Goodreads | The Haunting of Hill House (Penguin Classics) by Shirley Jackson

rating	frequency	%
5		33%
4		37%
3		22%
2		5%
1		0%

Brooke rated it:

06/12/07

bookshelves: 2007, classics

Read in January, 2007

recommends it for: fans of psychological horror

I'm a huge fan of books where houses are one of the characters (see: House of Leaves, for example). I'd recently Tivoed The Haunting (the 1999 version) and was annoyed that while there were some good underlying ideas, the execution was cheesy and over-the-top. While browsing the horror aisle at a used bookstore, I saw Shirley Jackson's original novel, which is considered a classic ghost story, and decided to give it a try in hopes that it would retain the good parts of the movie and eliminate th...more I'm a huge fan of books where houses are one of the characters (see: House of Leaves, for example). I'd recently Tivoed The Haunting (the 1999 version) and was annoyed that while there were some good underlying ideas, the execution was cheesy and over-the-top. While browsing the horror aisle at a used bookstore, I saw Shirley Jackson's original novel, which is considered a classic ghost story, and decided to give it a try in hopes that it would retain the good parts of the movie and eliminate the Hollywood cheese.

In short, The Haunting of Hill House is about a scientist who invites people who had previously experienced paranormal events to stay in Hill House and help him scientifically prove that it is haunted. It was written back in 1959, so a lot of the dialogue and ideas seems outdated. I was able to overlook this most of the time, but sometimes I just had to raise an eyebrow and thank the heavens I didn't live in such a conservative time.

While the movie relies on in-your-face scares, such as phantoms floating down from the ceiling, the book goes in the opposite direction and keeps the horror mostly psychological. The supernatural events at times seem to be taking place solely in the main character, Eleanor's head; much of the book is ambiguous and leaves it up to the reader to determine whether the hauntings are real, or if Eleanor is going insane, and whether the house is the blame for her insanity, or if she's finally breaking down after an isolated life. The supernatural events are also only half described; a character sees something and screams for everyone to run, but the "something" is never described. In some ways it has a Jaws-like effect of heightening the terror, but on the other hand, left me desiring more.

The final plot twist in the 1999 movie version regarding why Eleanor was invited to Hill House was not included in the book, which disappointed me. I was looking forward to reading a better-executed version of the concept, but it definitely would have been at odds with the subtle and ambiguous style of the rest of the novel.

The Haunting of Hill House is a quick read for anyone looking for something creepy, but if you like a little bit more certainty to your novels, it might be a little too draw-your-own-conclusions for you. I'll probably reread it again in the future, now that all the expectations I had due to the movie have been stripped away. I expect I'll take something different from it now if I read it while trying to decide if Eleanor is insane or if the hauntings are real, instead of waiting for the scenes from the movie to occur....less

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

1 comment

Anne rated it:

11/13/07

I was once so in love with Shirley Jackson that I declared I'd marry the man who could identify the source of this passage:

"Don't do it, Eleanor told the little girl; insist on your cup
of stars; once they have trapped you into being like everyone
else you will never see your cup of stars again"

Thank goodness this didn't happen (this was before search engines, by the way), but I'll hold to the opinion that Shirley Jackson is one of the most intriguing writers of the 20th cen...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

add a comment

El rated it:

03/01/08

bookshelves: late20th-centurylit

Read in March, 2008

recommended to El by: Rhonda T

Eleanor Vance is a painfully shy and inexperienced woman who spent a large chunk of her time caring for her ailing mother. Afer her death she lived with her sister and her sister's family instead of using the opportunity to live on her own and experience her own life. She is wracked with guilt over her mother's death and is insecure enough to allow her sister and her brother-in-law make most decisions for her. When Eleanor receives an invitation to Hill House she is intrigued and eager to hav...more Eleanor Vance is a painfully shy and inexperienced woman who spent a large chunk of her time caring for her ailing mother. Afer her death she lived with her sister and her sister's family instead of using the opportunity to live on her own and experience her own life. She is wracked with guilt over her mother's death and is insecure enough to allow her sister and her brother-in-law make most decisions for her. When Eleanor receives an invitation to Hill House she is intrigued and eager to have an experience of her own.

