I generally don't star-rate classics 🤍. 

👻 Spooky  & Unsettling
🏠 Haunted House 
👻 Classic Horror
🏠 Thought-Provoking 
👻 One to reread. 

OK, so this was terrifying, but not for the reason you'd think. I won't get into it because of *spoilers*, but holy cannoli. 

I picked up The Haunting of Hill House because of that first paragraph, and I'm glad I stayed around for the journey. Shirley Jackson creates such an unsettling atmosphere in this story, and while the setting is a haunted house, the truly scary part of this story is more psychological. 

I've seen a lot of reviewers say that this just isn't very scary - and it isn't if you take it at face value - but after the ending, I'm reeling and questioning everything I thought I knew during the beginning and middle of the story. The circumstances surrounding the haunting and ending are slightly ambiguous, which does a huge service in making the reader reflect.

This will be one I reread for sure just to pick up on all of the details that fell by the wayside for me that would probably sink in a lot deeper, knowing how it ends. 

I also think not watching the Netflix special or the films based on this first did me a huge service as a reader because I went in blind.

~

"ɴᴏ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴏʀɢᴀɴɪꜱᴍ ᴄᴀɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴇxɪꜱᴛ ꜱᴀɴᴇʟʏ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴀʙꜱᴏʟᴜᴛᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴛʏ."