The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is not your typical haunted house story. The Hill House is a place of foreboding dread all the characters don’t fear the terror but feel something very off-putting. Elenor is the one character who feels the most terror, but the way Jackson wrote it, you kind of ask if it is all the house or if this character always going to hit a breaking point. I was super impressed with the witty dialogue, which made me look forward to the moments that did not have horror. Is The Haunting of Hill House scary? Not really it is deeply psychological and there are some moments of terror (things that go bump in the night) but the horror is all in the mind we do not see any horror, but the characters feel it. The creepiest moment is when one character thought another character was holding their hand when it was physically impossible. This is a good novel for a book club because parts of it are open-ended is this only happening to one character? Is one character manifesting this on others? Can we trust the dialogue of other characters when Eleanor is around? Does the novel have an LGTBQ subplot? What did the caretakers Mr. and Mrs. Dudley know to have the rules they set up for the house? and finally, Why is Dr. Montague married to Mrs. Montague? She’s the worst. The Novel starts a little slow but we see how Elenor’s brain works which is important. The novel gets going when everyone meets up at the house and we learn the history of Hill House. The first bumps in the night don’t happen until almost halfway through the book. Once they start the tension increases with every night until we go to the finale. I liked the ending which is subtle but it sticks with you. This is my second Shirley Jackson novel I read and reviewed We Have Always Lived in the Castle which I liked slightly more than The Haunting of Hill House. I will say this for Shirley Jackson I knew both the stories but both were also not what I was expecting by the way they were told which is truly unique in its own way. The Haunting of Hill House was published on October 16, 1959, by Penguin Publishing.

Plot Summary: Dr. Montague is doing psychological research on the paranormal and invites people who have dealt with paranormal incidents in the past to stay in Hill House a place believed to be haunted. He only gets two responses Elenor who had a paranormal incident when she was a child and Theodora a woman who has psychic sensitivity. Luke an inheritor one day of Hill House comes along. Dr. Montague tells the history of Hill House all deaths and how the title changed hands to Luke’s family. Elenor and Theodora bond right away and become fast friends. Elenor is very sheltered and Theodora is very free and open. The tension starts when they have their first set of paranormal activity, Elenor gets attention from the house which further isolates her from everyone else as she reads it as jealousy in some and the group makes jokes to release the tension which she reads as directed at her. She soon starts to do things out of character and trusts Hill House more than the people inside it.

What I Liked: The witty dialogue was my favorite part of this book. I think the dialogue is ahead of its time doesn’t feel like the 1950’s and is rather timeless. The story without the ghost element would still be good. I loved the creepiest moment where Elenor realized Theodora who she thought was comforting her the whole time was not beside her. The library tower’s final scene was written well. I loved the ending which fit the out-of-control character of Elenor at the end. I liked the way it was written especially Elenor and how the reader already knows she’s lying when she first speaks. I loved and hated Mrs. Montague a very controlling woman.

What I Disliked: I wanted more of the terror and more aftermath. I wanted to know what the Dudleys saw while working there that they came up with their very strict rules. I wanted to see a ghost.

Recommendations: If you are a fan of witty dialogue then there’s a lot to love. If you like atmospheric terror and tension then this is the book for you there’s no ghost or gore just dread and sounds. I will recommend my readers to check out this slower but well-written story. I read The Haunting of Hill House in preparation to read A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand the first novel authorized by the Jackson estate to take place at Hill House.

Rating: I rated The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson 4 out of 5 stars.

What changed in the movie and TV show based on The Haunting of Hill House?

The Haunting (1963) is the closest to the novel and dives into the psychological aspect of Elenor. They changed Dr Montague to Markway. Instead of Elenor wanting a relationship with Theodora in the book she wants it with the doctor.

Haunting (1999) This adaption is a sleep study at Hill House that goes wrong. This story gives the Hill House a personality and there’s no psychological aspect the House is alive and it wants Elenor there are lots of ghosts and added deaths. I remember seeing this movie as a kid and not enjoying it. However, I do like that this one did leave the Doctor’s wife out of it since she is a force in the novel and a distraction.

The Haunting of Hill House (TV show) This series takes the characters of The Haunting of Hill House and makes them siblings that we see as both children and adults. The series captures the atmospheric aspect of the book as it completely makes a new story. I do like how the history that is described in the book is given to some of the characters. This series amps the horror aspect way up. I have more appreciation for what Mike Flanagan accomplished with this show after reading The Haunting of Hill House.