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Summary: mesmerizing . . . terrifying . . . beautiful
Review: Ghost and horror stories today take the "blunt instrument" approach of trying to scare us with threats of physical violence, or trying to shock and disgust us with blood and guts. They're the "fast food" of the genre, mass-produced, lacking distinction, and bad for us. Anyone can write about chainsaw-wielding demons and other such things. But Shirley Jackson has written a masterpiece. This book gets you where you really live, in more ways than one. It shows that true terror lies in a threat not to the body, but to the sanity, will, mind, and soul. The characters in this book are fully human, the language poetic, the plot a work of art. Half of the chills come from the mounting tension of waiting for something to happen, and when it finally does, we, like Eleanor and the others, live through the terror, and then we (again, like Eleanor) have the further distress of not knowing quite what to make of it. The house catches not just her but us off-guard and then it keeps us there. I only regret that although Hollywood has made two movies out of this book, both of them miss the mark completely. Maybe the third time will be the charm. Be warned: Once you read this book, you'll find that nothing else in the genre, except for _The Turn of the Screw_, can possibly measure up to it.
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Summary: One of the best American writers of this century
Review: Who is better at finding the chill at the edge of "normality"? Certainly not Stephen King (who is now writing 50 pages worth reading out of 732 in "Bag of Bones" for example). "The Haunting of Hill House" concerns itself with loneliness, madness and MAYBE the supernatural. Shirley Jackson found evil and menace in the every day: the small New England town, the picnic by the river. If you need rotting corpses popping up out the cellar to disquiet you, by all means try other "horror" writers.
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Summary: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK (if you loved The Haunting)
Review: I read this book a couple of days before the movie was released, and I must say I was terribly disappointed with it (the book). This was the one--and I mean, only one--time I have ever disliked a book. There is nothing scary about this book except that it ended before anything began--it is such a short book that it could be read in a day, and it is hardly worth even that. Hell, it especially isn't worth the oversized paperback's $12 or so. This was also the only time I liked a movie more than the book upon which it was based. Nothing scary happens, fellow horror fans. No gore, no guts, not a drop of blood. No scary shadows leaping out at you, no strange rotting corpses from beyond the grave, no demons, no Satan, no battle between good and evil. Nothing active happens, and nothing psychological happens. This book is full of just rambling, rambling, rambling. If you want a good haunted house story, read "The Shining" by Stephen King. Now *THAT* is a scary book. It has everything anyone could possibly want in a horror novel, and is much better than this drivel. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK unless you have to read it for a class or anything. If you want scary, do not look in this direction, people...
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Summary: Dark and Mystical; a True Psycological Thriller
Review: "Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more."So opens Shirley Jackson's dark thriller about a house that was simply born bad. Eleanor, a quiet, observant woman with a troubled past, comes to the house for a study about the supernatural. Her comrades include Dr. Montague, the leader of the study, Theodora, a woman with some telepathic abilities, and Luke, the young heir to the house. Bangings in the night, writings on the wall, and whisperings from no live person are common in Hill House, and Eleanor begins to realize that she is connected to Hill House in a way in which she has never before been connected to anything. This psycological thriller leaves you hanging on every last word, relating to the characters, and following the Eleanor's mental and emotional progress. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its unexpected plot twists. This is a good one for curling up with during a stormy evening.
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Summary: A CHILLING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER!
Review: The Haunting of Hill House is truly a frightening and beautiful piece of literature. It proves that you don't need a masked-maniac running wild to scare people: you just need a quiet, serene setting, characters the reader will care about, and a chilling story. In The Haunting of Hill House, a neglected woman named Elenore finds peace and serenity in the haunted Hill House where she is involved with a psychic research program. Soon, she feels as if she is a part of Hill House...so a question lingers in the readers mind; is Elenore losing her mind, or is Hill House really calling her? A suspenseful and thrilling novel you can't miss!
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Summary: Chills galore!
Review: Shirley Jackson's short novel is truly one of the most atmospheric horror stories ever written. At first glance, there is really nothing surprising about the plot. You can almost predict what is going to happen, but then when you consider when this book was written you realize that nearly every haunted house story since then has taken elements from this story.
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Summary: The Let Down of Hill House's Haunting
Review: Never in all my love affair with books have I admitted that a movie was better than the book. However, I was terribly disappointed with the Haunting of Hill House. Just when the story began to get interesting, it was all over. All the reviews I read say how Shirley Jackson is a master of her craft. However, I felt like the book was very tame and unimaginative compared to the movie. I realize that movie watchers and book lovers are usually worlds apart, but I was disappointed in the many avenues which could have been explored in this story and were left uninvestigated. Overall, I was left with the impression that I had read a book that was written for pre-teens or early adolescents. What a let down. I still can't believe that I actually prefer the movie version of this story. AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH!
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Summary: Haunting, not frightening but an excellent story
Review: The movie (1963 version)is what scared the writer of this reveiw. The book sweeps you into Hill House from its poetic beginnning to the unsettling ending. The book is the story of four people who stay in a house to investigate its dark power. Eleanor: a spinster, alone and entranced with Hill Houses power. Theodora: sophistacated and daring and phsycic. There is the Luke the heir of Hill House and a liar. And Dr. Montague the rational man who is leading the investigation. we follow Eleanor's descent into the house. She grows paranoid and erratic. As she and Theodora are plagued by the house Eleanor realizes she belongs to Hill House. THe book is written through the point of veiw of Eleanor. Her phsycological state is reflected in the writing. Jackson eiher knows what she is doing with the addition of Dr. Montague's wife towards the end and this reveiwer didn't or she didn't know at all. An excdllent book recommended for anyone who enjoys a ghost story.
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Summary: Absolutely excellent! Subtle but powerful! A must read!
Review: I have read a number of reviews stating the blandness of this novel, but I can't understand how they come up with that conclusion! I read this novel in one night, and afterwards I was terrified of my own house! This novel may be very detailed, but it's worth the read! It is subtle, unlike recent novels that spell everything out to the reader, it actually leaves you some thinking to do; I dare say, more novels should do likewise. The novel is of superb quality and the writer is also one of great calibre. I recommend this novel to anyone with a taste for suspense and terror, as well as quality. It may be subtle, but it is also powerful...
Rating:
Summary: Big disappointment
Review: This book was a waste of time. I expected a ghost story, a scary narrative. This was written as a 1940's british story, something you really have to be in the mood to read, and then, nothing happens! The synopsis stated that this is a subtle, psychological horror story, but it is so subtle, you don't know what is going on. Unless you are really into symbolism and looking for the 'deeper' meaning, save your money for a King or Koontz or Clark book.
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