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Hell House

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 · rating details · 8,829 ratings · 525 reviews

Can any soul survive?
Regarded as the Mount Everest of haunted houses, Belasco House has witnessed scenes of almost unimaginable horror and depravity. Two previous expeditions to investigate its secrets met with disaster, the participants destroyed by murder, suicide or insanity. Now a new investigation has been mounted - four strangers, each with his or her own reason for...more

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published July 1st 2004 by Severn House Publishers (first published January 1st 1971)

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Aug 13, 2010 Dan Schwent rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: matheson

I've been a Richard Matheson fan for a few years now and he rarely disappoints. Hell House is no different. A dying millionaire offers a physicist and two psychics a hundred thousand dollars apiece to spend a week in a haunted house to prove or disprove the existence of an afterlife. Sounds simple enough, right?

Tensions run high between the investigators. Barrett thinks Florence's beliefs are crap and his scientific explanation is the only one. Fischer doesn't seem to be doing much which also ir...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Lou rated it 5 of 5 stars

Chilling thriller, a house which has a history of indulgence in evil and acts of the most vile and depraved committed by residents and visitors years past by and all departed this earth or have they? Are their souls still haunting the house?
That's the task of a group who have been hired to investigate the house for the supernatural, but a game is being played against them as they take resident the question is by who and will they leave alive?
Matheson is a great writer when it comes to painting...more

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May 04, 2011 Trudi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, horror, classics-horror, love-the-premise, stephen-king-recommends, survive-this, 2011-reads, i-see-dead-people, gothic, made-into-movie, richard-matheson, epic-creep

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to read such a horror classic by one of the masters who has influenced so many others, including Stephen King. First off, what I loved:

1) What’s not to love? Matheson manages to accomplish a haunted house story that is not only supremely eerie and filled with a creepy atmosphere that’s sublime, but a full-on assault of the senses as well. This book does not pussy-foot around – it is in your face practically from page one all the way through to the end.

2)...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ghosts, horror, contemporary, haunted-goodness, occult, zz-2011, reviewed, old-school-horror

Good creepy novel. While not so awesome as The Shining or Haunting of Hill House (the two greatest haunting novels ever, IMHO), this is a solid showing in the genre. Furthermore, as a friend pointed out, in the sprawling shelves of crappy modern horror, this is definitely a worthy read. Some readers complain that it has a dated feel, but I disagree. The 1970s technology has little bearing on its fright factor; for my own part, I prefer horror novels to be slightly old-fashioned -- tape recorders...more Good creepy novel. While not so awesome as The Shining or Haunting of Hill House (the two greatest haunting novels ever, IMHO), this is a solid showing in the genre. Furthermore, as a friend pointed out, in the sprawling shelves of crappy modern horror, this is definitely a worthy read. Some readers complain that it has a dated feel, but I disagree. The 1970s technology has little bearing on its fright factor; for my own part, I prefer horror novels to be slightly old-fashioned -- tape recorders, rotary phones, etc. Crackling playback & awkward button-pushing only add to the atmosphere of a haunted house.

Anyway...

The ultimate creepiness arises from the roots of Belasco House. In that I commend the author; he's tapped a fundamental horror of prudish people everywhere, including yours truly. The idea that anyone could lure a variety of normal folks -- friends, acquaintances, tourists, artists -- into an isolated mansion & slowly warp them into a pack of slavering, murderous, sexual perverts is truly horrific. Even now it leaves an unsettled feeling in my stomach -- the same vague disgust I feel from watching Event Horizon. That movie's premise is this: a ship is sent through an experimental wormhole, but arrives seven years late...after spending those seven years in a hellish alternate universe that inspires the crew to murder each other from terror & perversion. And so, like the Event Horizon, Belasco House's gruesome past has imprinted on the structure itself...or has it? Is this a case of multiple hauntings, or merely a disturbed asshole who retains control of his self-contained hell?

The answer to that question is the weakest aspect of the book. The resolution is somewhat muddled; it lacks the sharpness of the haunting itself. But final 25 pages aside, I was suitably creeped out. The instances of possession, sensual disturbance, & general ickiness are done very well. The characters, too, were all nicely rounded "everyman" personages -- scientist, plain jane, religious medium, & scarred survivor. (Unlike the Hell House movie, there's plenty of time to explore their individual motives & insecurities; there are also several scenes that never made it onscreen, whether for time constraints or bloodspray.)

