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A review by slytherinlastheir
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
4.0
I read the novel after watching the Netflix series inspired by this. The plot of series and book is entirely different so, it doesn`t matter what you do first. Unlike the series, the basic story-line is about a paranormal investigation gone terribly wrong.
Rather than using a growing legion of ghosts to do the heavy lifting, the house itself carries the load. It gets into the character's heads and frightens them with poltergeist-like activity and other phenomena that may or may not be real. As the story progresses the sense of unreality grows, but subtly, so it is even more disorienting when prosaic reality comes crashing in.
It is a classic story of horror that uses what is unseen as the most terrifying feature. You will also see how this story has become a blueprint for so many other supernatural stories. Isn’t it often what is unknown or unseen that is most terrifying to us? It is still a mystery what it is exactly about Hill House that has this aura of horror and terror. Whatever it may be we do know it walks alone.
Rather than using a growing legion of ghosts to do the heavy lifting, the house itself carries the load. It gets into the character's heads and frightens them with poltergeist-like activity and other phenomena that may or may not be real. As the story progresses the sense of unreality grows, but subtly, so it is even more disorienting when prosaic reality comes crashing in.
It is a classic story of horror that uses what is unseen as the most terrifying feature. You will also see how this story has become a blueprint for so many other supernatural stories. Isn’t it often what is unknown or unseen that is most terrifying to us? It is still a mystery what it is exactly about Hill House that has this aura of horror and terror. Whatever it may be we do know it walks alone.