At the depressed Hill House Eleanor meets the other members of this exclusive shindig: Theodora, a seemingly polar opposite of Eleanor and thus embodies everything Eleanor wished for herself; Luke Sanderson, heir to the Hill House; and Dr. John Montague, the mysterious doctor who invited the rest to join him in his study of Hill House. Their project is to investigate the history and haunting of the house, using Eleanor's history of psychic phenomena to bring the house to life. In the process of bringing the house to life, however, the house is on its own mission to keep one for itself.

Much like the classic ghost movies of the 60s and 70s in which much of the horror is in everything not seen directly on the screen, Jackson's ghost story never reveals anything immediately obvious as a ghost. The experiences shared by the four within the house are all shadows, classic knocking, resulting in more of a psychological horror than anything else. The house feeds on their fear and uses it to specifically enter Eleanor's psyche, which is already damaged by her previous life.

Some of the dialogue between the characters leave much to be desired, and some repetitions were unnecessary. However, the overall creepiness of the story was enough for me to enjoy the reading 100%, even during the more obnoxious parts including the appearance of Mrs. Montague and her companion, Arthur. If the house wanted to take anyone, it should have been one or both of them.

Thanks for letting me borrow your copy, Rhonda!...less

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

1 comment

Sam rated it:

(review of isbn 0140071083)

08/26/07

bookshelves: fiction

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: anybody

The Haunting Of Hill House is so much more than a haunted house story. At it's heart it's a psychological profile of a very troubled woman trying to find a place in the world. I'm sure it's chock full of symbolism, if you're one of them literary nerd types. Symbolism is all well and good, but if it weighs down the story then what's the point? Jackson doesn't spend an excessive amount of time on it - she simply tells the story in short vignettes, leading the reader through scenes of lyrical c...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

2 comments

Will rated it:

05/13/08

Read in May, 2008

recommended to Will by: Jenny Robinson
recommends it for: Fans of ghost stories

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

The Haunting of Hill House is a modern classic in genre fiction. The main character Eleanor, a lonely, young woman who has spent her entire adult life caring for her ailing mother, gets an invitation to stay at Hill House while a paranormal investigation is carried out. Seeking to escape her insufferable sister and the memory of her dead mother, she accepts the invitation. She is chosen as a guest by Dr. Montague, a paranormal researcher, because of a bizarre incident in her past involving p...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comment

anenko rated it:

(review of isbn 0140071083)

06/23/07

bookshelves: fantasy-and-paranormal

Read in June, 2007

The story of “The Haunting Of Hill House” is atmospheric, and intensely creepy. The slow building horror is primarily psychological, but there are a few truly disturbing moments: holding hands with someone in the dark, footsteps left by an invisible person along the riverbank, a pounding in the night which leaves doors rattling in their frames.

Almost as intense and smothering as the haunting of Hill House is the relationship between Eleanor and Theodora. It is a blend of affection a...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Alison rated it:

08/20/08

bookshelves: scarystuff

Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: in the mood for a spooky story

"Theodora," she said, and closed her eyes and tightened her teeth together and wrapped her arms around herself, "it's getting closer."

"The Haunting of Hill House" is morbidly funny and imaginative, spookier than it is scary, and more eerie and blood-chilling than violent or stomach-wrenching. It's a classic ghost story that has been shamelessly borrowed and stolen from.

Shirley Jackson has a very unique voice, especially for a woman. Her writing is brilliant...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

2 comments

Pamster rated it:

09/18/07

Scary. I got scared. My roommate said "Maybe you shouldn't read that at night." It's a lovely ghosty psychological thriller. I almost wrote "chiller." Eew. It's a rumpy toasty pathological chiller. There's a perfectly tense mood as the house itself is a foreboding character from the start, and the four main characters spending their days in the house attempting with lightness to deal with their fears just tightened the creeping suspense.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

3 comments

Mikyla Rae rated it:

05/19/08

This is the most fabulous ghost story of the 20th century. You should read it if you like: a) the psychology of the ostrisized, b) the macabre that can only come from white culture of the Victorian era and northern/wet geographical areas (possibly the creepiest combination ever), and c) brilliant illiteration. So, basically, you should read it if you have good taste. Not to be too silly, but seriously, it's great.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Paul rated it:

02/08/08

Read in January, 1980

If you do nothing else - aside from see the classic 1963 film made from this book and avoid the recent re-make like the plague - you must read the opening paragraph to this book. Just pick it up next time you are in a book store and do so. It is, in my humble opinion, one of the most perfectly constructed opening paragraphs ever written... and the rest of the book isn't bad either, so close the cover and buy it already!

