La maledicció de Hill House

By Shirley Jackson

Publicada per primera vegada als Estats Units el 1959,  La maledicció de Hill House  està considerada una de les obres mestres de la literatura de terror, una novel·la que ha marcat les trajectòries d'autors com Stephen King o Neil Gaiman.  La maledicció de Hill House  narra l'experiment inquietant de John Montague, filòsof i antropòleg dedicat obsessivament a l'estudi de fenòmens paranormals: el doctor vol comprovar en persona què suposa viure en una casa encantada. Quan sent a parlar de Hill House, un casalot inhòspit, desangelat i de reputació estremidora, està convençut que ha arribat el moment de provar-ho, i convoca tres persones perquè l'acompanyin en l'aventura: la Theodora, una jove despreocupada i curiosa, escollida per la seva capacitat telepàtica; l'Eleanor, solitària, infeliç i fràgil, amb un passat obscur, i el Luke, un jove vividor, mentider i futur hereu de Hill House.  La maledicció de Hill House  és una poderosa novel·la de terror psicològic que persegueix al lector més enllà de les pàgines del llibre.

• Language: Català
• Publisher: L'Altra editorial
• Release date: Jun 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9788412206470

Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson was an American author who is best known for the short story “The Lottery” and the horror novel The Haunting of Hill House. Married to the literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, Jackson cultivated a literary lifestyle, writing full time and developing relationships with literary colleagues. A gifted writer, Jackson frequently took inspiration from the events and locales of rural Vermont, where she and her family resided, and from the exploits of her children, which were chronicled in Life Among the Savages. Jackson died of heart failure in 1965.

Book preview

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1

Cap organisme viu pot conservar el seny gaire temps en condicions de plena realitat; fins i tot les aloses i les cigales, segons diuen, també somien. Hill House, insana, es retallava solitària contra els turons, servant obscuritat dins seu; feia vuitanta anys que hi era i podia aguantar-ne vuitanta més. A l’interior, els murs seguien drets, els maons perfectament arrenglerats, els terres eren sòlids i les portes estaven prudentment tancades; el silenci s’estenia incansable contra la fusta i la pedra de Hill House, i el que fos que s’hi passejava, s’hi passejava sol.

En John Montague era doctor en Filosofia i s’havia especialitzat en Antropologia perquè d’alguna manera intuïa que aquest camp seria el que millor li permetria seguir la seva veritable vocació: l’anàlisi dels fenòmens sobrenaturals. Era escrupolós en l’ús de la seva titulació perquè, com que les seves investigacions eren tan extremament poc científiques, almenys esperava guanyar-se un aire de respectabilitat, fins i tot d’autoritat acadèmica, amb la seva educació. Com que no era de mena pidolaire, li havia costat una bona quantitat de diners i d’orgull llogar Hill House durant tres mesos, però tenia l’esperança absoluta d’obtenir una compensació a les seves penes amb el rebombori que causaria la publicació de la seva obra definitiva sobre les causes i els efectes de les pertorbacions psíquiques que afecten les cases popularment conegudes com a «encantades». S’havia passat la vida buscant una casa encantada de debò. Quan va sentir a parlar de Hill House, al començament va tenir dubtes, després esperances i finalment es va mostrar infatigable: un cop havia trobat Hill House, no l’hi arrabassarien pas.

El que pensava fer el doctor Montague amb Hill House s’inspirava en els mètodes dels caçafantasmes intrèpids del segle dinou: s’instal·laria a viure a Hill House a veure què hi passava. La seva intenció, en principi, era seguir l’exemple d’aquella dama anònima que havia passat una temporada a Ballechin House i hi havia fet una festa per a escèptics i creients que va durar tot l’estiu i que tenia com a principals atraccions jugar a croquet i buscar fantasmes, però avui en dia no és fàcil trobar escèptics, creients i bons jugadors de croquet, així que el doctor Montague es va veure forçat a contractar ajudants. Potser el folgat estil de vida victorià encaixava millor amb els requeriments de la investigació psíquica, o potser la documentació exhaustiva de fenòmens havia passat de moda com a mètode per explicar una determinada realitat; fos com fos, el doctor Montague no només va haver de contractar ajudants sinó que també va haver de buscar-los.

