The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, which was first released in 1959, has been praised as a masterpiece of frightful fear. Eleanor, a lonely, frail young woman well-versed in poltergeists, Dr. Montague, an occult scholar searching for solid proof of a “haunting,” Theodora, his vivacious assistant, and Luke, the future heir of Hill House, are the four seekers who arrive at the notoriously unfriendly pile known as Hill House. At first, it appears that their visit will only be a terrifying run-in with strange events. However, Hill House is gathering its might and will soon pick one of them to call its own.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
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A crew of ghost hunters or psychic investigators move into a home with a reputation for being haunted in one of several novels, such as The Haunting of Hill House, to see what they uncover. The fact that it’s at least as much about the psychological interactions of the characters as it is about the obviously ethereal, in my opinion, makes this the best ghost novel ever written. The role of the spinster, who eventually turns into one of Hill House’s ghosts, is superbly portrayed. The scenes she sees are both heartbreaking and unsettling.
The plot opens with Dr Montague doing research into the paranormal. Because of Hill Home’s reputation as a haunted house and its somewhat sombre past, he chose it as the venue for his investigation. We find out that in addition to the somewhat tragic history of its first occupants and builders, the more recent people who have attempted to live there seem to leave only after a brief visit and without giving any thought as to why they left so quickly. With its Gothic frightening style and distinctive floor plan, the mansion has a character all on its own. In the book, it is compared to the actual Winchester House in San Jose, California, which too had eccentric owners and a colourful past.
Dr Montague decides to spend the night in the infamously haunted Hill House in order to research it. Eleanor Vance and Theodora are invited because they’ve both had ghostly encounters in the past. Luke Sanderson, the current owner’s nephew, attends to speak on their behalf. Everyone is in the house for different reasons, and what first seems like a good time quickly turns into a nightmare. Will Hill House be able to flee whatever it is that has them?