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Susan rated it:

01/06/08

Read in January, 1979

recommends it for: looking for a good old-fashioned scare sans gorefest

Absolutely terrifying when I read it in college. I was in my dorm room, late at night, my roomie gone home for the weekend. There was a terrifying bit and then a line that scared me so much I had to take the book and stick it in the hall bathroom before I could go to sleep. Deliciously scary!

The movie couldn't touch the book.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Deirdre rated it:

11/27/08

bookshelves: fromlibrary

Read in November, 2008

Now I'm curious to see the film.

I didn't find it all that terror filled or horrific, it was the story of edge of sight stuff and fairly scary but nothing exceptional for the genre. If there had been less reviewers saying things like keeping your nightlight burning if you read it in bed etc I might have enjoyed it better.

Yes the disintegration of a person because of a malicious feeling in a house, or perhaps it was that person disintegrating by their own, is pretty horrific. I'm sur...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Christian rated it:

10/30/08

Read in October, 2008

I learned something important about horror stories while reading this. They are far more effective when the main focus isn't the ghosts. There's The Shining and being trapped in your own head, 28 Days Later and the evils of mankind, I Am Legend and self-obsession, I could go on. This story is about the social struggle of Eleanor more than anything else. The evil house just plays off of it. I was always far more interested in knowing what was going on in Eleanor's head than in the more wicke...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Breebers rated it:

10/16/08

Read in October, 2008

It's always difficult for me approaching 'classic' books outside of an academic context. When you read classics in school, you're usually given certain themes, motifs, etc to look for, as well as some historical context for the book so you know, generally, what people thought in the period, both of the book and the world in general. When you take that away from someone like me, sometimes I feel a little lost when starting in...

That being said, I mostly enjoyed the book, at least for the firs...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Jacob rated it:

08/27/08

Read in August, 2008

On Saturday night I was riding my bike back to the Haight to meet friends at the Gold Cane for drinks and right as I started to climb the hill going up Market towards the lower Haight, the chain on my bike snapped. This week I've been riding the bus and reading The Haunting of Hill House. It's ghostly and dizzy and makes me feel motion sick. I am noticing the tourists and imagining them in a haunted house. I think about how strange people from the mid west look, or how strange they look while on...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Susan rated it:

09/22/08

bookshelves: better-than-the-movie, fiction, gothic-fiction, horror, my-favorite-books, paranormal, read-in-2008

Read in September, 2008

"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. 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. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone." ...more "No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. 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. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone."
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

I can't tell you how many times I've seen this opening paragraph to The Haunting of Hill House repeated in someone's review, and yet here I am reprinting it. It's just so fantastically creepy that I can't help myself! If that alone does not compel you to read this book, then I just don't know what else to say to you.

The Haunting of Hill House is a horror classic. You will not find violence or gore here, just an old-fashioned spooky good time for all. There's a big evil a-brewin' in Hill house. Or is it all in the mind of one of the house's four summer guests. Elanor Vance is socially awkward, painfully shy, and incredibly self-conscious; she's also a house guest, participating in paranormal experiments in Hill house. The group is led by Dr. John Montague. Along with narcissistic Theodora and well-to-do Luke, Eleanor is charged with reporting paranormal phenomena in the house over the summer.

I should probably tell you here that the guests do not actually see any demonic displays during their stay at Hill house. Nevertheless, the effect the book has on the reader can only be described as jolting. The horror here is very subtle and entirely psychological. Seriously, you don't even realize how scared you are until your husband (innocently) walks up behind your chair and makes you jump out of your skin just by putting his hand on your shoulder.

Jackson's descriptions of the actual hauntings are chilling and will have you turning on all the lights in your house, checking behind the doors, and looking under your bed. Her characters, in particular the main character, are written with an attention to detail and you will quickly find yourself absorbed into their fate.

