Member-only story
BOOK REVIEW | GOTHIC HORROR
The Haunting of Hill House- by Shirley Jackson. A Book Review
Book Two in the “Thanks for the Nightmares” Summer Reading Challenge
Take one thirty-something shut-in with a fragile disposition, pair her with a flamboyant extrovert, and knowingly place them in a house with a dread history laced with death and entities from beyond under the direction of a parapsychologist seeking proof of poltergeists. You have the setting for The Haunting of Hill House by author Shirley Jackson.
This gothic horror, written in 1959, is a pure spook story, as one can find. The award-winning novel is an old-school thriller, and even some 60 years later, the book still delivers solid chills.
This book is my second of three reads prompted by Paul Combs from his Seven Summer Reading Challenges, and I can see why it’s on his list.
The story begins very Twilight Zone-esque, with Eleanor Vance en route to the haunted mansion.
The young woman receives her invitation and instructions to attend the special gathering at Hill House, with the intentions made quite clear. The place is a local spook legend. The townsfolk don’t speak about the house, much less go anywhere near it. Especially not after dark. But the…
