Rating: 
Summary: A Quaint Gothic!!!
Review: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson actually had chills
running up and down my spine. As others have said it isn't scary,
it's just mysteriously suspenseful.
Dr. Montague is a doctor of philosophy, who one day,
decides to conduct an experiment, and invite several people to spend a few weeks at a house which he knows to be haunted.
Eleanor is a loner, and I'd say a little unbalanced, to
begin with. She is one of those invited to this house. The 32 year old woman would have been better off not spending this time in the house.
I haven't read a book this good in a long time, and this
reviewer gives The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson five
stars:)
Rating: 
Summary: Very Scary....Definitely Worth It
Review: The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson, may very well be the most frightening book I have ever read. Flat out, period. The mere basis of this book is somewhat cliche, by today's standards: Four adults are conducting an "experiment" on Hill House's supposed hauntings. Occasionally the characters seem stiff and mechanical, some of the dialogue is forced...The entire premise of the book is generally hard to believe...Despite these caveats, though, this book is still scary. For best effect, I recommend reading it very late at night, in an absolutely silent house. Just wait. What makes this book so "scary" is that each character relates to their fears in their own way. One part of the book which still gives me the shivers is when Eleanor and Theodora, the two female protagonists, are in Theodora's room. Eleanor keeps hearing thumps and patters on the wall, while Theodora does not acknowledge anything out of the ordinary. These events only affect Eleanor. Each character is alone with their fears -- rather than all four of them experiencing something "haunting," each character experiences something individual. Thus, each character is also alone in their fears; their fears are essentially doubled: They fear what they hear or experience, and then also fear they are losing their mental stabilty, as no one else experiences the events. The psychological scariness of this book is what sets it apart from the typical "slash and gore" horror novel: This book is, really, in a genre all its own.
Rating:
Summary: NEVER read this during daytime...
Review: This book is perfect. A perfect cover, simple yet suiting. A perfect touch, pleasant, like velvet. A perfect story, albeit horrifying... Shirley Jackson is(was) the perfect writer, whom just couldn't fail at what she does(did) best... She creates her own world, as realistic as ours, with a tragic, cruel, and cursed history for Hill House, the main character, and it's inhabitants. Perfect. All the characters aren't stereotypes; they're human. Eleanor might be an oddball hysteric, but she has a past which has made her that way. There are only about 4 actual hauntings in this book, but more than enough eerie sections, which are the real creepers... For instance, Eleanor's frolick through the house one night when all the others are sleeping, and her mood swing and sudden revulsion for her new best friend, Theodora, which just creeped me out. In the beginning when they had become immediate friends and were comparing themselves and their relatives to each other, they had marked themselves as obvious cousins. Readers of the book have to admit, in the part where Theodora must move into Eleanor's room because of the supernatural phenomena which had taken place in hers and she states cheerfully the two will be just like sisters, they were freaked the moment they read Eleanor simply say, spitefully, and out of earshot, "Cousins." NEVER read this book during daytime, as I made that mistake never to read a page after nightfall... It still scared me, but it was ruined by my cowardice. The more this book scares you, the more you'll like it. After all, why would you keep reading it if you don't want to?
Rating:
Summary: thinker
Review: though the book does leave you a little dissapointed from the lack of frightening scenarios it does make you think. From the beginning you have anticipation for something frightening then it leads you with an explanation that you have to think for.
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