Com que es tenia per un home curós i primmirat, va dedicar un temps considerable a fer aquesta recerca. Va pentinar els arxius de les societats psíquiques, els fitxers dels diaris sensacionalistes, els informes dels parapsicòlegs i va confegir una llista amb els noms de la gent que d’una manera o d’una altra, en un moment o altre, no importa si breument o amb dubtes, s’havia vist involucrada en fenòmens paranormals. D’aquesta llista, el primer que va fer va ser eliminar els noms de la gent que havia mort. Un cop va haver ratllat els noms d’aquells que li van semblar que buscaven publicitar-se, dels d’intel·ligència per sota el mínim admissible o dels que eren inadequats per una tendència clara a ser el centre d’atenció, li va quedar una llista d’una dotzena de noms. Cadascun va rebre una carta del doctor Montague amb una invitació per passar tot l’estiu o bona part en una casa de camp còmoda, vella però totalment equipada amb aigua corrent, electricitat, calefacció central i matalassos nets. El propòsit de la seva estada, segons deien clarament les cartes, era observar i investigar les diverses enraonies desagradables que havien circulat sobre la casa durant gairebé els vuitanta anys de la seva existència. Les cartes del doctor Montague no deien explícitament que Hill House estigués encantada perquè el doctor Montague era un científic i fins que no hagués experimentat fefaentment una manifestació psíquica no volia temptar la sort. Per això les seves cartes tenien una certa dignitat ambigua calculada per atrapar la imaginació d’una mena de lector molt peculiar. De les seves dotze cartes, el doctor Montague va rebre quatre respostes; els altres vuit candidats possiblement havien canviat d’adreça sense deixar indicacions de la nova, o havien perdut l’interès per allò sobrenatural o fins i tot potser no havien ni existit mai. Als quatre que van respondre, el doctor Montague els va tornar a escriure per citar-los el dia concret que la casa estaria llesta per ser ocupada i adjuntava informació detallada per arribar-hi, perquè, tal com s’havia vist obligat a explicar-los, les indicacions per trobar la casa eren molt difícils d’obtenir, sobretot de la comunitat rural a la qual pertanyia. El dia abans d’anar-se’n a Hill House, el doctor Montague va ser persuadit per incloure en la seva selecta companyia un representant de la família propietària de la casa i va rebre un telegrama d’un dels candidats, que es feia enrere amb una excusa clarament inventada. Un altre no va venir ni va escriure, potser a causa d’algun assumpte personal ineludible. Els altres dos sí que van venir.

2

L’Eleanor Vance tenia trenta-dos anys quan va arribar a Hill House. L’única persona del món que odiava de debò, ara que la seva mare havia mort, era la seva germana. No li agradaven el seu cunyat ni el seu nebot de cinc anys i no tenia amics. Això era degut principalment als onze anys que s’havia passat cuidant la seva mare invàlida, que li havien donat una certa experiència com a infermera i la incapacitat d’aguantar la llum forta del sol sense parpellejar. No era capaç de recordar cap moment de plena felicitat en la seva vida adulta; els anys passats amb la mare s’havien bastit devotament al voltant de petites culpes i retrets, un cansament continu i una desesperació inacabable. Sense haver volgut mai tornar-se reservada o tímida, havia passat tant de temps sola i sense ningú a qui estimar que li costava parlar, fins i tot espontàniament, amb una altra persona sense sentir-se cohibida i estranyament incapaç de trobar les paraules. El seu nom va acabar a la llista del doctor Montague perquè un dia, quan tenia dotze anys i la seva germana divuit, quan no feia ni un mes que el seu pare havia mort, una dutxa de pedres havia caigut a casa seva, sense avís ni possible propòsit o explicació. Les pedres queien dels sostres, rodolaven avall per les parets, trencaven finestres i repicaven contra el teulat de manera embogidora. Van caure tres dies sense parar i, durant aquell temps, a l’Eleanor i la seva germana les enervaven menys les pedres que els veïns i tafaners que cada dia s’aplegaven a fora, davant de la porta principal, i la insistència histèrica i cega de la seva mare que tot allò era degut a la gent venjativa i maliciosa del barri que els tenien tírria des que s’hi havien instal·lat. Al cap de tres dies van enviar l’Eleanor i la seva germana a casa d’un amic i les pedres van parar de caure i no les van veure mai més, encara que l’Eleanor i la seva germana i la seva mare van tornar a viure a la casa i la tensió amb el veïnat va continuar. La història l’havia oblidat tothom menys la gent a qui havia consultat el doctor Montague; certament havia estat oblidada per l’Eleanor i la seva germana, que en aquell moment havien pensat que l’altra n’era la responsable.