4 stars; a good book for the Halloween season.(less)

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Jun 21, 2010 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

I couldn't actually find the edition I read back in '73 or so. I read it after I saw the movie Legend of Hell House...

I've read other Matheson novels since this book, and have found that I will probably never be a fan. I finish the books and, in the end, find that while they haven't been awful, I just don't care for them overall. But, still, I do occasionally pick another one up...I suppose that means something.

Hell House is the story of a house that due (apparently) to the evil and perverse act...more

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Nov 04, 2008 Maranda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2007-reads, manna-to-colleen-recommendations, horror

“Welcome to my house, I’m delighted you could come. I am certain you will find your stay here most illuminating. It is regrettable I cannot be with you, but I had to leave before your arrival. Do not let my physical absence disturb you, however. Think of me as your unseen host and believe that, during your stay here, I shall be with you in spirit.” ~ Emeric Belasco

Belasco House…Hell House…within these dark passages and cavernous rooms resides the residue of pure, unadulterated evil.

This book be...more “Welcome to my house, I’m delighted you could come. I am certain you will find your stay here most illuminating. It is regrettable I cannot be with you, but I had to leave before your arrival. Do not let my physical absence disturb you, however. Think of me as your unseen host and believe that, during your stay here, I shall be with you in spirit.” ~ Emeric Belasco

Belasco House…Hell House…within these dark passages and cavernous rooms resides the residue of pure, unadulterated evil.

This book begins with the new owner of Belasco House assembling a crew to determine what, if anything, haunts this tomb-like mansion. The crew consists of Dr. Lionel Barrett (a scientist), his wife Edith, Benjamin Franklin Fischer (a physical medium whom had experienced the house previously), and Florence Tanner (a mental medium with a profound religious faith). We accompany the group on the third attempt to discover the source of ghostly disturbances within the house. The first two attempts resulted in the murder, suicide, or mental deterioration of the investigators involved…all those except Fischer that is.

Our introduction to the House is through brief glimpses as the thick, eerie fog surrounding the mansion and Bastard Bog clears. The tour through the house leaves us chilled to the bone. As we walk room to room, corridor to corridor, the foreboding feelings steadily increase. These walls have witnessed all manner of unspeakable events.

The House is dark and angry and soon begins its attack on its unwelcome guests. The House exploits the weaknesses that reside deep within one’s soul and employs those weaknesses to devour and utterly destroy the host of such vulnerabilities. Can anyone truly survive the horrors of Hell House?

Matheson is a true literary genius. He swiftly seizes the reader and propels you into a sinister world of appalling sexual exploitations, atrocious physical cruelties, and sickening mental molestations.

Hell House is one of the greatest haunted house stories I have encountered. This book is an older book, with its first publication in 1971. However, its age does not diminish its content or reduce its affect on those who face the challenge of Hell House itself.

Though the book draws you in and confronts you head on, do not look to the movie, The Legend of Hell House, to give you the same frightful sensations. The film was released in 19-seventy…something…and was not produced for the zombie-movie generation.

Hell House is not a book for you of weak character. Read it only if your soul is stout and sturdy enough to withstand the atrocities which dwell between these eerie covers.

“All your needs have been provided for, nothing has been overlooked. Go where you will, and do what you will – these are the cardinal precepts of my home. Feel free to function as you choose. There are no responsibilities, no rules. ‘Each to his own device’ shall be the only standard here. May you find the answer that you seek. It is here, I promise you. And now..,auf Wiedersehen.” ~ Emeric Belasco.

(less)

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Jun 27, 2008 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, classics

In order to fully appreciate and enjoy this book, you should really try to read it prior to watching any of the movies made about it. Unfortunately I had seen “The Legend of Hell House” back many years ago, so I was familiar with what would happen. Although the book and the movie were different in parts, the truth behind the haunting was the same, which took some of the shock out of it for me.

Short Synopsis: An eccentric dying millionaire commissions a study to prove that there is life after dea...more In order to fully appreciate and enjoy this book, you should really try to read it prior to watching any of the movies made about it. Unfortunately I had seen “The Legend of Hell House” back many years ago, so I was familiar with what would happen. Although the book and the movie were different in parts, the truth behind the haunting was the same, which took some of the shock out of it for me.

Short Synopsis: An eccentric dying millionaire commissions a study to prove that there is life after death. Offering On hundred thousand dollars to three people to go and stay the week at “Hell House” and report back to him whether or not there is an afterlife. The three people who go include a psychic medium, a physicist, and the lone survivor of the previous expedition into the house. The four of them go to the house (they fourth being the Physicists wife) and are scheduled to stay there for a week; right away the chills begin crawling up your spine as you learn the depraved history of the house. The windows are bricked up, fog and mist surrounds the house, and the tales of what when on inside are sick and evil.

As I stated before, I wish that I had read this book before having seen the movie, because I believe that having seen the movie detracted from my enjoyment. Still this book is very well written, and was groundbreaking for the time. The problem is that this book was written in the 1970’s and has been ripped off or blatantly copied in so many books and movies since then, that when you read it.. it’s not shocking anymore. I imagine that this book was quite chilling for it’s time. Though I was never terrified, I was interested from beginning to end. And the ghosty in this book is smart… that is probably why this book was so frightening to so many… the battle versus the house was both physical and mental. Certainly we can all duck a few flying dishes… but how do you combat madness? How do you fight an enemy that can see into your very soul, and twist your memories, desires, and hopes into weapons against you?

This could have very easily been a 5 star book, however I found the writing to be very sparse and the characters to be somewhat unsympathetic. At times you almost feel as if you are reading a TV script, the blocking and dialogue are there, but the emotion hasn’t shown up yet. In the opening of the book this is at its worst, to the point of my not even being able to distinguish between the two men even by name for much longer into the book than it should have taken. About halfway into the book, Matheson seems to hit his stride and goes from telling to showing the reader what is going on. The second half of this book is 5 star material, without a doubt. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good haunted house tale.
(less)

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Oct 10, 2007 Dale rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book ten of the commute. This book is yet another "product of its times", and once again the times in question are the seventies (see also "Still Life With Woodpecker"). This book, if some of the blurbs on the back cover are to be believed, is a classic of American horror, and I'm a big fan of horror (especially Stephen King, who is in fact the praising voice of one of the back-cover blurbs) so I decided to check it out. Like a lot of good horror, the book combines fantastic fears, like ghosts a...more

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Dec 12, 2009 Marvin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, kindle, kindle-lending

It probably did not help my assessment of this novel having read both The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and I am Legend by Matheson in this year. Hell House is an inferior book to both of the previously mentioned classics. Yet it does have plenty of scares and terror. Matheson knows how to write tense moments and if the ending seems a little forced, it is a thrilling ride getting there. As far as haunted house tales goes, it still sits easily in the top ten.

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Dec 31, 2012 Susanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

I can't believe Richard Matheson has flow below my radar for so long.

The Twilight Zone episode with William Shatner and the monster on the plane wing? That's his story.
Stir of Echoes, I Am Legend, the creepy doll that stalks you, the creepy tractor-trailer that stalks you (Duel) - all those stories are his. He's like Lovecraft - his stuff is part of pop culture, and you know of it whether you realize you do or not.

People have said that Hell House is the haunted house story. If you can only read...more

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Dec 07, 2007 Bree rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, owned

Once again I learned how much of an influence Richard Matheson was on Stephen King.

Yet Matheson has his own brand of the macabre. His characters, while compelling, aren't as well-drawn or emotionally involving as King's (at least in this book). And his horror has a slower build and then explodes all over the page - kind of like Poe.

And talk about mixing disturbing horror with sexuality. That's a place where both King and Matheson hold crowns. Deeply disturbing - and yet I couldn't put it down...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Spock rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mi avvicino sempre con grande curiosita' ai libri che parlano di fantasmi e di case stregate. Ritengo infatti che fissati i canoni e raggiunti i picchi narrativi con le opere del romanticismo tedesco e inglese, ben poco rimane da esplorarare.
Questo libro non e' contraddice il precedente assunto.
Un miliardario prossimo alla morte incarica 3 persone di varia estrazione (un fisico, una medium conturbante, un sensitivo unico superstite di un precedente tentativo) di andare ad indagare Casa Belasco (...more

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Jun 13, 2013 Christopher rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this after reading a flurry of reader comments and reviews citing Hell House as the Cadillac of haunted house stories, and promising I'd be scared like no book has ever scared me before.

