora is a free-spirited psychic who's rather spoiled and cheeky personality gives a much - needed contrast to Eleanor's repressed child-woman thinking. There is a scene in a grove of trees: Theo: "I don't understand. Do you always go where you're not wanted?" Eleanor: "But I've never been wanted ANYWHERE". Tingling aspects rise from little nuances throughout: Nell suggests that they look for nameless graves in the nettle patch when she and Theo become bored, a phantom picnic where there is a vision of sunshine, children and a puppy (at night!), walls with dripping blood reaching out for Eleanor to Come Home; a harp which plays by itself, the "cold spot" in the heart of the house, the cup of stars, the stone lions, the oleanders etc. Eleanor is given a bedroom painted blue, the colour of depression. The men in the novel are more like props, supporting players. It's like a spooky version of Lucy and Ethel getting themselves into another scrape with Ricky and Fred simply there when neccesary. Luke and Montague ask what happened while they were outdoors chasing SOMETHING. Eleanor: "Nothing in particular. Someone knocked on the door with a cannonball, then laughed their fool head off when we wouldn't let them in, but nothing out of the ordinary" There are no real "evil" characters in the book: it is a foray into the mind of someone so desperately longing for understanding, love and companionship that she knows not where she goes.............

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Summary: Read the book -- no need to bother with the movie
Review: Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" is one of the classic suspense novels of the twentieth century. Jackson's ability to make the domestic seem alien, dangerous, and insane gives this work in particular its chilling quality. Jackson is one of the few authors of this century who can stand up to the demanding standards set by E.A. Poe, H. P. Lovecraft et al. Don't bother with the 1998 movie unless you enjoy being smothered by special effects. The 1963 version comes much closer to capturing Jackson's subtle and psychologically intricate tale; it's scarier in the first ten minutes than the new film ever manages during its entire length. But Jackson's austere prose style and the ease with which she slips terror into the commonplace make her book the most rewarding experience of all.

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Summary: Frightening Hill House
Review: As you begin reading The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson you excpect it to be your basic haunted house story of ghosts and goblins but it is really in a league of it's own. It is a book about misunderstanding, happiness, and emotions. As you near the end you not only learn the fate of the characters but you also learn where you stand on certain life issues. Therefore I highly reccomend this book to other readers.

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Summary: Does Anyone Ever Give This Book a Bad Review
Review: Jackson has created a masterpiece of supernatural literature. It is as close to flawless as any writer may wish. This book is like a well played chess match, every move has a purpose and there are no useless movements. The book is structured so that by the end of the novel all you can say is, "Wow." Jackson has above all mastered the art of using the abscence of stimuli to stimulate our fears. I dare anyone to read Chapter 5 part 4, and not have a shudder run through their entire body at the revelation of the last sentence. However, there are complaints about the book which must be addressed. They aren't that significant so go ahead and order the book now and read them later if you want. All the important stuff has already been said.
The first complaint about the book is that Jackson does not give us anything truly scary, only a couple of eerie messages on walls, banging cannon balls, and voices of doubtful authenticity. Proponents of this complaint are the same people who hated The Blair Witch Project but loved House on Haunted Hill (Geoffery Rush version). It is really not a complaint but a matter of preference, along the lines of red wine or white wine, Elvis or The Beatles, great tasting or less filling, etc. One may wish to see the blood splattered all over the room rather than see a crimson puddle leaking out from under the door while hearing the sound of the chainsaw. It is the approach of two different schools. Splatterpunk or Gothic, it's your choice. The bottom line is that Jackson is the BEST from the school of the New Gothic and if she can't scare you then no one from that school can, a school which includes King and Straub among its visiting pupils.
The second complaint is that the lead character, Eleanor Vance, is a narcissistic, self centered, selfish (to use another adjective describing the same trait), unlikeable individual. One may feel pity for her but there is never any true affinity that the reader feels towards Eleanor. Despite her deepest yearnings, none (at least no one among the living) wants to be Eleanors friend and this sentiment extends beyond the fictional world of Hill House directly to the reader. We simply don't want to be her friend. This, however, is Jacksons intent instead of (as some readers may erronously conclude) a flaw of the novel. It is a part of what King refers to as the "New Gothic," which is populated not by the "innocent" victims (like the "Old" Gothic was, just think of Mina in Dracula) or by dashing heroes (Van Helsing) but by deluded, narcissistic people with numerous faults. In other words, us. Etchison, Siddons, and even King, among others, have dabbled in this school. The Shining is a "New Gothic" masterpiece only surpassed by, of course, Jacksons work. Look at Jack Torrance and Eleanor Vance and you will find striking similarities in their descent to disaster. You may also find that you see your own reflection in these two people. That is just part of the fright of the New Gothic. And that is part of the fright of Hill House.

