I re-read this for a book club and while initially hesitant, I was very glad I decided to revisit this consummately creepy classic.

I remember being a bit underwhelmed the first time I read The Haunting of Hill House some thirteen years ago, I’m going to blame that on youthful inexperience or perhaps wanting a different flavor of horror than what was on offer here.

There was no disappointment or dull periods for me this time, even when not overtly dark and chilling the prose is deliciously crafted and a joy to read. I just love how Jackson writes, her tone is that of a weird, reclusive person with an acute sense for the casual horror of everyday situations, the mundane terrors of social conventions, awkward meetings, and other people.

The story that Jackson weaves so skillfully is one of many facets. There’s the story of Hill House, the epitome of a haunted mansion, a house “born bad” and its malign influence on all around it. there is the story of Dr. Montague, a principled if misguided man of science trying to peer into the supernatural through careful observation and study. And of course there is the story of Eleanor, perhaps one of the most intriguing, sympathetic, and tragic characters in American fiction, a young woman with a rich inner life and a tenuous grasp of the real world. All of these elements come together in a story that is as memorable as it is chilling, as well executed as it is peerless horror fiction.