Durant tota la seva vida depriment, des que tenia ús de memòria, l’Eleanor havia estat esperant una cosa semblant a Hill House. Mentre es feia càrrec de la seva mare, portant l’antipàtica dona gran de la cadira al llit, preparant infinites safates de sopes i farinetes, suportant com podia la bugada fastigosa, l’Eleanor s’havia aferrat a la idea que algun dia li passaria alguna cosa. Havia acceptat la invitació d’anar a Hill House tot d’una, amb el següent correu, encara que el seu cunyat havia insistit a trucar a un parell de persones per assegurar-se que aquest doctor no pretenia introduir l’Eleanor a cap ritus salvatge relacionat amb certs assumptes que la germana de l’Eleanor considerava impropis per a una dona jove i soltera. Potser, xiuxiuejava la germana de l’Eleanor, potser el doctor Montague –si aquest era el seu nom de debò–, potser aquest doctor Montague utilitzava aquestes dones per fer, diguem-ne, experiments. Ja ho saps, experiments d’aquests que es fan. La germana de l’Eleanor es recreava profusament en això dels experiments que havia sentit dir que feien aquesta mena de doctors. L’Eleanor no tenia aquestes idees, i si les tenia, no li feien cap por. L’Eleanor, per dir-ho ras i curt, se n’hauria anat on fos.

Theodora: aquest és el nom que utilitzava; els seus dibuixos els signava «Theo» i a la porta del seu pis, a la finestra de la seva botiga, a la guia de telèfons, al seu pàl·lid paper de cartes i al peu del retrat encantador que tenia sobre la llar de foc el seu nom sempre era, simplement, Theodora. La Theodora no tenia res a veure amb l’Eleanor. Per a la Theodora el compromís i el zel eren atributs propis de les Girl Scouts. El seu món era ple d’alegria i colors suaus; havia acabat a la llista del doctor Montague perquè, després d’haver entrat rient al laboratori tot deixant un rastre de perfum de flors, havia estat capaç, divertida i esverada per la seva increïble habilitat, d’identificar correctament divuit cartes de vint, quinze de vint i dinou de vint, cartes que aixecava un ajudant que no podia ni sentir ni veure. El nom de Theodora destacava en els registres dels laboratoris i per això havia cridat inevitablement l’atenció del doctor Montague. A la Theodora li havia fet gràcia la primera carta del doctor i havia respost per pura curiositat (potser la clarividència desvetllada de la Theodora, la que li dictava els símbols de les cartes fora del seu camp de visió l’havia empès en direcció a Hill House), tot i que estava decidida a declinar l’oferiment. Malgrat això –potser es tractava d’aquella intuïció excitant i urgent altre cop–, quan va arribar la carta de confirmació del doctor Montague, la Theodora havia caigut en la temptació de ficar-se cegament, gratuïtament, en una baralla violenta amb la seva companya de pis. Des dels dos bàndols es van dir coses que només el temps podia esborrar; la Theodora havia fet miques deliberadament i sense pietat la preciosa figureta que la seva amiga havia tallat a partir del seu rostre i la seva amiga havia estripat cruelment el volum d’Alfred de Musset que la Theodora li havia regalat pel seu aniversari, acarnissant-se especialment en la pàgina que contenia la seva dedicatòria encantadora i graciosa. Evidentment, aquests actes no podien ser oblidats i abans que poguessin recordar-ho plegades entre rialles hauria de passar un cert temps; la Theodora va escriure aquella nit al doctor Montague acceptant la invitació i va marxar en un silenci glaçat l’endemà.

En Luke Sanderson era un mentider. També era un lladre. La seva tia, que era la propietària de Hill House, no es cansava de mencionar que el seu nebot havia tingut la millor educació, la millor roba, el millor gust i les pitjors companyies que ella havia conegut mai; hauria saltat d’alegria davant de la més mínima ocasió de tenir-lo sota bona custòdia durant unes setmanes. L’advocat de la família va rebre instruccions de persuadir el doctor Montague que la casa no podia ser llogada per als seus propòsits sense la presència obligatòria d’algú de la família durant tota l’estada, i potser va ser quan el va veure per primera vegada que el doctor va percebre en en Luke una espècie de força, o una mena d’instint felí d’autopreservació que va fer que se sentís igual d’impacient que la senyora Sanderson per endur-se’l amb ell a la casa. Fos com fos, en Luke estava distret, la seva tia agraïda i el doctor Montague més que satisfet. La senyora Sanderson va explicar a l’advocat de la família que, tanmateix, a la casa no hi havia res que en Luke pogués robar. La vella coberteria de plata tenia algun valor, li va dir a l’advocat, però representava una dificultat insuperable per a en Luke: feia falta una certa energia per robar-la i transformar-la en diners. La senyora Sanderson era injusta amb en Luke. En Luke no s’enduria la coberteria de plata de la família, ni el rellotge del doctor Montague ni la polsera de la Theodora; la seva manca d’honestedat es reduïa principalment a agafar xavalla del moneder de la tia i fer trampes a les cartes. També es dedicava a vendre els rellotges i els portacigarretes que les amigues de la seva tia li donaven, afectuoses i enrojolades. Algun dia en Luke heretaria Hill House però mai se li havia acudit que s’hi trobaria vivint.