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Summary: I have always been haunted by hill house!
Review: I saw this movie when i was a little girl and thought it one of the scariest movies ever. I have read and reread the book many times since and each time one reads it you are drawn more deeply into the mind terror inside. It is very subtle so I can understand the people who didn't like it at first were too impatient to let themselves be drawn into the core of the book. After a while you start to understand that Eleanor, with her poltergeist past experiences, is as responsible for what is happening as the house is, maybe even more so. The psychological web that intertwines her with the house is where the real fear comes from. They are both mad and they are feeding each other in terrible ways. When the house lashes out at Theo's clothes and belongings, it is really Eleanor's jealousy and insecurities that have manifested themselves on Theo. Those used to the over the top scares and visceral thrills of other writers will not grasp the deeper, omnipresent evil that lurks in Hill House. Obviously the people that made that vile remake of the original movie didnt!

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Summary: Most Frightening Story Ever!
Review: Shirley Jackson is truly a master of the human mind. Her stories, including this one, are not just about these strange and horrible things that happen to people, but even more about their minds and the ways that they react to the people around them. In one sense you can see the end of this story coming for a while, but it's still a shock when you reach it.

I've already read every book Stephen King has written, so I was looking for a good horror novel. After reading some of the reviews here, I spent all day hunting for this book, moving from bookstore to bookstore, and when I eventually found this, I started reading, about mid-afternoon. I was caught up with it and couldn't put it down, not even to eat, until two o'clock the next morning. Now it may have just been because I was reading it in the middle of the night, but for me this book is more frightening than any story I've ever read before. There is a strange emotional tapestry among the ghosthunters in this building, but withing the growing unease, there are absolutely terrifying scenes that creep up on you and shock you. What happens to Eleanor over the course of the book makes you shiver. Now, I haven't read Matherson's 'Hell House', but I would say that this is the most frightening story ever.

Journeys end in lovers meeting...

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Summary: nice & creepy
Review: It starts out slow, but it builds & builds, & by the time the house gets ahold of dear Eleanor, it's too late to go back! I was chilled upon finishing the novel.

Don't expect skeletons popping out of closets, and ghosties running rampant from page one- if you do, it will only lead you into dissappointment.

Jackson's writing is literary & quite concerned with character development & it has an old-fashioned horror story appeal.

The ending makes this short novel, retrospectively, all the more thrilling.

Recommended!

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Summary: It shouldn't be so scary BUT......
Review: I found it necessary to read this book all in one night. I then found it necessary to sit up for an hour afterwards watching cheerful video, and then went to bed with my walkman on.....I was a little creeped out.... What makes this slim novel a masterpiece is its surprizing effect. There is no gore, none of the trappings of current horror novels, and the language is straight foreward -- you have no sense of being manipulated. YET, sooner or later, it gets to you. Like her short story The Lottery, the very normalcy of the characters and your innate similarity to them draws you into the suspense. This is a must for anyone who appreciates the art of suspense over the bombastic horror of gore.

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Summary: Very Scary....Definitely Worth It
Review: The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson, may very well be the most frightening book I have ever read. Flat out, period. The mere basis of this book is somewhat cliche, by today's standards: Four adults are conducting an "experiment" on Hill House's supposed hauntings. Occasionally the characters seem stiff and mechanical, some of the dialogue is forced...The entire premise of the book is generally hard to believe...

