Reading the Scariest Book: The Haunting of Hill House

According to almost all of history and most reviewers, Shirley Jackson's 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House is one of the scariest novels of all time. Since the recent release of Netflix's miniseries of the same title, this classic horror has been brought back into the limelight. As a horror fan, the book had sat on my to be read list for years. I finally got around to reading it after devouring and loving the show, and I was not disappointed. 

As much as I love all things horror, from movies, to shows, to novels, I constantly find myself let down by the lack of terror apparent in the majority of these. Perhaps I'm just too hard-hearted, or maybe I have extremely thick skin, but I don't scare easily. From The Shining to The Conjuring, I have gone to bed without a single nightmare. Sure, I have horror that I love, like Stephen King's book It and the 2013 film Oculus, but rarely do I experience the fear that makes this genre so popular. It can be difficult when half the books and movies are riddled with cheap jump-scares and unnecessary gore (I'm looking at you, The Nun). But The Haunting of Hill House is exactly the kind of book and show I wish all horror could be.

the book























The Haunting of Hill House is a novel of terror, not horror. If you're not familiar with the concept, it is this idea that the tension and apprehension that are involved with your anticipation of experiencing something horrific is called terror. On the other hand, horror is the revulsion and shock that occurs when confronted with the thing you had been dreading (i.e. a dead body, a ghost, etc.). Shirley Jackson's novel, as well as its miniseries, plays on terror, which serves to cultivate a constant feeling of fear. 

From the moment our protagonist Eleanor arrives at the infamous Hill House, you get the sense that something about the place is just wrong. It's off somehow, like a building put together through madness and despair. The reason that Eleanor is at Hill House is because a researcher called Dr. Montague wrote to her and another woman named Theodora to request their assistance in investigating the notoriously haunted home. Our other main character, Luke, is related to the current owners of the property. 

It's a familiar set-up--a haunted house and a paranormal investigation. So what makes The Haunting of Hill House so special? This is the kind of novel that perfectly utilizes subtlety, which is a quality missing from many current horror novels. Hill House gets under your skin and it pervades the secret, innocent corners of your mind. It frightens you indirectly so that you don't even realize how terrified you are until you find yourself unable to fall asleep at night, scared of what will knock on your door just as you find yourself drifting off. 

Shirley Jackson's expertly crafts an atmosphere of anxiety. The most terrifying thing is not the ghosts or demons said to walk there, but the implication that the evil is in the house itself. The house poisons those who inhabit it, coaxing them and convincing them of their belonging. Its unsettling and altogether disquieting. This is a horror novel unlike many others. You won't come face to face with a monster hiding under your bed, but you will face your inner emotions and desires, as well as how they might be manipulated. My only gripe is actually two nonsensical characters that I didn't care for, namely Arthur and Mrs. Montague, who serve a purpose but still managed to irritate me. 

the show

There have been many adaptations of Hill House previously, including two movies, a play, and now the brilliant Netflix miniseries. While the show appropriately honors its source material, it does not follow the same plot. However, the house and many references stay the same, and the show includes multiple direct lines from the novel. In this series, we follow the Crain family in two different timelines: the months they lived in Hill House as children and them as adults attempting to cope with the horrors they experienced that still haunt them. 

The miniseries takes the same approach of terror as the book does, focusing on a slow-building fear that ends in an explosive and chilling return to the house. The show takes its time to plant the seeds of discord that scare you rather than relying on easy but short-lived jump-scares. The Haunting of Hill House explores the aftermath of living in a haunted house and how the events of your childhood reverberate throughout your entire life. You get a feel for the Crain family and ultimately develop an emotional attachment to them. For me personally, I really loved Theo's character, as well as the twins. 

I cannot stress enough how well planned out this series is. The various story lines intertwine seamlessly to deliver heartache, shock, and of course, fear. The show touches you, and I almost guarantee it will make you cry, gasp, and scream--sometimes all at once. The show manages to capture this gorgeous and eerie Gothic atmosphere while simultaneously delivering a heartfelt story about family, regrets, and sacrifice. The ghosts themselves, such as the bent-neck lady or Poppy Hill, provide creepy imagery that will show up in your nightmares. But the show emphasizes that ghosts can be many things, such as memories, secrets, or wishes. 

Many people have dubbed this show as a masterpiece, and I adamantly agree. Hill House is an intricate and heartbreaking puzzle that I can't stop recommending to everyone. But be warned, it is not for the faint of heart, yet it is also nothing like the cheap, poorly executed horror that Hollywood keeps producing lately. I am hoping that the show will prompt a revival of a genre that I love so much and yet am constantly disappointed in. Not only is The Haunting of Hill House my new favorite horror series, it is also one of my new favorite shows of all time. 

Publication Date: 1959
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Pages: 182
Genre: Horror
Synopsis: It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, the lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

Have you read and/or watched Hill House?