The Haunting of Hill House

*This is a review for the book and the Netflix Original Series of The Haunting of Hill House. There are no spoilers in either reviews.*


 The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

"First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own." (goodreads)

I always love a good ghost story, but I think this has to be my new all time favorite. Usually I am very iffy when things are not fully explained, but I think that is part of what made Hill House terrifying. One thing is for sure, something, whether it is ghosts or the house itself, is evil.

Theodora was a character that I still am not sure if I liked or didn't. She had a special relationship with Eleanor which I loved, but she wasn't always the nicest to her when they were in the presence of others. Eleanor was a character I loved. She could be a little frustrating at times, but I think her head was a little messy and she just desperately needed something to keep her grounded. She was lonely and Hill House gave her a special connection to the people she was there with. Luke and Dr. Montague were characters I did not think about too much, but enjoyed their presence when it was there.

I wish Shirley Jackson had wrote more about Hill House. I loved the house so much and felt it would have been a way to keep Hill House alive, exploring the ghosts that walk the halls. I was also so interested in Dr. Montague's origin story of Hill House. I would have liked more insight on Hugh Crain and what really went down with his two daughters.

The ending was again, something that I usually do not like in most stories. I like having a clear understanding of what happened, rather that the reader left to decide. Hill House was different. After I finished reading, I closed the book and just sat where I was and thought. I reflected over the book, the incidences and characters. It took me some time to made a conclusion about how Hill House ended. 

  My Rating: 5/5 Stars  

The Haunting of Hill House Netflix Original Series

Netflix Trailer

I have heard so many insanely scary things about this Netflix series. I was so intrigued by the idea of Hill House that I had to read the book first, and I'm glad I did. There are so many things changed from book to series but it was only inspired by the book. So if you are looking for a similar plot, unfortunately you won't get that.

The Haunting of Hill House Netflix series has been said to scare people so badly that it has caused some viewers to vomit and even pass out. I have had friends who have watched it and say this seems a little extreme but everyone does have different levels of terror. I have had some friends who loved the series but said it is nothing more than a scary tv show that lingers in your mind after you watch it. I have had some friends say they could not sleep alone in the dark after watching. However you look at it, The Haunting of Hill House is nothing more than just a fictional, well developed, ghost story.

I watch and read a lot of horror.
I was alone when binge watched the entire 10 episode season.
The Haunting of Hill House did have a lot of jumpy moments but it wasn't scaring me at all, when I watched the first few episodes in the day time. Then, I watched several episodes alone, in the dark. I will admit I was very invested in the story, the house and the characters. When I finally turned Netflix off at 3am, I was a little spooked. Every sound made me twitch and every shadow from the corner of my eye made me shiver. It was spooky but it wasn't terrifying. 

The Haunting of Hill House was amazing, even though it was very different from the book that I loved. The Crain siblings had such an special relationship. I loved each character in a different way. The story is told from past when the Crain family was living at Hill House, and the present when they are adults. The story is not told in a straight line, you really have to pay attention. You will see some stories more than once, told from a different person's point of view, until when you finally have the full story at the very end.

The Crain Family:
Father: Hugh Crain
Mother: Olivia Crain

Steven Crain
Shirley Harris
Theodora Crain
Luke Crain
Eleanor Vance

I have seen that The Haunting of Hill House will have a Season 2, but unfortunately the Crain family story is finished. However, there is still plenty to explore in Hill House.

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