The Haunting of Hill House/Hell House

A Tale of Two (Haunted) Houses

I picked up Richard Matheson’s book Hell House on a recent book buying expedition. As the saying goes, you can never have too many books. Or too few for that matter; there is no gatekeeping in reading. You do you.

This was my first time reading one of Matheson’s books. Admittedly, I Am Legend has been gathering dust on my bookshelf for quite some time, he said with a tinge of shame. That’s one of the dangers of having too many books, the reading queue never gets shorter, only longer.

I was drawn to Hell House after finishing a recent re-read of The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. After perusing the notes on Hell House’s jacket I couldn’t help but draw comparisons between the two.

Both novels take place in haunted houses that have sat dormant for many years due to their nefarious history: people tend to die there under suspicious circumstances. Both novels center around the investigations of the houses by paranormal researchers who have brought with them people who have shown sensitivity to psychic and paranormal experiences. Both novels also have caretakers, an older couple who brings meals to the house during daylight hours since traveling at night is not recommended for either location.

How the horror unfolds is where the stories of these two houses diverge. In Hell House, Matheson wields horror like a blunt weapon, bashing readers over the head with the physical manifestations of horror. The guests of Hell House are physically tormented from the outset, experiencing many facets of harm, torture, sexual assault, and dismemberment by their haunted host. Heavy on gore and graphic sexuality, Hell House is a prototype for the 70s horror genre and would feel right at home on the shelf between grainy VHS tapes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I Spit On Your Grave, and Friday the 13th.

The similarities between Hell House and Hill House must have been an intentional effort on Matheson’s part, his attempt at updating the seminal haunted house story for the bright and saturated technicolor era of the 1970s. While Matheson was a prominent horror writer in his own right whose influence can be found in the work of George Romero and Stephen King, it would be unfair to make a 1:1 comparison of Hell House to the mastery that Shirley Jackson displays in The Haunting of Hill House. Matheson is quite good, but Hell House lacks the timeless quality found in Jackson’s Hill House. There’s a reason why Hill House belongs on any list of top American novels.

While I enjoyed the book, I can’t help but wonder if my reading experience would’ve been different had I not just finished reading The Haunting of Hill House. There was no way I wouldn’t compare the two with them being so fresh on my mind. The best way to describe it is that it was like having a burger immediately after finishing a perfectly seared steak. It doesn’t matter how good the burger might be, it pales in comparison.