# Hell House vs. Hill House: which was scarier? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 14, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-house-vs-hill-house-which-was-scarier/734651 "2015-10-14T18:50:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-house-vs-hill-house-which-was-scarier/734651/1 "2015-10-14T18:50:04Z")
I’ve read Hill House and watched the movie versions of both stories: is the novel Hell House worth reading? And which is stronger/more frightening? Educate me! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-house-vs-hill-house-which-was-scarier/734651/2 "2015-10-14T18:55:57Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > I’ve read Hill House and watched the movie versions of both stories: is the novel Hell House worth reading? And which is stronger/more frightening? Educate me! How about both versions of _House on Haunted Hill_? ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-house-vs-hill-house-which-was-scarier/734651/3 "2015-10-14T18:56:18Z")
_Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone._ Hill House. Hell house is a cartoon in comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-house-vs-hill-house-which-was-scarier/734651/4 "2015-10-14T19:05:03Z")
Yo, Imma let you finish, but Hill House is the scariest of all time. Of all time! I read _Hell House_ also, and remember it only vaguely, but I know I thought it ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-house-vs-hill-house-which-was-scarier/734651/5 "2015-10-14T19:26:39Z")
Concurring with everyone else: I’ve read the books and seen the movie versions of each, and there is absolutely no question that Shirley Jackson’s _The Haunting of Hill House_ and the Robert Wise adaptation, _The Haunting_, are far superior to the book _Hell House_ and movie _The Legend of Hell House_. Richard Matheson wrote some very good novels and short stories, and\* Hell House\* isn’t necessarily bad (although, as **Dung Beetle** suggests, your life won’t be less complete if you don’t read it), but the Jackson book is much, much more effective. I read the Jackson book and watch the Wise adaptation every year around this time. As I always implore, stay far away from the 1999 movie adaptation – it’s awful, both script- and effects-wise. **CalMeacham’s** (probably tongue-in-cheek) suggestion of _The House on Haunted Hill_ (both the 1959 Vincent Price version as well as the 1999 remake) have a couple of good jump scares, but they’re both very campy. All of the “Hills” and “Hells” and “Hauntings” and “Houses” in the various composition titles get rather confusing – which reminds me: I should also throw in a recommendation here for Susan Hill’s book _The Woman in Black_ and its 1989 British television adaptation (the 2012 version with Daniel Radcliffe is definitely worth seeing, also). ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-house-vs-hill-house-which-was-scarier/734651/6 "2015-10-15T02:08:27Z")
The Haunting was one of the scariest movies I have ever watched and I watch it again periodically. In addition, The Legend of Hell House (with Roddy McDowell) was also extremely scary and I also rewatch that periodically. The remake of The Haunting was horrible, although there were some good bits. The worst problem was the actress who played the lead smiled all the time. Bob ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-house-vs-hill-house-which-was-scarier/734651/7 "2015-10-15T13:28:17Z")
n/m ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-house-vs-hill-house-which-was-scarier/734651/8 "2015-10-15T13:35:15Z")
> [@koeeoaddi](#): > > _Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone._ > > Hill House. Hell house is a cartoon in comparison. THIS!!! Hill House = unease. dread. terror. Hell House = campy. overwrought. ultimately silly. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-house-vs-hill-house-which-was-scarier/734651/9 "2015-10-15T13:47:21Z")
> [@Gordon\_Urquhart](#): > > As I always implore, stay far away from the 1999 movie adaptation – it’s awful, both script- and effects-wise. I only just got around to seeing this a few weeks ago and thought it was hilariously bad. The little infant-angel carvings making horrified faces whenever something was about to happen made me laugh out loud every time. Not to mention one character’s soul leaving her body and flying up to heaven like in a cartoon (but played perfectly seriously). Hell House has some scary bits, but also some silly bits. Roddy McDowell, for example, telling off the ghost (which I note Lily Taylor also does in the above film). The 1964 Haunting of Hill House is overall a better movie–if not necessarily more frightening, it’s more atmospheric and has some interesting and creepy camera work for a film of that era; there’s a point-of-view shot that comes crawling down the side of tower toward Eleanor that’s a sort of precursor to the Evil Dead’s low-flying camera. Also, it’s got the pathos of a properly done Eleanor Vance.