Despite these caveats, though, this book is still scary. For best effect, I recommend reading it very late at night, in an absolutely silent house. Just wait.

What makes this book so "scary" is that each character relates to their fears in their own way. One part of the book which still gives me the shivers is when Eleanor and Theodora, the two female protagonists, are in Theodora's room. Eleanor keeps hearing thumps and patters on the wall, while Theodora does not acknowledge anything out of the ordinary. These events only affect Eleanor. Each character is alone with their fears -- rather than all four of them experiencing something "haunting," each character experiences something individual.

Thus, each character is also alone in their fears; their fears are essentially doubled: They fear what they hear or experience, and then also fear they are losing their mental stabilty, as no one else experiences the events. The psychological scariness of this book is what sets it apart from the typical "slash and gore" horror novel: This book is, really, in a genre all its own.

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Summary: A Ghastly Environment
Review: The author uses a droll and funny style to tell her story. She was an accomplished writer and observer of human nature and it shows. She had a sense of humor and understood, probably too well, darkness and melancholy.

Eleanor Vance, the heroine, is to go to Hill House, reportedly haunted. What the thirty-two year old woman lacked is a life of adventure. She had cared for her mother for eleven years. She is to be at Hill House with Dr. Montague, an investigator, and Luke Sanderson, the nephew of the owner. She meets Dudley, the caretaker, who is reluctant to open the gates. The house is a maniacal juxtaposition of line and place. Hill House is a house of despair.

Eleanor meets Theodora, another of the guests. They have connecting bathrooms. Mrs. Dudley, the caretaker's wife, says that she leaves before dark. She seems to take offense at criticism of the house. Hill House has a number of little odd rooms.

It is pointed out that no one knows why some houses are called haunted. This house is associated with suicide, madness, and lawsuits. The landlady is frank about the house's undesirability. Dr. Montague obtains a short lease to carry out his researches. Theodora has telepathic ability. Eleanor was involved with a poltergeist in the past.

The house was built eighty years previously. The owner was widowed three times. The two children of the owner spent their lives quarreling over Hill House. After dinner Luke and the doctor play chess. The two women sit by the fire and talk. The rooms are yellow, pink, blue, and green.

Eleanor sleeps well and awakes hungry for breakfast to be served at nine by Mrs. Dudley. The women, Theodora and Eleanor, have trouble finding their rooms. The ground floor is laid out in nearly concentric circles. There is a deerhead on the wall of the game room. It's eyes seem to follow Eleanor.

Everything in the house is a little off-center. Nothing moves in the house until the observer look away and something becomes apparent through the corner of an eye. The house seems different when Mrs. Dudley is not present. The guests ransack the downstairs rooms for comfortable chairs and lamps.

During the night in the bedrooms Theodora and Eleanor hear sounds. They feel intense cold. The men are outside chasing what they think is a dog. The excitement is intoxicating. A message using Eleanor's name is chalked in the hallway. Eleanor and Theodora are nearly hysterical.

The house seems to be waiting. There is a quiet atmosphere. Another message is left in blood. The women commence to be out of sorts with each other. Because Theodora's room is disturbed, the two women end of sleeping in the same room.

Several days after their arrival Mrs. Montague visits them. Her friend Arthur, a headmaster, accompanies her. Mrs. Montague intends to have o session of table-rapping. Arthur apparently is an adept at spiritualism too. Later Arthur is detailed to patrol the house. Mrs. Montague believes that her presence suffices to protect the downstairs area.

Eleanor's name has been used in the seance. She clings to Theodora, cold-handed. There is a sound of pounding. Mrs. Montague and Arthur do not spend a comfortable night. Eleanor says that after their stay at Hill House she wants to follow Theodora home. Eleanor is willing to characterize herself as a sort of stray cat. Later she is found to have created many of the mysteries at the house.

Ghost stories are a subversive genre and Shirley Jackson is a subversive writer. She was a large-sized woman who saw clearly the dynamics of groups, of collective life.