Review of “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson and “The Haunting” (1963) (2024)

The Haunting (1963) was our Saturday bad movie and pizza night offering. I remember seeing bits and pieces of it years ago on something called broadcast TV. I’ve read that the book it was based on, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, was one of the best horror novels. (Yes, the same Shirley Jackson who wrote “The Lottery” we all read in school.) I recently read the book for the first time, then watched the movie from beginning to end with pizza, a little mac and cheese, and some prosecco to wash it all down.

Plot:

In both the book and the movie, a professor of anthropology gathers together two women with a history of experiencing psychic phenomena and rents a house with a reputation of being haunted, a nineteenth-century monstrosity whose original owners suffered a history of tragedy. Along with the professor and the two young women is a skeptical young man, the heir of the present owners of the house.

The professor wants to gather evidence proving that the supernatural exists in order to write a book. What better way to do so than in a haunted house with sensitive people?

Odd phenomena occur, scaring the bejesus out of all concerned. One of the women, Eleanor, has recently suffered a severe loss. She is vulnerable emotionally, but is she insane? Alternately, is she somehow causing the phenomena psychically, if unconsciously?

The Book:

Eleanor Vance lives with her sister, brother-in-law, and their child and wants badly to get away. Recently, her bedridden mother, whom she took care of, has passed away. Without permission, Eleanor takes the car she owns with her sister and drives toward Hill House, where Dr. John Montague has invited her to stay as part of his scientific research.

Along the way, she sees places that intrigue her: a gate flanked by stone lions and a garden with oleanders. The reader gets a detailed description of her stopping for coffee in a town outside Hill House. No one wants to talk about the place.

Frankly, this portion of the book dragged for me. What was the point of seeing everything Eleanor saw on her drive? It comes up later as Eleanor uses the things she sees to fabricate what her non-existent apartment looks like. The reader learns she likes to make up stories because her life is so disappointing.

When she arrives at Hill House, Mr. Dudley, the surly groundskeeper, confronts her. He at first refuses to let her through the gate, only opening it on her insistence. At the house, she meets the equally surly Mrs. Dudley, the housekeeper. Mrs. Dudley shows her to her room—the blue room—and tells her what time meals are served and cleared, then tells her she and her husband don’t stay on the grounds after dark. If she needs help, she’s on her own… in the dark.

When the other young woman, Theodora, shows up, Mrs. Dudley gives her the same speech verbatim. The two young women laugh about it.

The professor, Luke, and the young women spend their first evening in the house in a parlor in front of a fire, talking and getting to know each other. Luke Sanderson does not believe in the supernatural but is there to represent his family, who owns the house. The playfulness and friendship that develop belie all the foreboding and dread of the arrival. Plus, Mrs. Dudley proves to be a fantastic cook.

The house has no right angles; one unfamiliar with it can easily get lost in the interior rooms. Doors swing slowly shut on their own. All this leads to disorientation and uncertainty.

The second night, things happen—noises come, like someone banging on the doors up and down the hallway with a frying pan. Theodora experiences this also. It’s not solely in Eleanor’s fraying mind—nor is the “cold spot” outside the nursery at the end of the hallway.

Other occurrences may or may not be in Eleanor’s mind. Eleanor gets separated from Theodora and Luke while the three are out walking on the grounds one day. She finds Theodora and Luke talking—and swears they’re talking about her.

Mrs. Montague shows up and tells her husband how disorganized he is. She has brought a male “friend.” Together, they will seek to assuage the suffering of the tormented souls in the house. The two provide much-needed comic relief.

Eleanor continues to deteriorate and does something that puts herself in jeopardy, leading Luke to rescue her. Because of Eleanor’s mental state, it’s difficult for the reader to judge how much is in her head and how much is in the objective world. Everything disorients and isolates. Is there a ghost? Is it all Eleanor? There’s no clear answer, and there is no need to suspect it must be one thing or the other.

The Movie:

The plot of The Haunting is nearly identical to the book. Some of the characters have slightly different names for whatever reason. Eleanor Vance of the book is now Eleanor Lance (Julie Harris). Dr. John Montague is now Dr. John Markway (Richard Johnson). Luke Sanderson is now Luke Sannerson (Russ Tamblyn). On the other hand, the Dudleys remain the Dudleys (Rosalie Crutchley and Valentine Dyall) and are as malevolently dour as they are in the book.

The house is a separate character, as it is in the book. The viewer gets to see the monstrosity rather than imagine it in all its claustrophobic shadowiness. The décor screams, “Leave no bare wall space,” and “We need more fretwork.” Because the movie is in black and white, Eleanor no longer has a blue room, however.

The scenes of bonding in front of the fire are left out. I assume this was for the sake of time. When the haunting stuff happens, it is scary, even though the viewer never sees a ghost. This is a delicate thing to pull off. Eleanor and Theodora hear voices. Someone is talking on the other side of the wall, though the viewer can’t quite make out the words. Someone rattles the locked doorknob and bangs on the door, almost breaking it down. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s presented in a way that scares the stuffing out of the viewer.

The movie adds a couple of threads. Eleanor develops a crush on Dr. Markway and is devastated to learn that not only does he have a wife, but she’s coming. Mrs. Markway arrives alone and doesn’t run roughshod over her husband’s paranormal study, sadly, but becomes a victim of the house for a time. The comic relief doesn’t come.

Theo is much more malicious than she is in the book. On seeing Eleanor devastated by Mrs. Markway’s arrival, she says only, “You little fool.”

Another thread the movie adds is the hint that Eleanor’s mother may have died due to her neglect. A similar story is connected with the history of the house.

One subtext is that of Theo’s lesbianism. In the book, it’s mentioned only briefly and tangentially. The subject almost flew by me. “Did I just read what I thought I read?” I had to ask myself.

Lesbianism was not something one discussed in polite society in 1959 when the book was first published. While the topic remains undiscussed in the movie, Eleanor condemns Theo in such a way that leaves little doubt about what she’s referring to.

Director Robert Wise was nominated for a 1964 Golden Globe for Best Director for this movie. The film was named one of The Guardian’s best Horror Films of all time in 2010.

Overall, I found the movie scarier than the book but also more needlessly melodramatic.

The movie can be watched for free (with a whole lot of ads) here:

Title: The Haunting of Hill House
Author: Shirley Jackson (1916-1965)
First published: October 16, 1959

Title: The Haunting (1963)

Directed by
Robert Wise

Writing Credits
Nelson Gidding…(screenplay)
Shirley Jackson…(based on the novel: The Haunting of Hill House)

Cast (in credits order)
Julie Harris…Eleanor Lance
Claire Bloom…Theodora
Richard Johnson…Dr. John Markway
Russ Tamblyn…Luke Sannerson
Fay Compton…Mrs. Sannerson

Released: 1963
Length: 1 hour, 52 minutes
Rated: G