I don't know about all that.

I did enjoy the book. There is an elegance to the writing that I appreciated, which contrasted nicely with the more transgressive elements of the story. I don't know if the novel tapped into my fears as much as it danced a tango with my sensibilities and tickled my revulsion. I...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Jaycubed rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had a hard time putting this book down. Matheson excels at straightforward yet descriptive narration that presents an oppressive, malevolent atmosphere from the moment his characters enter the titular haunted house.

Speaking of his characters, they are certainly not the typical heroes one expects in stories like this. A foppish, half-crippled old paranormal scientist and his mousy, repressed wife; a flakey female medium (ok, that's expected); and the bitter, emotionally scarred survivor of th...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Claudia rated it 4 of 5 stars

I notice we are discussing the topic of Hell House, hmph, I guess I will have to go deep into my memory to bring out this book's plot. Hell House, or preferably the Belasco House, an estate with much history, and the latter part of the history is all but glorious. Before we begin, I would like to note that this book has many similarities to the earlier works of Shirley Jackson, her 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House.

In the early 1900's (presumably) Emeric Belasco built Belasco House with the...more I notice we are discussing the topic of Hell House, hmph, I guess I will have to go deep into my memory to bring out this book's plot. Hell House, or preferably the Belasco House, an estate with much history, and the latter part of the history is all but glorious. Before we begin, I would like to note that this book has many similarities to the earlier works of Shirley Jackson, her 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House.

In the early 1900's (presumably) Emeric Belasco built Belasco House with the wealth his parents left him after they died, but as a child he had been dubbed Evil Emeric because of the various acts of violence he committed, ranging from assaulting his sister so severely she had to be hospitalized, to killing a cat to see if it would revive itself, and after it did not he cut it up in pieces and threw the poor thing out the window. After Belasco House was built, Emeric would invite other rich people to stay for very long stays, at first the acts were purely innocent and considered sophisticated.

Although drugs were added and eventually the so-called 'sophisticated' acts became depraved, disgusting, and downright hellish. Belasco had tried to recreate 120 Days of Sodom and succeeded at it, he brought in hunchbacks and other grotesque things for this reenactment. There were no servants left at this time for they had become just like the guests, deranged and twisted. So at this very time Belasco House fell into the time of its destruction, there was no food, no laundry being down, nothing being cleaned, the house fell into disrepair. Eventually influenza hit the house and the furnace died out, the death toll rose quickly and the survivors were now into necrophilia, cannibalism, mutilation and murder. Belasco was never found when relatives of the victims showed up and broke into the house.

A book of truly chilling terrors with a certain amount of gore, enough to make someone feel queasy. I certainly would not read this book again, only if money was involved. Although, my opinion does not change the fact that this book is still very well written and it takes genius to write a book that flows as this one did. I'm sure Richard Matheson had fun writing this.(less)

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May 11, 2012 Mitch Clem rated it 2 of 5 stars

A wealthy, dying man hires three people with varying degrees of supernatural expertise (a woman who can talk to the dead, a man who can physically interact with the dead, and a scientist who writes off everything supernatural he encounters with impossible, made-up science) to spend a week at a haunted house and find him conclusive, scientific evidence of whether or not life continues after death.

Overall the story is completely formulaic, at least by today's standards. Dinnerware flying around, g...more A wealthy, dying man hires three people with varying degrees of supernatural expertise (a woman who can talk to the dead, a man who can physically interact with the dead, and a scientist who writes off everything supernatural he encounters with impossible, made-up science) to spend a week at a haunted house and find him conclusive, scientific evidence of whether or not life continues after death.

Overall the story is completely formulaic, at least by today's standards. Dinnerware flying around, ghosts under sheets, a possessed cat attacking people... Honestly, everything that happened was so expected from the moment I opened this book in the first place that I didn't find a single moment surprising or frightening in the least.

