Hell House by Richard Matheson

[BGChargers123]

Published in 1971, Richard Matheson's HELL HOUSE is a work that no fan of the horror/thriller/mystery genres should pass up.

Located in the dark and gloomy backwoods of Maine, the Belasco house, better known to the public as "Hell House," holds a dark mystery that has seen its fair share of attempts at trying to uncover it, with all of them proving to be futile. After two failed expeditions into the house, dying millionare William Deutsch assembles a team consisting of an experienced physical medium in Benjamin Fischer, a capable mental medium in Florence Tanner, and a persistent parapsychologist in Dr. Lionel Barrett(along with his wife, Edith). Offering them a hefty prize for returning with the answer to the fabled question of "Are ghosts real?", the four embark on a quest into a house that has much more sadistic and malicious intent than is talked about in its' storied past.

What Matheson brings to the table is your typical haunted house story, enhanced with enough chilling imagery and ghastly details to keep the reader on the edge of their seat for nearly the entire book. A literary element that is used really well here is that of characterization, and this certainly improves the entire story as the audience will easily find themselves relating the protagonists, a facet that I really enjoyed while reading.

Overall, HELL HOUSE is a novel that all readers should check out. While not one of the most powerful works that you will read, HH will definitely be one of the more entertaining.

[ThatBearsFan]

Finished reading this one a week or so ago, and I agree with you. Everyone should read this book. It's a classic in the horror/thriller category. One of the reasons I chose this book for spooky October was the recommendation from Stephen King, who declared Hell House "the scariest haunted house novel ever written." I'm sure that was true in 1971, when the book was published, but in 2014 it takes a great deal more to actually be scary, for me anyway. Still, the book was definitely creepy, and for that reason alone, I enjoyed it.

Apart from the sexual aspects incorporated into the book, it seemed to have an Poe-esque quality to it. I've not researched Richard Matheson, but it appears Poe may have been one of his influences, at least in this novel. This was my first time reading anything he's written. I didn't realize he was also the author of "I Am Legend," which I've not yet read. I did enjoy the movie.

One thing I found particularly annoying in Hell House, was Dr. Lionel Barrett's incessant need to deny any of the haunting aspects in favor of "his" paranormal knowledge. His constant condescension made me want to slap some sense into him. He seemed more intent to disprove the paranormal and promote his machine over anything that happened in the house. The attitude got old rather quickly, and I felt detracted a bit from the book. A healthier fear of the activities in the house would've been a better choice to enhance the scary feel.

At any rate, Hell House is a wonderful read, and perfect for an October book club choice if you want to follow a Halloween or scary theme for the month.

[BGChargers123]

I completely agree on Barrett's constant denial of the paranormal; it was so excessive at certain points that it really did begin to get on my nerves. But, I guess that Matheson did this in order to build up what is ultimately Barrett's downfall later on in the novel. It was definitely an enjoyable read, not too many quality haunted house stories like it. Would recommend to all.

[ThatBearsFan]

I could've lived without the phallic Jesus on the Cross in this book, too. I'm sure he could've gone another way and still gotten the same effect. Totally disrespectful, but that's just my opinion. As a Christian, I found that extremely offensive, and would warn other Christians they won't like that scene either.

The closest story I've seen to equal "Hell House" would be Stephen King's "Rose Red." I'm sure Matheson influenced his writing there because of the similar qualities. "Rose Red" was much more frightening the first go-round than "Hell House," but I chalk that up to it being a tad bit more contemporary.

[BGChargers123]

Agreed, that image was a little over the top, and this is coming from a guy who doesn't consider himself all that religious at all, so I can only imagine how much greater it affects you. Actually , That entire depiction of the church and desecration of it was toeing a fine line for matheson, in my opinion. Very bold move.

I haven't read that King novel yet , actually, but if you say that is like Hell House than I definitely want to check it out. On my reading list now!

[Wreade1872]

I could've lived without the phallic Jesus on the Cross in this book, too. I'm sure he could've gone another way and still gotten the same effect. Totally disrespectful, but that's just my opinion. As a Christian, I found that extremely offensive, and would warn other Christians they won't like that scene either.

I'm pretty sure that was the point . Frankly i think its a little too christian for my taste, i mean why do writers think the best description of evil is someone who dislikes christianity.
Maybe i just have my priorities wrong but i was more upset by the brutal and graphic murder than the religious veneration. And it IS religious veneration to show evil only as an opposite of one religions version of good.
Frankly if your a christian you should be flattered to be shown such consideration.

Anyway it was still a pretty good read. I still have the 'Haunting of Hill House' on my to-do list, i think this is a knockoff of that guess i'll find out when i get to it.

Oh and i think there's considerable influence on this also from the 'The Haunted and the Haunters by Edward Bulwer Lytton which has been published on its own but is really a piece of the book 'A Strange Story'.

[ananya92]

I agree. This book is certainly one of the scariest horror/thriller novel revolving around a haunted house. The storyline and writing style can really send shivers down one's spine. Definitely worth a read.