Reviews with content warning for Bullying - The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
Genre - Psychological Horror, classic
4/5

If you plan to read this book because you loved the Netflix series by the same name, you will be disappointed. The series is loosely based on the book, drawing only the names and the general crux of the tale. Although the series gave me goosebumps and sleepless nights, this book turned the horror scale up by a notch because it is solely up to our minds to visualize the events, and we expect the worst.

Haunted houses and malevolent dwelling places are my favorite genre. Jackson has succeeded in building up an eerie tableau, with rolling hills, glades, brooks, and a shadowy, monstrous house tucked in the smoky foothills, which the villagers loathe. The creepy, disturbing history adds to the animosity and the robotic housekeepers make the situation worse.

I loved the undertone of comedy and casual banter in the face of horror, which made the whole reading experience more shocking. how the occupants handled the horrific encounters so flippantly, joking about it and choosing to remain, there made me wonder if it who only me who was terrified.

The dynamics of the women, the cat-fights were amusing. Especially Mrs. Dudley and Mrs. Montague’s attitude made me chuckle from time to time. Female jealousy, bossy old women, unrequited love, things that go bump in the night - the whole rollercoaster ride is here!

I loved the undertone that Eleanor may be to blame for everything, either through telekinesis or psychosis. The fact that there was not one creepy-crawly ghost or bent head lady (whom I was expecting to encounter) was the only disappointment. But this kind of psychological horror nonetheless tickled my fancy. Nothing is written in black and white about what is happening and we have to depend on conjectures which make this book more interesting.

The movie The Haunting (1963) is supposed to be the closest copy of the book (not entirely), and it gives a few spoilers on the actuality of the situation.

This classic has made my horror reading experience take a turn for the better and I’m sure I am going to make a ritual of re-reading it every Halloween.

Content Warnings

rinitealeaf's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Content Warnings

ospreyadventure's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

ladysanctuary's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

bwwilhelm's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is a slow-burner. It takes a while for things to start happening, but Shirley Jackson did a *fantastic* job of building tension. And, of course, once the ball gets rolling, it's a dead sprint right through to the last page.

Content Warnings

beefromanoff's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Content Warnings

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