This is a spoiler-free review of A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand.
I have to admit that I haven’t yet read Shirley Jackson’s original The Haunting of Hill House, so as of right now I’m reviewing this as a stand alone novel (which it is) and not basing it on a comparison to Jackson’s Hill House. I will definitely be reading it soon, because I’d like to know what parts of Hand’s novel draw from Jackson’s. I did read the wikipedia entry on the original Hill House (just to get an idea of the plot) and of course I’ve seen Mike Flanagan’s miniseries, so it’s time I finally read the book that has inspired all of these Hill Houses. Plus, it’s a horror classic!
For those who don’t know, Hand’s reimagining of Jackson’s Hill House was supported by The Shirley Jackson Estate. So it’s not just a coincidence that the titles are so similar.
Elizabeth Hand’s A Haunting on the Hill is a queer horror, which follows Holly Sherwin, a young playwright with a troubled career who is desperate to redeem herself with her new play, The Witching Hour, which is her reworking of a seventeenth century play, The Witch of Edmonton. When Holly comes across a mysterious and hideously-beautiful? (it’s described was both) mansion in the hills of a rundown little town in upstate New York, she knows it will be the perfect location for her and her friends to rehearse the play.
This group of friends consists of her girlfriend Nisa who is a folk singer with an otherworldly voice and a love for haunting murder ballads. Her best friend Stevie who is cast as the male lead of her play, a demon dog. And last but certainly not least in her opinion is Amanda Greer, renowned stage actress, who is known for her association with the accidental death of her ex costar/ lover.
I believe the theater aspect to this novel, is unique to itself, and not part of Jackson’s Hill House. The main character’s, who are all theater people, are unfortunately, quite unlikeable. It’s definitely not because they are theater people, because the background characters who are not theater people, are also very unlikeable, albeit much more mysterious.
Holly is so obsessed with her play that she either hasn’t noticed or doesn’t care about what’s going on between her girlfriend and her best friend. Nisa is absolutely obsessed with the sound of her own voice. Amanda is full of insecurity fueled by the younger performers and is determined to be star of this show, and then there’s Stevie who becomes possessive over the strange little door in his bedroom.
If you prefer horror where everything is explained in the end, this is absolutely not for you. Run far, far away from Hill House. The worst part is that half of the characters know exactly what’s going on and won’t say. A lot of stuff is alluded to and we as the readers are supposed to come to our own conclusions. I like to wonder through most of the book, but in the end I like to be told what’s going on. You don’t get that here at all.
In fact, I was left with the feeling that the novel was simply unfinished. Too many small things were introduced and then never explained or brought up again. Who was the creepy child? What’s up with the hares? Why did they burn the table cloth? These are all things I must know. Honestly, I’d be okay with not knowing all the things, if I at least thought that the author knew, but I just don’t believe that here.
Despite not knowing was going on, and honestly, not very much of anything happened throughout most of the book, I still enjoyed reading it for some reason. I don’t know if it was simply because it was well written, or because It kept giving me the false sense that everything would be explained in the end, but I had no trouble getting through this novel. It does have a very spooky, confusing atmosphere, that keeps making you think it’s going to be great, only to be left confused and yearning for answers in the end.
From what I’ve read about it, I get the feeling that Shirley Jackson’s Hill House offers the same vague and ambiguous kind of haunting experience. In Hand’s Hill House, I know this much, that this horror is very much psychological. With several of the character’s struggling with past trauma, references to being stuck in abusive relationships and mentions of drugs and hallucinogenic mushrooms – you get the feeling that each character is experiencing a separate horror all their own.
Through the dialogue, we often see the characters correcting each other or arguing over false memories, which draws on the idea of the unique way that each person experiences reality. Ainsley, the owner of the mansion, makes it clear that Hill House is not haunted, but suggests that people project their own ideas onto it.
Holly’s plays are not truly her own. Nisa’s songs are not quite originals. Even this very novel is a reimagining of a classic horror. Hill House is not full of ghosts, rather it is haunted by the stories of those who inhabit it.
Some of the rooms are icy cold and harbor voices from the past, the whispers at night are crazed and conspiratorial, and the architecture is nonsensical, daring you to lose yourself within it. There are several instances where characters teeter on the edge of this, only to be pulled back by the others.
I’ve never experienced darkness like that. Not a color or sensation but a void in which I dissolved, like a sand castle at high tide. I couldn’t feel the flashlight in my hand, couldn’t move or breathe. For a few seconds I couldn’t even remember where I was, or who, or what. I was conscious of myself as nothing but a pinprick of being, consumed by incoherent darkness.
A Haunting on the Hill
This works until it doesn’t. Hill House seems to bring out the worst in these characters and their greed and self absorption may be what allows the house to claim them in the end. Those who know what’s wrong with Hill House, stay just out of reach, yet even they can’t seem to fully break away.
For a while, I thought this was going to be a book about witches, and in a way, maybe it is. There are suggestions that the three women who watch over the house may be witches, yet that is one of those things that is not explained to us in the end. Evadne guards Hill House by running towards cars with a knife, and when Holly and Amanda for some reason still think it’s a good idea to show up at her trailer to question her, she has little to offer for information; although it’s clear she knows much more than she’s willing to tell them. One thing is clear. She doesn’t want anyone near the mansion.
I worked with victims of domestic violence for thirty-seven years. They stay with the devil they know, and the devil they know kills them. Hill House is like that. Most people realize in a few days and get out.
A Haunting on the Hill
There are ambiguous warnings from both Evadne and one of the other caretakers Melissa, that Hill House has a history of consuming those who stay. Yet, Holly and her crew find it difficult to leave until it’s too late.
Finally a storm hits, and suddenly everything inside of the house goes haywire, finally forcing them to make the decision to stay or to go – but nothing will ever be the same for Holly and her friends again. This made for a sloooow burn leading up to a very chaotic and rushed climax, followed by a finale that yielded little to no answers.
So I’m not saying I didn’t like A Haunting on the Hill, I just wanted so much more from it. It’s a personal preference really, and I think many people will love this eerie trip to Shirley Jackson’s world, so while this was a 3/5 stars for me, it could easily be a 5/5 for you.
I think it’s very possibly that my opinion could change after reading The Haunting of Hill House, so we’ll have to see. I’m very interested to hear what others thought of this novel, especially from those of you who are well versed Shirley Jackson fans, so please feel free to leave a comment below!