Review by shelfcarewithjess - The Haunting of Hill House

shelfcarewithjess 's review for:

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

3.5

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

The Haunting of Hill House is a strange, unsettling classic — more psychological unease than straightforward ghost story. I kept confusing it with House on Haunted Hill, so I was initially expecting a lot more overt "ghostiness" than I actually got.

Once I adjusted my expectations, I found myself drawn into Shirley Jackson’s eerie, almost claustrophobic writing style. It's a slow burn, heavy on atmosphere, character isolation, and creeping dread rather than dramatic scares. Even though I felt like I was always waiting for some huge moment that never really came, the quiet tension definitely stayed with me after I finished.

Reading this made me much more inclined to explore more horror and ghost stories — the kind that unsettle rather than outright terrify.

Favourite Quotes:

👻 "Am I walking toward something I should be running away from?"
👻 "The house. It watches every move you make."
👻 "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."

Final Thoughts:

Not your typical ghost story, but an atmospheric, unsettling journey into fear, loneliness, and the human mind.

Content Warnings