3

–És que no crec que s’hagi d’endur el cotxe, ja està –va dir el cunyat de l’Eleanor, tossut.

–La meitat del cotxe és meva –va dir l’Eleanor–. Vaig ajudar a pagar-lo.

–És que no crec que s’hagi d’endur el cotxe, ja està –va dir el seu cunyat. Es va dirigir a la seva dona:– No és just que se’l quedi tot l’estiu i que nosaltres n’hàgim de prescindir.

–La Carrie el fa servir sempre i jo ni tan sols el trec del garatge –va dir l’Eleanor–. A part, vosaltres estareu a la muntanya tot l’estiu i allà no el podeu fer servir. Carrie, saps que no el fareu servir a la muntanya.

–Però imagina’t que la pobra petita Linnie es posa malalta o alguna cosa així: el cotxe ens faria falta per dur-la a cal metge.

–La meitat del cotxe és meva –va dir l’Eleanor–. Me l’enduré.

–Imagina’t que la Carrie es posa malalta. Imagina’t que no podem localitzar un metge i l’hem de dur a l’hospital.

–El vull. Me l’enduré.

–No ho crec –va dir la Carrie lentament, deliberadament–. No sabem on vas, oi? No t’ha semblat pertinent explicar-nos gairebé res de tot això, oi? No acabo de veure clar això de deixar-te el meu cotxe.

–La meitat del cotxe és meva.

–No –va dir la Carrie–. No pots.

–Exacte –va assentir el cunyat de l’Eleanor–. El necessitem, tal com diu la Carrie.

La Carrie va somriure lleument.

–Mai m’ho perdonaria, Eleanor, si et deixés el cotxe i passés alguna cosa. ¿Com podem saber que aquest doctor és de fiar? Tu encara ets una joveneta, al capdavall, i el cotxe val una pila de diners.

–Bé, Carrie, quan vaig trucar a en Homer del departament de crèdits, em va dir que aquest senyor tenia bona reputació a no sé quina universitat...

La Carrie va dir, encara somrient:

–És clar que no hi ha motius per sospitar que no sigui un home decent. Però l’Eleanor ha preferit no dir-nos a on se’n va o com localitzar-la en cas que necessitem recuperar el cotxe; podria passar qualsevol cosa i mai no ho sabríem. Encara que l’Eleanor –va seguir delicadament, dirigint-se a la seva tassa de te–, encara que l’Eleanor estigui disposada a anar-se’n a la fi del món a la sola invitació del primer home que passi, no veig que hi hagi cap motiu per deixar que s’endugui el meu cotxe.

–La meitat del cotxe és meva.

–Imagina’t que la pobra petita Linnie es posa malalta, allà dalt de les muntanyes, sense ningú a la vora. Sense cap metge.

–Sigui com sigui, Eleanor, estic convençuda que faig el que la mama hauria cregut que era millor. La mamà confiava en mi i segur que mai no hauria aprovat que et deixés anar-te’n així a la valenta a vés a saber on amb el meu cotxe.

–O imagina’t que jo em poso malalt allà dalt...

–Estic segura que la mama hauria estat d’acord amb mi, Eleanor.

–A més a més –va dir el cunyat de l’Eleanor, a qui tot d’una se li havia acudit una idea–, ¿qui ens assegura que ens el tornaries en bones condicions?

Hi ha d’haver un primer cop per a tot, es va dir l’Eleanor. Va sortir del taxi, molt d’hora al dematí, tremolant perquè segurament en aquells moments la seva germana i el seu cunyat ja devien estar sentint les primeres fiblades de sospita; va treure ràpidament la maleta del taxi mentre el conductor aixecava la caixa de cartró que havia dut al seient del davant. L’Eleanor li va donar una propina excessiva, imaginant-se la seva germana i el seu cunyat tombant el carrer i dient-se: «Mi-te-la, tal com sospitàvem, la lladre, mi-te-la». Es va girar de pressa cap al gran pàrquing municipal on guardaven el seu cotxe, mirant nerviosa els extrems del carrer. Va topar amb una velleta molt menuda, va fer volar paquets en totes direccions i va veure consternada com una bossa s’havia trencat a la vorera i havia deixat anar un tros de pastís de formatge, talls de tomàquet i un panet.