The Haunting of Hill House is an unsettling and engrossing really quick read that will have you searching for more Shirley Jackson books at your local library. It's chilling and disturbing in the best sense of the words, and is easily the best ghost story I've ever read.

...less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Paul rated it:

(review of isbn 0140071083)

05/02/08

Read in April, 2008

Whenever I think of Shirley Jackson I automatically click on her "Lottery" short story, which had a big impact on me when I first read it in 9th grade. I've so linked her with that story that I tend to forget she wrote anything else, and I was surprised to find her as the author of this book. Sadly, I can remember times in the past when I thought of reading this book, and was surprised to find her as the author. Will I ever remember, or am I destined for a repeating cycle...more Whenever I think of Shirley Jackson I automatically click on her "Lottery" short story, which had a big impact on me when I first read it in 9th grade. I've so linked her with that story that I tend to forget she wrote anything else, and I was surprised to find her as the author of this book. Sadly, I can remember times in the past when I thought of reading this book, and was surprised to find her as the author. Will I ever remember, or am I destined for a repeating cycle of idiocy? Maybe now that I've actually read the book I'll remember.

I've long wanted to read the book because I think The Haunting, a 1963 movie that was based on this book, is about the creepiest movie I've ever seen, and I've been curious if the book could equal its film counterpart for horror.

It didn't. I think the book fails because of the 1st person standpoint of Eleanor. I can see inside her mind too much, and she's not a character with great depth, and the level of horror never reaches a level past a vague unease. Even then, much of it is linked (in my head) to scenes from the movie. Again, I'm talking of the original movie, not the overdone remake. And certain aspects of horror (sounds, for example) just take to the movies more than to novels. What novels can do far better is psychological horror, but the 1st person standpoint largely eliminates that advantage, especially near the end of the book, when Eleanor is becoming a part of Hill House, and her earlier fears are removed. If the 1st person character feels no horror, why should we?

Maybe it's best to look at this book as a character piece, and it would be more successful from that angle, but I went in looking for some horror, and I didn't get it, so I'm pissy.

Also, this book is simply too short to reach any sort of horror crescendo. I felt the principles arrived at Hill House, then, for a bit, nothing happened. Then a few things began happening. Then it was over. Where was the interim period of rising horror? I don't need a Stephen King-sized pile of pages, but the brevity of this book meant that everything was black and white, with no transitional gray. First there was no horror. Then there was. First Eleanor and Theodora were great friends, then they hated each other. Aaah, maybe I was just expecting too much, having been creeped out by the 1963 movie, and having just read Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, which I found to be both a brilliant piece of literature, and damnably creepy. That book was Jackson being genius, and this book was Jackson being competent. ...less

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Wednesday rated it:

04/22/08

bookshelves: horror

Read in May, 2006

Iv'e heard great things about this author and decided to try this story first.
I must say I totally loved most of the book, it truly expressed a "creepy" feeling that many horror books lacked. The only other book Iv'e read that reaches that level of creepy is Stephen King's The Shining. That being said I see major connections between King's Rose Red and this book. I'd almost venture to say he ripped her off.
The story is told from a first person view of Eleanor, a psychic and maybe a...more

Like this review? yes

1 comment

Kate rated it:

02/19/08

bookshelves: fiction

Read in October, 2007

"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. 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. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

Faustess rated it:

05/07/08

bookshelves: fiction-megalist

Read in December, 2005

This much cinemized (I doubt that's a word, but you know what I mean) book by Shirley Jackson seemed a little derivative - though I know that's only because I've seen so many film versions of the novel. If you've managed to avoid the related movies, you'll find a great work of psychological tension in the vein of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. Is Eleanor Vance experiencing ghostly phenomena or is she losing her mind? This question is not resolved in the text.

While somewhat spoiled somew...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

title link
avg rating
small image
med image
large image

The Haunting of Hill House (Penguin Classics)

book data

new topic
discuss this book

friend reviews

lists with this book

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1942)

blog this book

combine
other editions (14)

view this book

view this book

trivia question

popular shelves

The Haunting of Hill House (Penguin Classics)

book data

new topic discuss this book

friend reviews

lists with this book

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1942)

blog this book

combine other editions (14)

view this book

view this book

trivia question

popular shelves

new topic
discuss this book

combine
other editions (14)