With Halloween just around the corner, I thought I’d feature one the best horror novels I’ve ever read. Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House (1959), is certainly the most influential haunted house tale of all time. It was a finalist for the National Book Award and has been made into two feature films (The Haunting, directed by Robert Wise, and its remake), a play, and is the basis of a Netflix series.
Jackson sets up a scary situation when a group of four supernatural phenomena researchers stay at a haunted house. The reader is confronted with the question: do ghosts really exist? The researchers all perceive the haunted house in different ways with plenty of dread and horror.
In 2018, The New York Times polled 13 writers to choose the scariest book of fiction they have ever read, and Carmen Maria Machado and Neil Gaiman both chose The Haunting of Hill House. You can add me to that list! Are you a fan of Shirley Jackson? GRADE: A
Loved it. And also thought the original movie did a terrific job adapting it. Great choice for Halloween week.
Jeff, you’re right. The original movie version of THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE captured the spirit of the book. What’s Halloween without a haunted house?
While the remake of the film had one good scene, and that’s it.
Todd, I’m always wary of “remakes.”
Yes, I’m a big fan of Shirley Jackson’s, including her humorous LIFE AMONG THE SAVAGES and RAISING DEMONS, and her short stories.
Jeff, Shirley Jackson is best known for “The Lottery” but she wrote plenty of work well worth reading.
A strange woman who wrote strange stories, except for the ones Jeff mentioned.
Patti, I saw the Shirley Jackson biopic and enjoyed it. “Shirley is a 2020 American biographical drama film directed by Josephine Decker and written by Sarah Gubbins, based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Susan Scarf Merrell, which formed a ‘largely fictional story’ around novelist Shirley Jackson during the time period she was writing her 1951 novel Hangsaman. The film stars Elisabeth Moss as Jackson, with Michael Stuhlbarg, Odessa Young, and Logan Lerman in supporting roles. Martin Scorsese serves as an executive producer.”
Love Shirley Jackson! Loved the first Haunting of Hill House movie with Julie Harris and Claire Bloom.
The Bird’s Nest revolves around a girl with multiple personalities and the names are all variations on Elizabeth (you can understand the appeal).
Beth, Shirley Jackson is one of my favorite writers. I have a copy of THE BIRD’S NEST around here somewhere. I need to find it and read it after your recommendation!
I remember when reading THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE around 1960, a friend of my mother said she couldn’t believe it was written by the “woman who wrote all those funny stories in THE NEW YORKER.”
I first read her short story “Charles” in LIFE AMONG THE SAVAGES, one of her humorous books, and I laughed out loud; then I read it her collection THE LOTTERY and it totally creeped me out. It takes a special sort of genius to tread the fine line between humor and horror, letting the reader experience both separately.
Also a big fan of her first novel, THE ROAD THROUGH THE WALL.
Jerry, as I mentioned to Beth, I have a copy of THE ROAD THROUGH THE WALL around here somewhere. I need to read it because of your comment.
I think if you think about it, Jerry, more writers are drawn to both humor and horror than one might suspect immediately…certainly including the likes of Poe, Robert Bloch, Joe Lansdale, Muriel Spark, Evelyn Waugh, Charlaine Harris, Joan Aiken and others…
Ramsey Campbell, John Steinbeck, Ambrose Bierce, Margaret St. Clair…
Saki! Even Joseph Payne Brennan, come to think of his work.
Jeff, happy anniversary! Jackie, happy putting up with Jeff for all these years!
Jerry, Jeff and Jackie are having a great time today!
Least forgotten book so far, George, or close to…
Todd, I usually don’t use FFB to review classic books like THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, but with HALLOWEEN approaching, I thought I’d nudge a few commentators who may not have read Jackson’s classic.
I’d like to help produce a Ace Double-style volume of the pair of 1959 short novels that have had somewhat similar echoing influence, including in film and other media…as well as sharing some of the same components…Robert Bloch’s PSYCHO and Jackson’s THOHH.
Todd, I’d buy that ACE Double-style volume!