The book also suffers from several severe logical fallacies. The scientist, for instance, has entered this situation as an unwaveringly devout non-believer (not very scientific, if you ask me), and is hell-bent on disproving the existence of ghosts, despite tons of constant evidence to the contrary. However, his fictional area of scientific expertise deals with telekinesis and with people honing "psychic energy"... Frankly, everything he uses to write off the ghosts makes less sense than the answer just being ghosts. "Don't be stupid, you guys, it wasn't GHOSTS throwing dishes at me. It was just this lady harnessing psychic energy in the air and using her mind to throw them at me subconsciously." Uhh... Okay?

I'm willing to believe that this book was scary as hell in the 1970s. I know Matheson is a well respected author (this is the first book of his I've read), and so perhaps the issue is just that stories like this are so commonplace anymore that it's hard to pack a punch without the benefit of subverting genre standards. Today, unfortunately, this is a textbook on genre standards. No real surprises, no real scares, and, overall, nothing particularly interesting or compelling.

I do still plan on checking out some of Matheson's other work, but, as for this one... Skip it.(less)

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Mar 24, 2012 Starrbooty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, delicious-horror

Hell House is a classic horror story. Part of me felt bad, because a lot of it felt trite to me because I'd read so many other haunted house stories. I could see flashes of The Shining or Rose Red in it, but it still honestly stood out above the others.

The writing itself was not my favorite. I couldn't tell you what it was; perhaps my own writing style and organization of thought is more grandiose and full of (possibly unnecessary) adjectives...but even then, that wasn't always the case. I freq...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Bernard Schaffer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hell House is absolutely the scariest thing I've ever read. That includes my divorce paperwork. So, so good. Surprisingly, the formatting of the Kindle edition sucks. There are multiple problems throughout the manuscript, the kind that I would raise holy hell over if they appeared in mine. If I would not settle for it, a master the likes of Mr. Matheson should not have to suffer them either.
I doubt the old man is actively monitoring how his books appear on Kindle (The guy's 85 years old, for Ch...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Rick Urban rated it 2 of 5 stars

I decided to read this book after a few horror writers listed it as the scariest book they'd ever read...well, fear, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, and this late in a life devoted to reading many horror writers and seeing many horror novels, this book seems like fairly thin gruel. At the heart of my dissatisfaction, though, is the obtuseness of the manifesting spirits that is the hallmark of so many ghost stories: while a spirit may be strong enough to lift heavy tables to the ceili...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Magpie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, horror

Matheson already caught my attention with his most well-known work, 'I Am Legend', but this take on the haunted house genre is as good, if not a little bit better, than his sci-fi horror novel. Well, OK, they're doing very different things: 'I Am Legend' manages to make a compelling narrative out of a man trapped alone in his house, slaying vampires by day until it becomes a chore. 'Hell House', on the other hand, takes the well-worn (and wonderful) trope of the haunted house and makes it utterl...more Matheson already caught my attention with his most well-known work, 'I Am Legend', but this take on the haunted house genre is as good, if not a little bit better, than his sci-fi horror novel. Well, OK, they're doing very different things: 'I Am Legend' manages to make a compelling narrative out of a man trapped alone in his house, slaying vampires by day until it becomes a chore. 'Hell House', on the other hand, takes the well-worn (and wonderful) trope of the haunted house and makes it utterly compelling. I literally had to force myself to put this book down every time I stopped reading.

Matheson reflects on the classics of the haunted house genre, such as Shirley Jackson's 'The Haunting of Hill House' and Henry James' 'The Turn of the Screw'. His ghosts are more transparent (if you'll parden the pun), their motivations explored and revealed. The usual group of personalities is present in the living investigators: the doctor of parapsychology determined to prove his theory, the vulnerable believer, the cynic, but they are engaging and well-written, assisted by Matheson's willingness to leap between perspectives with little notice, just as the evil of the house can see their darkest thoughts. Allegiance switches as Dr Barrett becomes more frustrated and obsessed with his revolutionary machine to clear ghostly activity, his wife starts to understand that the house is bringing out darker sides of herself, the flaky medium is the only one willing to try and solve the mystery of the house and the cynical closed-off medium is caught between being the hero and walking away.

Matheson doesn't pull any punches with his ghostly phenomena: some parts of the novel are so horrible and overwrought in their horror that you have to laugh at them. But to Matheson's credit, that doesn't make them any less tragic, as the circumstances connected with the events are deeply upsetting. A wonderful, if obvious, haunted house novel and one I would fully recommend if you like the genre.(less)

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Aug 07, 2011 Carles Granados rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: terror

No me ha gustado mucho...