–Maleïda siguis! –va cridar la velleta, acostant el seu rostre a l’Eleanor–. Ho duia a casa, maleïda, maleïda siguis!

–Em sap molt de greu –va dir l’Eleanor; es va ajupir, però no li va semblar possible recollir els trossos de tomàquet i pastís de formatge i tornar-los a entaforar com fos a la bossa trencada. La velleta la mirava amb cara de pomes agres i agafava les altres bosses abans que l’Eleanor pogués fer-ho i finalment l’Eleanor es va redreçar i va somriure com disculpant-se convulsivament.

–Em sap molt de greu, de debò –va dir.

–Maleïda siguis –va dir la velleta menuda, més calmada–. Ho duia a casa per dinar. I ara, gràcies a tu...

–¿I si l’hi pago? –L’Eleanor va treure’s el moneder i la velleta menuda es va quedar molt quieta i pensativa.

–No podria acceptar els teus diners així com així –va dir finalment–. Tot això no ho he comprat, saps. Són restes.

Va fer petar els dits, empipada.

–Si haguessis vist el pernil que tenien –va dir–, però algú altre se l’ha endut. I el pastís de xocolata. I l’amanida de patata. I els dolços als platets de paper. He arribat tard per a tot. I ara...

L’Eleanor i ella van mirar l’escampadissa de la vorera i la velleta va dir:

–Així que, com entendràs, no puc acceptar els teus diners, no per unes sobres.

–¿Potser li podria comprar alguna cosa a canvi, llavors? Tinc moltíssima pressa, però si trobéssim alguna botiga oberta...

La velleta menuda va fer un somriure maliciós.

–Amb tot, encara em queda això –va dir mentre abraçava fort un paquet–. Paga’m un taxi a casa. Així ningú més podrà fer-me caure.

–Encantada –va dir l’Eleanor i es va girar cap al taxista, que s’havia quedat a l’espera, interessat, i li va preguntar:— Que podria dur aquesta senyora a casa seva?

–Amb un parell de dòlars ja faig –va dir la velleta menuda–, sense incloure la propina d’aquest cavaller, és clar. Com que sóc tan petitona –va explicar delicadament–, sempre corro perill, perill de debò, que la gent em tombi. Tanmateix, és tot un gust trobar algú tan disposat a rescabalar-se com tu. De vegades la gent que et tomba ni es giren a mirar.

Amb l’ajut de l’Eleanor va enfilar-se al taxi amb els seus paquets i l’Eleanor va treure dos dòlars i una moneda de cinquanta cèntims del moneder i els va donar a la velleta, que els va aferrar ben fort amb la seva maneta diminuta.

–I aleshores, reina –va dir el taxista–, ¿on anem?

La velleta menuda va riure.

–L’hi diré quan engeguem –va dir i es va dirigir a l’Eleanor:– Que tinguis bona sort, estimada. I a partir d’ara fixa’t bé de no tirar ningú a terra.

–Adéu-siau –va dir l’Eleanor– i em sap molt molt de greu, de debò.

–Tot arreglat, llavors –va dir la velleta menuda, i li va fer adéu amb la mà des del taxi que s’allunyava–. Resaré per tu, bonica.

Bé, es va dir l’Eleanor, mirant el taxi, almenys hi ha una persona que resa per mi. Almenys una persona.

4

Era el primer dia realment lluminós de l’estiu, una època de l’any que sempre duia a l’Eleanor records dolorosos de la infància, quan semblava que cada dia fos estiu; no recordava cap hivern abans de la mort del seu pare un dia fred i humit. Últimament havia estat rumiant, d’aquells anys repassats

Reviews for La maledicció de Hill House

[judygibson-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Masterful creepy tale.

[aadyer · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A book I really wanted to like but ended up just waiting through which was a shame because I think there was a lot to it.I just couldn’t engage and found it in place is quite plodding. Having said that the Folio edition is beautiful and is a book to keep

[booknookretreat7 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I am not sure what to say about this book except maybe I should have read the book before I watched the movie, because then I would have been more in tune with the book. I loved the movie and I have watched it a few times too, so reading the book was more of a play by play movie script for me. There were no surprises and I already knew what was going to happen before it happened while I was reading it. No scary moments and I didn't have chills running down my spine either. Giving it three stars.

[stephaniecaye · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book and I think I love it more each time I read it. The writing is dreamy and slightly off-balance, like there's always something brewing beneath the surface. The latest time I read it, I sympathized with Eleanor so much more than I ever have.

