In a previous post about Richard Matheson’s Hell House, I posted about a house that was evil because it contained evil. In Hell House corruption festers for years, leaving the house insidiously haunted. The 1963 film, The Haunting, is based off Shirley Jackson’s book The Haunting of Hill House and also details the occurrences in a haunted house. But Hill House in The Haunting is different. True, the movie implies that its owner, Hugh Crane, was sadistic and twisted. And his daughter Abigail died in the house, an old woman, because of a paid companion’s negligence. But the haunted house in The Haunting started killing on its own before these events occurred. Continue reading “From Hell House to Hill House: Some Perspective on the Original “The Haunting” (1963)”
haunted houses
Will Hell House Scare the Hell Out of You?
So I haven’t blogged in a while. I’ll admit: I downloaded an old computer game I used to play in high school, and I’m hooked all over again. This is my plug for RollerCoaster Park Tycoon: Once you start building virtual amusement parks, you’ll never stop. But I did read Hell House, by Richard Matheson, while I was on my blogging hiatus. Perhaps I seek to get in touch with my youth; I also flew through Hell House in high school and was mesmerized. I’ll admit, this time around, the story was less captivating. Maybe I’m old and jaded. But, the book is still a pretty good scare. As I sat alone downstairs at night reading it, I looked around anxiously lest any insidious spirits eye me up and prepare to pounce. As far as haunted house stories are concerned, Hell House provides an intricate plot with intense action and characters who are relatable, although some are more likable than others. Continue reading “Will Hell House Scare the Hell Out of You?”
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