Me ha parecido muy flojo a nivel de trama (muy simple y poco original, monotemático y a ratos repetitivo en las escenas, una trama excesivamente alargada). El final lo encontré nada brillante ni redondo, es muy de pelis de serie B, muy peliculero, que es ese desenlace como podría ser otro (no sé si me explico...). La novela "se ve pasada de moda".
Su estilo ameno, directo y con una maestría especial para narrar las escenas paranormales hace que la novela se lea con cier...more

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Jan 03, 2011 Julaybib rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: novels

Hell House, rumah neraka, atau dalam buku ini sebenarnya cuma rumah berhantu. Sayangnya hantunya kejam, dan juga powerful sehingga bisa membahayakan orang yang dihantui (nggak seperti Sundel Bolong yang paling cuma nakut-nakuti aja - hantu Indonesia memang lebih beradab). Buku ini berkisah tentang seorang hartawan (mau bilang jutawan rasanya nggak sreg karena sekarang satu juta sudah nggak ada artinya) yang penasaran soal hantu sehingga membeli sebuah rumah berhantu dan membayar para profesional...more

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Dec 06, 2010 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had an urge to read a good old horror story, and after searching around, this book kept popping up. Overall, I found the read satisfying. It is full of creepy moments that stand up to most other horror novels I've read. The story is interesting enough, and the characters, although very typical for this type of story (one non-believing scientist, one person with a haunted past, one free spirit, one newbie to the paranormal), are interesting enough. I read it quickly, both because it didn't requ...more

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Nov 21, 2010 Joe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

Matheson impresses me as being more of a writer's writer or a filmmaker's writer than a reader's writer. Any number of authors of a certain generation cite him as an influence. His short stories have inspired screen adaptations as varied as Spielberg's first movie, Duel, to a classic Twilight Zone episode featuring a pre-Trek William Shatner. His novels have been made into movies endlessly, with Wil Smith's I Am Legend being the third (and least faithful) adaptation of the novel of the same name...more

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Sep 12, 2010 H. Anne Stoj rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

I like Richard Matheson. I really do. I think I Am Legend is an amazing story. Some of the others are a little hokey, but sometimes that just goes with the territory of horror. I like Ramsey Campbell as well, but some of his stories are a bit silly and have been made into even silly B movies. I believe there's one about a kind of tiki doll. Unless that's Matheson. Someone. Onward.

I read Hell House while undergoing radiation treatment so I no longer have the copy I had. For some reason, I have no...more I like Richard Matheson. I really do. I think I Am Legend is an amazing story. Some of the others are a little hokey, but sometimes that just goes with the territory of horror. I like Ramsey Campbell as well, but some of his stories are a bit silly and have been made into even silly B movies. I believe there's one about a kind of tiki doll. Unless that's Matheson. Someone. Onward.

I read Hell House while undergoing radiation treatment so I no longer have the copy I had. For some reason, I have no idea why, I do have this version and think it must have been some madness that overtook me or I forgot that I read it and found myself being confused with The Haunting of Hill House, which does happen in my brain now and then.

As I had nothing to do while being radioactive other than watch TV and read, I read a great deal, though I've forgotten what the other books were (but all were of the sort that I knew I wouldn't particularly want to read again and bought used with the knowledge they wouldn't be returning; sadly I lost my favorite plaid pajamas this way, but they were ready to retire, difficult, but true.) For reasons that aren't the best Hell House sticks out in my mind. I have to wonder if I didn't read the Haunting of Hill House as well, but that's for another mental debate.

Ah, the cheesiness. It could be Wisconsin. Add fireworks (oh, but there is fire!) and porn (but there's sex, too!) and it's Hell House without the ren faire, Bong State Park, the orange moose, or cheese curds. I remember laying in the hospital bed reading because there wasn't anything else to do, even wandering the room was restricted (I did have a marked path of wandering, but really, to the door and back to the bed with the chair off limits was not particularly exciting and the hall was definitely a no go) I was stuck with at least this novel of supernatural nonsense.

Oh, and I believe the devil's involved somewhere. Marvelous.

