Hell HouseRichard Matheson
I know I've said this before, but if I knew of a house with a reputation for killing those who venture there, I wouldn’t visit it. Sure, I’d be curious. I’d probably drive up, maybe even stand on the porch. But go in? And, worse, stay overnight?
Of course, if everyone were like me, there’d be no Hell House. I was curious to read another work of Richard Matheson’s; after having just “Long Distance Call,” a truly creepy story of his, I remembered that I needed to experience more of his work. Hell House is in the same vein as Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, and there isn’t much difference between the two: basically, a group of people, each seeking either to prove or disprove the supernatural, spend some time in a house with a reputation for dangerous spirits.
Obviously, just as in Jackson’s work, Hell House has much to offer its tenants. Unlike Jackson, however, Matheson really ups the ante by revealing some really freaky shit about the house’s former inhabitants. In its heyday, Hell House was the scene of rampant debauchery that eventually ended in the most obscene and gruesome corruption. Now, it is a monument to evil, and the spirits trapped there act accordingly.
Unfortunately, I am so desensitized by today’s glut of All Things Shocking, Appalling, and Outrageous that Matheson’s attempt to horrify falls a little flat. Even the scene with the crucifix, arguably the most offensive incident in the book, did little more than make me wonder about the logistics of the scene.
Of course, if everyone were like me, there’d be no Hell House. I was curious to read another work of Richard Matheson’s; after having just “Long Distance Call,” a truly creepy story of his, I remembered that I needed to experience more of his work. Hell House is in the same vein as Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, and there isn’t much difference between the two: basically, a group of people, each seeking either to prove or disprove the supernatural, spend some time in a house with a reputation for dangerous spirits.
Obviously, just as in Jackson’s work, Hell House has much to offer its tenants. Unlike Jackson, however, Matheson really ups the ante by revealing some really freaky shit about the house’s former inhabitants. In its heyday, Hell House was the scene of rampant debauchery that eventually ended in the most obscene and gruesome corruption. Now, it is a monument to evil, and the spirits trapped there act accordingly.Unfortunately, I am so desensitized by today’s glut of All Things Shocking, Appalling, and Outrageous that Matheson’s attempt to horrify falls a little flat. Even the scene with the crucifix, arguably the most offensive incident in the book, did little more than make me wonder about the logistics of the scene.
Well, golly, how’d he manage THAT??
However, my desensitization is not Matheson’s fault, and I can’t knock the novel for that. I can, on the other hand, complain about the shitty explanation given to explain the haunting behind Hell House. I just found some of it a little silly, especially the part about the really evil guy not liking the fact that he was short.
Hm.
Hm.
Wait -- what??
In a nutshell: Meh
Bibliolatry Scale: 3 out of 6 stars
Bibliolatry Scale: 3 out of 6 stars
2 comments:
Yep that does sound a bit odd!
I recently read his novel I Am Legend, since there are three movie versions and reviewers say they "never get the ending right." I liked it. Tough ending to "get right," though, and I'm not convinced the book entirely pulls it off either, but a pretty solid attempt at a twisty ending. Actually, I listend to the audio book while driving from IL to TN and MAN did it get tense a time or two!
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