Role-playing complexities
The haunted house on the hill wasn’t always haunted. I guess? Jackson’s novel begins with the arrival of four people at the mansion, including: the occult expert Dr. Montague, who has set his life as a goal of looking for evidence of paranormal phenomena with his assistant, young Eleanor who knows about ghosts, and Luke – the future heir of the residence; and it is this group of people who is to check whether inexplicable noises and self-closing doors are the action of impure forces or maybe a coincidence. The characters’ stories are inextricably intertwined, and the house – which becomes a temporary place for their confusion – begins to choose which of the daredevils will become its next victim. The writer creates individual psychological portraits of characters, explaining in detail their motivations and commenting on the way they how they behave. Unfortunately, this has an impact on the plot, which, admittedly, develops extremely slowly ([not] praise [not] superfluous descriptions!), But in an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. It is worth remembering that the book had its premiere in 1959, so when reading it, we should not expect any resultsgore , ubiquitous possessions and psychopathic drives. The unique atmosphere of Jackson will be appreciated by fans of classic horror movies, often built due to the inspiration of a gothic novel. The Haunting of Hill House is certainly not a novel for everyone – despite a good idea for the plot, the over-colored whole may be a bit overwhelming, and the ending may be disappointing. If you expect action-packed action, deep dialogue and surprising action mechanisms, do not reach for this book, because it will not meet your expectations.
Psychodrama in pop culture
There are rumors that the book does not get the best marks among reviewers, but the series inspired by the novel is! The Haunting of Hill House (2018) is now – deservedly – at the 42nd place in the Netflix ranking. Although the adaptation differs significantly from the original, the attempt to portray the haunted house remains in the memory for a long time! She is not the only one, because the black and white Haunted House from 1963 qualifies as a must-see . It is also worth mentioning The Legend of Hell House (1973) and The Haunting(1999). Despite the similar plot, each of these proposals impresses with its climate and will probably appeal to all fans of classic horror movies. Anyway, there are countless movies about haunted houses, and the search for book and literary references is an endless adventure for lovers of literature and cinema.
Edition
Poznań Publishing House Replika decided to publish The Haunting of Hill House , despite the fact that the original book had its premiere many years ago. I admit that when I saw the title for the first time, I fell in love. The cover of Krzysztof Wroński is the quintessence of what even the most demanding reader could expect. A mysterious apparition, placed between the author’s name and the title of the novel, looks the reader straight in the eye and you know what – the originators probably realized that this cover can really scare you at night! It is worth recalling here that two other Jackson offers were also released in the same series – We have Always lived in the Castle and The Lottery. Together with the The Haunting of Hill House make a beautiful trilogy!