So, unless one's stuck in a hospital room, filled with radiation and bored to death, I probably wouldn't recommend. Except for a laugh maybe. That's possible too.(less)

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Oct 12, 2009 Anton rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the guy who wrote "I am Legend," upon which the Will Smith movie of the same name was based. A fun, creepy read with an interesting if not entirely original take on hauntings as manifestations of sexual and other forms of psychological repression (in this case working in conjunction with little understood workings of "energy" and other physical laws). Especially in this respect, the characters are flawed and interesting, dealing with their own internal issues as the horrors of Hell House...more

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May 26, 2009 Myranda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-borrowed-from-the-library

I discovered Richard Matheson a little over a year ago when I picked up I Am Legend in Barnes & Noble on a book-buying spree. I had always been a fan of the supernatural/horror genre, but I always kept my choices limited to Stephen King novels. Since reading and absolutely loving I Am Legend, I read a few of Matheson's short stories and discovered that he was responsible for some of my favorite images and movies - What Dreams May Come, Stir of Echoes, Terror at 20,000 Feet - and I also disc...more

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Apr 13, 2009 Dreadlocksmile rated it 5 of 5 stars

Richard Matheson’s classic horror novel ‘Hell House’ was first published by Viking Press Inc back in 1971. Matheson had already received much praise for his previous work with novels such as ‘I Am Legend’ and ‘The Shrinking Man’. The novel proved to be such an inspirational piece of horror fiction that it was later made into the film ‘The Legend of Hell House’ starring both Pamela Franklin and Roddy McDowall.

From the very beginning of the novel, the reader is thrown into the eerie premise of the...more

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Jan 19, 2009 Amber rated it 3 of 5 stars

First off, I just want to say that this book is what it is... a tale of horror, nothing more but also nothing less. It does what a horror book should do and succeeds. Unfortunately, I disliked the ending of the book (the very last bit... not the ending as a whole). I enjoyed the psychological aspect of the supernatural. The thought that all supernatural events could be straight from our own minds. Opening up the parts of our brain we don't use and convincing ourselves that these abilities are th...more

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May 08, 2013 Ben Sundell rated it 4 of 5 stars

I initially looked into this book after reading Matheson’s excellent I am Legend, thinking that since he did post-apocalyptic so well I owed it to myself to check out his horror. I’m one jumpy bastard when it comes to scary video games and even movies, but books rarely get to me. Those few that really did frighten me, such as Burnt Offerings or It, hold a special place in my memory. I think it’s fair to say that “Hell House” will be joining these ranks after a few days of frantic reading.

Matheso...more I initially looked into this book after reading Matheson’s excellent I am Legend, thinking that since he did post-apocalyptic so well I owed it to myself to check out his horror. I’m one jumpy bastard when it comes to scary video games and even movies, but books rarely get to me. Those few that really did frighten me, such as Burnt Offerings or It, hold a special place in my memory. I think it’s fair to say that “Hell House” will be joining these ranks after a few days of frantic reading.

Matheson strikes a delicate balance of many horror tropes so that nothing seems overdone. In the passages that describe the sittings, tension permeates directly from the book into your body. Scenes where the characters find themselves in mortal danger abound, and I found myself frantically scanning all parts of the page at once trying to find out what happened as quickly as possible. There’s even somewhat of a “gross-out” factor due to the prominent sexual deviants in the house’s history, one scene in particular I’m sure is going to stick with me until I die. The books real worth isn’t in the horror, though that definitely lived up to expectations.

The pleasant surprise in this novel was how well done some of the characters were. Just by reputation and history alone, Belasco makes a wonderful antagonist and you’ll find yourself simultaneously revolted and awestruck by his manipulative genius. Barrett makes an interesting case for parapsychology by purely scientific means, even if he’s a little cut-and-dry in the purely rational scientist role. His value really shines through in his stark contrast to Florence, the quintessential psychic medium. Florence is an especially wonderful character, constantly making you cringe with her optimistic naivety and swiftly winning you back with her compassion and selfless worldview. Edith and Fisher were much more nuanced. Both were initially somewhat annoying and incompetent but eventually strong characters in their own right.

