The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House is listed as a classic horror novel. A haunted house... possession.... strange sounds... creepy maid/cook. This book has it all.

The story begins with Eleanor. She receives a letter to spend the summer at Hill House. Little is known about the house except that it may be haunted. With nothing left at home, Eleanor sets off towards Hill house. She is met by the strange caretakers Mr. and Mrs. Dudley. They insist on never staying past sunset. In the coming hour, more people arrive. Theodora, same as Eleanor, decided to come because of a letter. Luke, is set to inherit Hill House. Dr. Montague, the man who wrote the letters, is writing a book on Hill House.

The night starts off normally. The house is strange, but nothing out of the ordinary happens. Then, as the hours and days role past, the house awakens. Doors start to close, strange noises can be heard, and one of the characters appears to be losing their mind.

Shirley Jackson has created an excellent atmosphere. There is a constant sense of foreboding. Something is watching and waiting for the right moment to strike. I felt like I was in a horror movie and often didn't know which way to turn. One visit into Hill House was more than enough. The reason I knocked a star off my review was because of the characters and their dialog. Mrs. Jackson tried to duplicate multiple conversations happening at the same time. It was hard to discern whom was talking to whom. There were also a number of irregular shifts in the plot. One minute the characters would be together huddled in fear. The next they'd be sleeping soundly. If events like this happened to me, I'd have left immediately.

Overall the Haunting of Hill House is perfect to read before Halloween. It has some very unnerving scenes that can only be enhanced by the shorter days, colder weather, and haunted decorations.