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stormlightreader 's review for:
Hell House
by Richard Matheson
dark
fast-paced
I liked this not so subtle haunted house story. Matheson wastes no time getting the plot established and the characters are soon having fun. The book was very atmospheric, reminding us of the looming presence of the Belasco House. The house is grand and boasts a ball room, indoor swimming pool and a chapel, so you know there is likely to be some nasty scenes. Spoiler alert: there was.
While the book wasn't scary, there were some creepy scenes that gave some low level chills. However, there also some explanations of Belasco's past actions, which weren't detailed and left a lot to the imagination, and I can't really do justice to the vibes Matheson creates explaining these but I'll just say The 120 Days of Sodom got a shoutout. Horror film fans will know what that means and I'll leave it there.
I've read The Haunting of Hill House, and while I didn't enjoy that, I could appreciate Jackson's clear influence on Hell House, but Matheson definitely puts his own spin on the haunted house story. We have a scientist determined to prove that the activity in the house is nothing to do with the supernatural and is purely down to electromagnetic energy and he is sure he can stop it...with a machine (the book almost lost me here). He is joined by a mental medium who definitely takes the brunt of Hell House and there is the scientist's wife and a returning survivor of the Hell House.
Hell House has a big focus on sex, which isn't surprising once you know about Belasco's social activities while he was alive and I saw a review that summed Hell House up as 'a hyper sexual' version of The Haunting of Hill House 'with a dose of science fiction', which is pretty apt in my opinion! This aspect didn't bother me too much but I was taken aback with a scene towards the end which involved a female character and crucifix with an erection. Very American Horror Story!
To sum up, Hell House is dark and atmospheric, and while I doubt I'll revisit it, I did enjoy it more than I expected to and I'm tempted to watch the movie adaptation.
While the book wasn't scary, there were some creepy scenes that gave some low level chills. However, there also some explanations of Belasco's past actions, which weren't detailed and left a lot to the imagination, and I can't really do justice to the vibes Matheson creates explaining these but I'll just say The 120 Days of Sodom got a shoutout. Horror film fans will know what that means and I'll leave it there.
I've read The Haunting of Hill House, and while I didn't enjoy that, I could appreciate Jackson's clear influence on Hell House, but Matheson definitely puts his own spin on the haunted house story. We have a scientist determined to prove that the activity in the house is nothing to do with the supernatural and is purely down to electromagnetic energy and he is sure he can stop it...with a machine (the book almost lost me here). He is joined by a mental medium who definitely takes the brunt of Hell House and there is the scientist's wife and a returning survivor of the Hell House.
Hell House has a big focus on sex, which isn't surprising once you know about Belasco's social activities while he was alive and I saw a review that summed Hell House up as 'a hyper sexual' version of The Haunting of Hill House 'with a dose of science fiction', which is pretty apt in my opinion! This aspect didn't bother me too much but I was taken aback with a scene towards the end which involved a female character and crucifix with an erection. Very American Horror Story!
To sum up, Hell House is dark and atmospheric, and while I doubt I'll revisit it, I did enjoy it more than I expected to and I'm tempted to watch the movie adaptation.