The storytelling was overall very strong. I think Matheson rationalized the ending nicely although it assembled in a whirlwind fashion. That was probably intentional as Hell House is nothing if not chaotic, but I appreciate the opportunity for a bit more detective work on the readers part. The book in general moves at a very fast pace, but Matheson doesn’t sacrifice exposition to make it so. I think this last aspect is one of his most commendable qualities as an author, as too many books make you trudge through the beginning to get to the good parts.

I’d recommend Hell House in general, it’s a must read if you’re a fan of the genre. You may take a pass if you can’t stomach horror in general, but this is a great book to help you appreciate what good horror is capable of.
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topics	posts	views	last activity
Classic Trash: Hell House: Finished (Spoilers)	2	1	Jun 14, 2013 10:50am
Classic Trash: Book vs. Movie (The Legend of Hell House)	1	3	Jun 10, 2013 10:51am
Classic Trash: Hell House: In Progress (No Spoilers)	3	3	Jun 03, 2013 03:17pm
Helll House	21	126	May 16, 2013 11:51pm
That's no exuse: tsk tsk tsk	1	6	Dec 14, 2012 06:39am

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About Richard Matheson

Born in Allendale, New Jersey to Norwegian immigrant parents, Matheson was raised in Brooklyn and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1943. He then entered the military and spent World War II as an infantry soldier. In 1949 he earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and moved to California in 1951. He married in 1952 and has four children, three of w...more Born in Allendale, New Jersey to Norwegian immigrant parents, Matheson was raised in Brooklyn and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1943. He then entered the military and spent World War II as an infantry soldier. In 1949 he earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and moved to California in 1951. He married in 1952 and has four children, three of whom (Chris, Richard Christian, and Ali Matheson) are writers of fiction and screenplays.

His first short story, "Born of Man and Woman," appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1950. The tale of a monstrous child chained in its parents' cellar, it was told in the first person as the creature's diary (in poignantly non-idiomatic English) and immediately made Matheson famous. Between 1950 and 1971, Matheson produced dozens of stories, frequently blending elements of the science fiction, horror and fantasy genres.

Several of his stories, like "Third from the Sun" (1950), "Deadline" (1959) and "Button, Button" (1970) are simple sketches with twist endings; others, like "Trespass" (1953), "Being" (1954) and "Mute" (1962) explore their characters' dilemmas over twenty or thirty pages. Some tales, such as "The Funeral" (1955) and "The Doll that Does Everything" (1954) incorporate zany satirical humour at the expense of genre clichés, and are written in an hysterically overblown prose very different from Matheson's usual pared-down style. Others, like "The Test" (1954) and "Steel" (1956), portray the moral and physical struggles of ordinary people, rather than the then nearly ubiquitous scientists and superheroes, in situations which are at once futuristic and everyday. Still others, such as "Mad House" (1953), "The Curious Child" (1954) and perhaps most famously, "Duel" (1971) are tales of paranoia, in which the everyday environment of the present day becomes inexplicably alien or threatening.

He wrote a number of episodes for the American TV series The Twilight Zone, including "Steel," mentioned above and the famous "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"; adapted the works of Edgar Allan Poe for Roger Corman and Dennis Wheatley's The Devil Rides Out for Hammer Films; and scripted Steven Spielberg's first feature, the TV movie Duel, from his own short story. He also contributed a number of scripts to the Warner Brothers western series "The Lawman" between 1958 and 1962. In 1973, Matheson earned an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for his teleplay for The Night Stalker, one of two TV movies written by Matheson that preceded the series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Matheson also wrote the screenplay for Fanatic (US title: Die! Die! My Darling!) starring Talullah Bankhead and Stefanie Powers.

Novels include The Shrinking Man (filmed as The Incredible Shrinking Man, again from Matheson's own screenplay), and a science fiction vampire novel, I Am Legend, which has been filmed three times under the titles The Omega Man and The Last Man on Earth and once under the original title. Other Matheson novels turned into notable films include What Dreams May Come, Stir of Echoes, Bid Time Return (as Somewhere in Time), and Hell House (as The Legend of Hell House) and the aforementioned Duel, the last three adapted and scripted by Matheson himself. Three of his short stories were filmed together as Trilogy of Terror, including "Prey" with its famous Zuni warrior doll.

In 1960, Matheson published The Beardless Warriors, a nonfantastic, autobiographical novel about teenage American soldiers in World War II.

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