[steller0707 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although I'm not really a horror book reader (or horror movie-goer), I do admire Shirley Jackson. In this book her vivid characters, little details and controlled foreshadowing provide fodder for speculation on how things will turn out. However, your guesses are never as good as the ending. Be prepared for ghostly spirits and things that go bump in the night.

[kimmeyer-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I just can't do kooky characters, and I feel like this already short novel really could have been so much shorter. I much prefer We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

[mutantpudding · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Genuinely creepy (ghost?) story and exploration of connection between people and the supernatural. Also looks at gender roles and sexuality within the historical setting.

Heads up for discussion and depictions of suicide.

[andjhostet-527429 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a great 1-2 punch to follow up "Turn of the Screw". Similar to that story, this is an incredible ghost story, that has a strong focus on mental instability and anxiety. The sense of foreboding dread was excellent. Jackson's prose was exactly what was needed for the story, and I found it very easy to read.

I wasn't a huge fan of the addition of characters at the end of the book. They were annoying and I'm not sure what they added to the story. Minor complaint though.

[david_masumba · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is an intellectual book that draws the fear from the perception of the reader instead of creating a panicked character to scare the readers. BRILLIANT! !

[majesdane-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was nothing like I expected it to be, but that was a great revelation in literally every way. A great, classic horror story.

[voracious_reader_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I've enjoyed some of her others stories much more. It wasn't nearly as haunting as I had expected. I don't think I've ever read such a short book with so many semicolons in it; perhaps, the driving test I took when I was sixteen compares. I really like Jackson's writings, but this one just didn't sit well with me.

[stefany_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Haunting of Hill House is a tale told in the style of a classic ghost story. A group of young people is brought together by a professor to study the paranormal occurences that are rumored to be happening in an old house. The reader is left in the dark as much as the characters and learns about the house as they do.The story is entertaining and spooky. I did however get a little lost and confused towards the end when things begin to really get out of hand for the main character. Things are never totally wrapped up, and the reader is left to draw their own conclusions as to the cause of the mysterious disturbances in Hill House.All in all, a good read but with some wayward points and a few slow spots here and there.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Now I'm curious to see the film. I didn't find it all that terror filled or horrific, it was the story of edge of sight stuff and fairly scary but nothing exceptional for the genre. If there had been less reviewers saying things like keeping your nightlight burning if you read it in bed etc I might have enjoyed it better. Yes the disintegration of a person because of a malicious feeling in a house, or perhaps it was that person disintegrating by their own, is pretty horrific. I'm sure the house was involved but still it's kinda questionable as to whether or not it was the only source of the disintegration.Not really one of my favourite reads but interesting in it's own right.

[wtaguy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Superior horror classic and the original movie, oh you gotta see that.

[silversurfer_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The best haunted house story ever!!! And a great film !

[knittingfreak · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Now, on to The Haunting of Hill House. This is the perfect book for this challenge. It's deliciously dark and spooky. It's not blood and guts horror. According to the introduction of the Penguin Classics edition that I read, it is considered a psychological ghost story. I have to admit that I think that designation is spot on. The book deals with the terror that can often come from our own mind. There are four main characters, which include Dr. Montague, "an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of psychic phenomena;" Luke who is in line to inherit Hill House; Theodora, a young woman who doesn't reveal much about her private life; and Eleanor Vance. Eleanor has taken the car she shares with her sister and fled to Hill House without letting anyone know where she's going. Eleanor lives with her sister, sleeping on a cot in the baby's room, following the death of their mother. Eleanor spent over a decade caring for her mother who showed no affection or care for Eleanor whatsoever. In fact, Eleanor feels as though she's never belonged anywhere and has never really been loved by anyone.Eleanor has a very rich interior life, which the reader has access to throughout the book. On her way to Hill House, she indulges multiple fantasies about what her life could be like. She envisions herself living in an enclosed garden and in a large house with lion statues guarding the front of the house. The reader gets the sense early on that Eleanor is in a fragile emotional state, but she's not crazy.Everyone expects this to be a fun escape from their everyday lives. However, things soon turn serious when Hill House begins to show its true colors. Jackson does such a good job of building suspense and a sense of foreboding as the novel progresses. As the unexplained continues to happen, Eleanor begins to question herself and the other inhabitants of Hill House. The line between reality and the supernatural is blurred to say the least. The reader senses Eleanor's struggle to figure out what's going on around her. At one point, she wonders why the others can hear what's happening when it's going on inside her head.I won't say more for fear of ruining this for any of you haven't read it. Let me just say that it's a great book and absolutely perfect for this challenge. I read We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Jackson, which I really liked, as well. I'd be hard pressed to decide which I liked best.

