Hell House

Classic haunted mansion story, similar to The Haunting of Hill House, only less psychological, more visceral. The titular house belonged to the infamous Emeric Belasco, who hosted depraved parties that led to orgies, cannibalism, torture, murder for sport– any blasphemy or perversion you can imagine. Belasco lured guests in with sex, drugs, exotic food (?) and slowly kept them hooked into staying until they fell bestial level. After Emeric's death, the house is considered “the most haunted in the world.” Every form of spiritual activity known to man has occurred there. Scientists and mediums explored the house to investigate and record the phenomena and perhaps purge it of the evil energy that abides. All of these investigations failed and most of those involved didn't survive.

The main story concerns an investigation made by four people: Dr. Lionel Barrett, scientist, and his wife Edith; Florence Tanner, spiritualist and mental medium; and Benjamin Fisher, physical medium. Who knew there were different types of mediums? Certainly not me. I was most intrigued by the conflict between Dr. Barrett and Florence. Barrett is convinced the explanation of the haunting is scientific and treatable with his invention. Florence is convinced the haunting is spiritual and that love will save the day. To me, Barrett's explanation was just as illogical as the notion of spirits. Barrett seemed to believe that any physical manifestations and creepy atmosphere in the house are all created by the mental energy of the people who lived and died in the house, but not any ghostly presence.

Edith and Fischer, two characters not involved in the debate, had their personal issues challenged by the Belasco (Hell House). Fischer had been part of a previous investigation that failed to solve the mystery/purge the haunting and was the only survivor. He never worked as a medium again and suffered a crisis of confidence. Edith is dealing with sexual longings that the nature of the house brings out of her. Their issues were more internal and psychological and brought them into conflict with Florence and Barrett and made them equally vulnerable to the influence of Belasco.

This was not a perfect scary story experience for me; some of the scenes of haunting were a bit silly. I admit I've read too many of these books; I'm probably jaded. The scene with the dining room furniture and dishes flying all over, while the investigators hid under the table, had me laughing, and I doubt that was the intended effect. Also, the resolution to getting rid of Emeric Belasco's influence came down to calling him a little bastard, if you strip away all the drama and emotion. This also seems unintentionally funny.

I preferred this to The Haunting of Hill House since the ending of that one seemed anticlimactic. Despite the unintentional humor, I'd consider Hell House a standard for haunted house stories. It may be a bit dated fifty years out but it was still a fun read for a gloomy day.