The Haunting of Hill House

My ducklings, my gift to you this during this solstice season is: you don't have to read or watch The Haunting of Hill House, because I did it for you! Merry merry!

First, the basics: the OG The Haunting of Hill House is a 1959 horror novel written by Shirley Jackson. It's a classic of the genre, with extraordinary prose, brilliant handling of themes, a fragile protagonist, and the vividly ominous Hill House. In the book, Dr. Montague wants to write about the purported hauntings at the property, and three people show up to join his week-long investigation: main character Eleanor, the free-spirited psychic Theo, and the charming Luke, heir to Hill House. The only other characters are the unfriendly Dudleys, who maintain the house. Hauntings occur during the guests' stay, culminating in a tragic ending.

Meanwhile, the The Haunting of Hill House Netflix series is a 10-episode horror/drama about a family that falls apart during a summer spent at Hill House. Each (surviving) family member continues to be broken in some form, and Hill House lurks constantly in the background, waiting for their return. The show takes its inspiration from the book, and so is its own contained story, one that borrows certain elements from the source material and attaches them as appropriate.

Below a Venn diagram illustrating my point:

The show calls back to the book in small, powerful ways. One is the lifting of lines, verbatim in certain cases, from the novel. Jackson's writing is so strong that her words reverberate long past the final chapter, so the quotes used by the show are instantly recognizable. The opening paragraph of the novel, which immediately sets the tone for the malevolent secrets of Hill House, also serves as the first line on the show, to the same effect. Mrs. Dudley's "in the night, in the dark" monologue is present in both mediums, and Eleanor's cup of stars makes an appearance, altered from Jackson's original version.

Character names on the show are another book reference. Book Eleanor is TV Nell (a nickname for Eleanor), Luke is her twin brother, Theo their older sister, and Hugh their dad. There are also guest appearances, of a sort--there's a Dr. Montague, Arthur (in a scene with the best meet-cute), and even Shirley. As a fan of the book, I appreciate those little Easter eggs.

Obviously, both works examine ghosts. In the novel, personal torments appear to be the strongest factor in the hauntings. One character in particular is overwhelmed by Hill House, which, according to the author, is "not sane" because it exists "under conditions of absolute reality." The manifestations of this reality are too terrible for the victim, who has a lethal moment of insanity. Meanwhile, in the show, Hill House appears to collect unhappy souls, who then recruit others in gruesome, terrifying ways.

But which one is scarier?, you ask. Oh, the show, by far. It has the requisite apparitions and incredibly effective horror music, plus there are numerous hidden ghosts in otherwise ordinary scenes. In addition, it becomes increasingly difficult to watch because none of the characters deserve the horrors visited upon them (except Steve, who sucks.). The show is excellent at building tension and dread through dialogue, framing, music, pacing, and of course, the phenomenal cast and crew. There are two episodes that come to mind when the phrase "Mind. Blown." absolutely applies, one because of the incredible ending, and another because of the camera work. So, well done, team The Haunting of Hill House!

Finally, a word about endings. As befits two separate stories, the book and the show diverge in their conclusions. Initially, the book ending made me go, "Durr?" but then I came to realize that it was a suitable, if crushing, outcome of everything readers had learned about Hill House and about the characters who stayed there. By contrast, the TV ending made me go, "Dafuq." I felt that it detracted from what viewers had seen of Hill House. I mean, this place is not only insane, it also manipulates time and space, such that what's scream-inducing in one episode turns out to be pitiful in another, and vice versa!

But as hubby is fond of saying: "It's fine! Everything's fine!" So, dear readers, if one of your New Year resolutions is to do something that scares you, then by all means, read the book, then watch the show, and be afraid at night time for weeks, like me!

TL;DR: Scary af, highly recommend both.

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This post brought to you by my year-end sniffles! Yay.