[jules72653 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story started off slowly for me but it was merely gaining my interest. I quite liked how subtle the horror was in this book.

[susanbevans · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone." The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson I can't tell you how many times I've seen this opening paragraph to The Haunting of Hill House repeated in someone's review, and yet here I am reprinting it. It's just so fantastically creepy that I can't help myself! If that alone does not compel you to read this book, then I just don't know what else to say to you. The Haunting of Hill House is a horror classic. You will not find violence or gore here, just an old-fashioned spooky good time for all. There's a big evil a-brewin' in Hill house. Or is it all in the mind of one of the house's four summer guests. Elanor Vance is socially awkward, painfully shy, and incredibly self-conscious; she's also a house guest, participating in paranormal experiments in Hill house. The group is led by Dr. John Montague. Along with narcissistic Theodora and well-to-do Luke, Eleanor is charged with reporting paranormal phenomena in the house over the summer. I should probably tell you here that the guests do not actually see any demonic displays during their stay at Hill house. Nevertheless, the effect the book has on the reader can only be described as jolting. The horror here is very subtle and entirely psychological. Seriously, you don't even realize how scared you are until your husband (innocently) walks up behind your chair and makes you jump out of your skin just by putting his hand on your shoulder. Jackson's descriptions of the actual hauntings are chilling and will have you turning on all the lights in your house, checking behind the doors, and looking under your bed. Her characters, in particular the main character, are written with an attention to detail and you will quickly find yourself absorbed into their fate. The Haunting of Hill House is an unsettling and engrossing really quick read that will have you searching for more Shirley Jackson books at your local library. It's chilling and disturbing in the best sense of the words, and is easily the best ghost story I've ever read.

[wunderkind_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this a few years ago one night and thought it was terrifying and very well-written. Then I read it again recently and, while there were still some very good scary bits, I thought the quality of writing was dated and a little clunky, which made the parts that were previously spooky resonate less than they did before. Still, I definitely got chills during a few scenes, particularly the ones in Eleanor and Theo's bedrooms.

[kathywoodall · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dr. Montague, an occult expert, sends out several letters trying to find some people to join him for the summer at a home called Hill House. Only 2 people respond. The story is basically centered around a young woman by the name of Eleanor. She jumps at the chance to free herself from the confines of her sisters home. She is joined with a woman by the name of Theodora and a young man by the man of Luke. Nothing much happens for awhile until they retire to their rooms. Than the banging on walls and doors begin. The house wants one of them. One of them won't be returning home.I'm sure this book was scarier when it was first released back in 1959. I enjoyed Ms. Jackson prose but the actual story seemed fairly silly at times and hard to follow. The characters were just so dang unlikeable.

[nickknight_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is another one of those great haunted house stories, which I love. Scared the hell out of me when I first read it.

[turtlesleap · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Haunting of Hill House is classic horror--a meditation on the effects of isolation, fear and desperation on a fragile personality. Eleanor, with the loss of her invalid mother, is cut adrift. Given an opportunity to participate in a "research" visit to a haunted house, she journeys to Hill House and there experiences a growing sense of disassociation from reality and real horror. The other characters in the book are backdrop, alhough there are rare moments of humanity. The book is far better than either of the films it generated.

[megantron-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For my Spooky Reads month.

Some seriously creepy moments but wasn't piss-my-pants-scary (i.e. when you're too frightened to get up to use the bathroom; if you're not reading ghost stories or horror novels past midnight, you're doing it wrong.) Jackson is SUCH a good writer-- the pacing is beautifully done. Some of the scares border on cliche, and the second half feels like a different animal than the first half (where everyone's lolling around in the sun, picking strawberries and talking about having picnics). Even when dealing with such terrifying events as blood spontaneously appearing on walls, someone is bound to make a snarky, Wildean remark (which I totally appreciate since this is also my way of dealing with horror movies, much to the dismay of my friends whose response to my babbling is usually something along the lines of "megan, shut the fuck up").

[alyce413 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a classic horror novel -- don't be fooled by movie adaptations of the story, which don't quite capture how frightening this book is on many levels. It's one book that I could never quite forget, with its amazing depiction of a house that is truly "sick" in an evil and malevolent way.

