A classic of the genre, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is the story of a haunted mansion where a group of people gather to investigate the supernatural. Led by Dr. John Montague, they include Eleanor Vance, a shy woman, Theodora, a bohemian artist, and Luke Sanderson, the young heir. Despite the house’s dark history, they are all drawn to the mystery and the potential for scientific discovery.

As they settle into Hill House, strange occurrences begin to unfold. Unseen noises, ghostly figures, and inexplicable events haunt the halls. Eleanor seems particularly susceptible to these phenomena, often experiencing things the others cannot perceive. However, it’s unclear if she’s losing touch with reality or if she possesses a hidden power that’s causing the disturbances.

Author Stephen King counts The Haunting of Hill House as one of Best Horror Books of the 20th Century. It has been made into several movies and a Netflix series.

I have to admit though that I was a bit disappointed when I finally got around to reading The Haunting of Hill House myself a couple of years ago. It is probably too much of a “slow-burn” for me. I could not help comparing it in my mind to Richard Matheson’s Hell House, which I had just finished reading before picking up Jackson’s classic.

The Haunting of Hill House is one of those books that Horror fans probably need to read for the same reason that Gothic fans need to read The Castle of Ontronto and Fantasy fans need to read The Lord of the Rings. You need to know the Touchstones of your genre.

Here is a link to The Haunting of Hill House on Amazon.