The Haunting of Hill House

Title: The Haunting of Hill House

Author: Shirley Jackson

Published in: 1959

Date read: 23rd March 2025

Score: 3/5

Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Mystery, Classic

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"The Haunting of Hill House," published in 1959, is a seminal work of psychological horror by Shirley Jackson. The novel is not a traditional ghost story but a terrifying and ambiguous exploration of sanity, paranoia, and the relationship between a person and the space they inhabit.

The story is narrated from the perspective of Eleanor Vance, a shy, isolated, and neurotic young woman who has spent her life caring for her demanding, now-deceased mother. She is invited to Hill House, an infamously haunted old mansion, by Dr. John Montague, a paranormal investigator who seeks to scientifically prove the existence of ghosts.

The other members of the strange party are Theodora, a free-spirited artist with psychic abilities, and Luke Sanderson, the heir to the mansion who is invited to keep an eye on the property.

As the four of them settle into the strange and labyrinthine house, strange things begin to happen. The atmosphere is oppressive, with constant temperature changes, strange drafts, and a subtle but overwhelming sense of dread. Doors slam on their own, a faint, unexplainable weeping can be heard at night, and unsettling messages appear on the walls.

The haunting seems to target each person in a different way, but it seems to have a particular and terrifying focus on Eleanor. She feels a deep, almost spiritual connection to the house. The disturbances become more personal and terrifying for her, and she begins to question her own sanity. She experiences a profound sense of both belonging and terror, and the line between her own fragile mind and the house's malevolent presence begins to blur.

The novel's horror comes not from jump scares or graphic violence, but from the psychological erosion of its protagonist. Eleanor's paranoia and isolation are magnified by the house's power, and she begins to lose her grip on reality. The house itself is a character—a living, breathing, and malignant entity that seems to feed on the emotional and mental state of its inhabitants.

The climax is a terrifying and tragic conclusion where Eleanor completely surrenders to the house's influence. "The Haunting of Hill House" is a chilling and masterful work that leaves the reader questioning whether the terror was truly supernatural, or if it was all in the mind of a woman desperate for a home, for a place to finally belong.

Comments:
I feel awful to give a ghost story of this fame only 3/5. I was very excited to read this and although I enjoyed it, I was disappointed. The story is good and there are sections that are excellent, however, I just wasn't scared or drawn into the story. I never had a problem in putting the book down at night and, unlike some others, I did not have to forego sleep in order to finish a chapter.

As I write this, I can picture two specific parts that were excellent but there were not enough of these to give the book more.

Books that we've read by Shirley Jackson (1):
The Haunting of Hill House (1959)