[ktprymus · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

From a certain perspective Shirley Jackson’s novel is probably the most influential work on the pop culture perceptions of haunted houses one could imagine. The notion of a house with a long and sordid history that is inhabited for a time by a group of paranormal researchers intent on finding proof of preternatural phenomenon is almost clichéd. However, just as one may be tempted to find the “bullet-time” effects of The Matrix unoriginal and overused, you have to approach this novel with the understanding that most of the psychology and scare tactics used in the book were excitingly original at the time. Ideally one should read this book having never been exposed to its often superior derivatives to truly appreciate it.The novel focuses exclusively on the character of Eleanor, an unmarried, 30-something woman whose mother’s recent death released her from her role as primary care-giver. Lacking in the way of social skills Eleanor agrees to accompany a trio of researchers to Hill House, a mansion just as creepy as any in cinema or literature. While there is the potential for a lot of psychological exploration of the character, and indeed quite a bit is done, it feels like there could have been more. Her reaction to the events in Hill House are made interesting because of the level of detail that Jackson gives her (to the detriment of the other characters) and the book may have been better had we at least learned more about her past and the rather underdeveloped relationship with her sister. (As a side note the 1999 adaptation of the book, The Haunting, goes more into Eleanor’s back story who is played beautifully by Lily Taylor.)I would recommend this book for fans of the genre interested in learning more about where haunted house stories began. Otherwise however it will probably be overshadowed by more contemporary works.

[mccin68 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

loved the suspense and suspicion that builds during the story but the ending was too abrupt for me.

[chrisblocker · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think what makes Shirley Jackson’s writing so effective is the underlying uncertainty you feel when reading her works. Under the surface, something isn’t right. There’s a gothic creepiness that others have copied, but which Jackson first mastered.The Haunting of Hill House has this trait, but it’s certainly no We Have Always Lived in the Castle. This may be in part due to the fact that we’re dealing with a much more supernatural book here. The title alone tips off the reader to potential paranormal phenomena. When these phenomena do make their presence in the book, I believe it distracts us from the wonderfully-drawn characters. Now, I would make an argument for the point that in this book, Hill House is itself a character, but it cannot capture our attention the way Eleanor should have. In The Haunting of Hill House you find the various psychoses, the strange and the bullies, that make Jackson’s writing so compelling. But the forces of the other world can distract us from these. It feels as though the story becomes about the haunting or the house, not so much about the fragility of the human mind, or the human capacity to hurt one another.Regardless, I find Jackson’s writing so incredibly well crafted. She creates magnificent characters and her sentences are dark, yet lovely. There’s much that can be said about her wonderful characterization of the house, how it preys on the weak. But isn’t it so much sadder when it is our fellow human who preys on the weakness of other humans? There’s some of that here, but nowhere near the magnitude of a story like We Have Always Lived in the Castle. If you haven’t read that one yet, I highly recommend it, though this one is good too.

[jimrgill · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Jackson’s novel, often hailed as a classic of horror fiction, seems decidedly quaint by current horror standards. While all of the fundamental elements of a haunted house tale feature prominently in this novel—an ill-fated history of death, suicide, and family intrigue, mysterious and unexplained noises, dark passages and an architectural design that appear to defy logic, a remote and isolated locale, strangers assembled to survive in the house cut off from the outside world—the horror (or more precisely, the terror) that occurs in this story is almost too subtle and too muted.The title of the story might provide some clue regarding the nature of this tale. Note that the title implies that what occurs in this tale is a “haunting”—it does not seem to imply that Hill House *is* haunted but rather that what transpires in the novel is a *haunting.* The main character, Eleanor—an inscrutably lonely romantic prone to imaginative flights of fancy—might very well be the agent of the haunting. That is, rather than the house haunting the characters, in this story, the characters (or rather, the main character) could be haunting the house, as the title implies.Read this one for the restrained suspense of Jackson’s writing and its value as a cornerstone of the genre, but temper your expectations of spine-tingling frights and sleepless nights.

[quickpint · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely superb opening paragraph and further flashes of almost equal brilliance throughout. I feel churlish not giving it five stars, but the plot hedges and fluffs the issue of the supernatural somewhat, which is an important failure considering. The plot structure is weakened as a result. Hate to say it, with writing as fine as this, but somewhat flawed.

[starwriter1109 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can safely say that "The Haunting of Hill House" is the most terrifying book I have ever read. This book gave me nightmares. I read it for the first time when it was newly published, when I was just entering my teens. At the time I sort of identified with Eleanor in a strange way. Eleanor herself seemed as awkward and uncomfortable in her own skin as a girl on the verge of puberty. I felt a bizarre camaraderie. Though in reality she was much more vulnerable and easily led. That Hill House possessed her is an understatement. It enveloped her; it had been waiting for her. And that was what was so terrifying. Up until that point I had had no concept of such horror. This book opened a door to a whole new genre, a whole new world, one that I am still reveling in some fifty-odd years later. Thank you, Shirley Jackson, I owe you one!