Rating: 
Summary: The Best Haunted House of All.
Review: This is one disturbing house. It's like Shirley Jackson's "Hill House" on steroids. Matheson creates a mood of dread from the first page and carries it all the way through to the gruesome climax. The gore is not heavy handed but is used to great effect in portraying the house as a malevolent force. The author's screenwriting abilities (Twilight Zone, etc) helps keep a cinematic pacing through the book's concise 300 pages. This is a very satisfying chiller. Don't read it late at night!
Rating:
Summary: Classic
Review: Crisp, clear-cut prose that never trails off in undesired directions. No redundant word. Snip: (...)
Rating: 
Summary: Boring and predictable
Review: There are better works by Richard Matheson, don't waste money and time on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Like Hill House, less subtle and more daring
Review: Its hard to say which novel I enjoy more between this one and Hill House. Both are great in their own ways. When I am in the mood for a more subtle ghost story, I like Hill House. When I am in the mood for a much more intensely exciting ghost story, I choose this one. A lot of people, including me, see glaring similarities between the two novels in their setup, but it should be clear that this only diminishes the overall effects in the purists on either side. Both novels are tremendous and classics. If I had to pick one I enjoyed more, I would honestly say this one. Matheson takes on the haunted house with a full frontal assault and never relents. I think I am in the minority here, but I prefer Hell House over Hill House.
Rating:
Summary: A poor imitation of Hill House
Review: Richard Matheson is undoubtedly one of the greatest writers of the horror genre, but this novel goes no further than being a very feeble imitation of Shirley Jackson' "Haunting of the Hill House". The characters are shallow, the setting is too exagerrated, and the climax is really, really poor. If you are a fan of haunted house novels, then Hell House may interest you, but I'd definitely suggest other books of haunting than this loss of time. Try Jackson's masterpiece, Marasco's "Burnt Offerings" or King's "Shining", they all are far better than this.
Rating: 
Summary: A classic horror tale
Review: This book has it all: A haunted house, a group of people who wish to dispel the evil that resides in it and a sinister presence behind the haunting. The reader turns the pages captivated by the story, as the facts around the evil presence unfold. However, if you have read MANY horror stories, as I have, you may find the ending a bit disappointing...
Rating: 
Summary: A fine haunted house story, if you haven't seen the movie
Review: "Hell House" is a fine haunted house novel, written in a quick prose that reads like a movie script. And that is the problem: if you have seem the movie, it totally spoils the book. The novel has little more to offer besides a couple of sexually oriented scenes and a more violent climax (which I guess would have raised excessively the budget for the movie...). In my opinion, there really is no literary quality which justifies buying the book if you have already seen the movie. If you haven't, and if you like a competently crafted ghost story, go ahead. You'll like it.
Rating:
Summary: Good for beginners, More Advanced Players skip this level
Review: Matheson, usually an amazing storyteller, falls short on this one novel. The story had an amazing set-up, very Jamesian history. I read the first hundred pages without taking a break then after that the story sort of lost the energy it started out with. All three stars are for the first hundred pages, give or take a few pages. The history of Belasco House that Matheson describes is amazingly rich and sinister, it was Matheson writing at his best. But then the middle and last part of the book had the reader waiting, and it was a wait without any suspense that readers of Matheson normally expect from his stories. The ending seemed hastily thrown together as if Matheson didn't know exactly how to finish the story. However, I have read a great portion of Matheson's body of work and I have been disappointed, thus far, with this one novel only. For those readers who are familiar with Matheson and have read some of his work, especially those of you who have only read his short stories, please skip this novel as it will leave a bad taste in your mouth for Matheson's work which is on the average very excellent. However, for those of you who know nothing about Matheson or are just familiar with him by seeing his name on the credits of Twilight Zone episodes start off with this novel as it will give you a greater appreciation for his other works. I highly recommend The Shrinking Man (also under the title The Incredible Shrinking Man), and I Am Legend along with any number of his short stories. You will not be disappointed with his other works, guarenteed.
Rating:
Summary: Could Have Been Brilliant
Review: Though I think this book failed to live up to its potential, I still believe it to be one of the three truly great haunted house novels out there. Shirley Jackson's _The_Haunting_of_Hill_House_ ranks at the top of that list, with Stephen King's _The_Shining_ close on its heels. Matheson's _Hell_House_ rounds out the top three. The parapsychology gets a bit hokey, and the characters aren't quite as well-rounded as I'd like, but I was impressed with this novel overall. Some readers are also going to be offended by sexuality and a depiction of a satanic chapel, although I have to say I didn't consider either to be gratuitous in any way. As several other reviewers have mentioned, it doesn't quite compare with Matheson's masterpiece _I_Am_Legend_, but it is an intelligent, well-written, incredibly fast-moving haunted house novel. If you like haunted house novels or if you're a fan of Matheson's other work, you won't be disappointed with this one.
Rating:
Summary: Scarier than I thought it would be...
Review: I am now officially a fan of Richard Matheson. I started out by reading "I am Legend", which is one of the best horror stories ever written, so I was expecting a little less from this. And, it isn't as good as "I am Legend", but then again, not much is. I am on a crusade now to get all of my horror-loving friends and family to read Matheson - it seems his work has been virtually buried by the enormous amount of really bad horror that seemed to spring up in Stephen King's wake (which isn't King's fault...publishers just started seeing dollar signs...). Matheson is a rarity in the field of horror - he's classic. "Hell House" is a fast read. Each chapter consists of one day, and the chapters are broken down into little sections (7:08pm, 1:39 am, etc.) that keep the pace quick, and make it very easy for you to say, "Oh, I guess I can squeeze in just a little more before turning out the light." (Or at least going to sleep!) The writing is snappy, and to the point. Matheson creates vivid, cinematic images without having the writing call too much attention to itself. Surely this is a skill he perfected while writing for "The Twilight Zone". "Hell House" has enough twists and turns to satisfy, and enough really scary, disgusting stuff to possibly haunt your dreams. I found myself having to think happy thoughts as I closed my eyes at night. I haven't had to do that in a while...not since reading "It" by Stephen King as a kid. Fellow horror fans, you really ought to do yourselves a favor and read this book (and all of his others, too!). And remember, if anything seems familiar -- like it's been done before -- then it was probably lifted from this! Highly recommended!
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