Hell House by Richard Matheson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Hell House
Book Review: The Mount Everest of Haunted House stories
Summary: 5 Stars
Richard Matheson left the horror field after "Hell House" which was published in 1971. I regret and applaud his decision as this novel is so good that he would never be able to top it. "Hell House" is one of the greatest horror novels of the past 40 years and ranks with "The Castle of Otranto", "The Edge of Running Water", "The Other" and "Ghost Story" as one of the best horror novels ever written.
Parapyschologist Dr. Lionel Barrett is commissioned by dying magazine magnate Rudolph Deutsch to detrmine the feasiblity of life after death. A non believer, Barrett is offered the chance to go to the one place on earth where survival has yet to be refuted, the Maine home of Emeric Belasco, a demon of a man whose home is known as "Hell House" to those in the parapsychology field. He is to spend a week there for a $100,000.00 fee and report back his findings.
He is assisted in his quest by a mental medium, former actress Florence Tanner, his wife Edith and Benjamin Franklin Fischer, once the USAs greatest physical medium and the only sane survivor of a previous investigation of Hell House, now a hard drinking shell of a man terrified of the house he is once again to enter.
Needless to say, the House lives up to its reputation and Matheson keeps the reader in horror and suspense up to the final pages. There are some graphic scenes in the novel that will shock and appall some readers, but Matheson does not pull his punches. This only enhnaces the novel and truly delivers fear.
"Hell House" should be read by all those who love horror. Richard Matheson is one of the greatest writers in the genre and his novel has placed the bar so high that no other author will ever again be able to write a haunted house novel without being compared to "Hell House". This is truly a seminal work.
Book Review: Best haunted House novel ever written!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is one of the scariest horror novels ever written and THE best haunted house novel, period. No lesser scribe than Stephen King has also expressed that sentiment. This book has no faults; it moves with a stream-lined precision and ratchets up the tension to an almost unbearable pitch before coming to a satisfying conclusion.
Made into an excellent film in 1973.
Book Review: Chilling!
Summary: 5 Stars
What an utterly spellbinding weave, a delightfully chilling tale, that held me from start to finish.Book Review: classic horror at its best
Summary: 5 Stars
any true horror lover will think this book is fantastic. i loved the entire book. it sort of reminded me of "the haunting of hill house" meets "the exorcist", only better than both. a must read.Book Review: Goes without saying, Matheson is the master
Summary: 5 Stars
Without doubt the best book I have had the honour of reading, Mathesons Hell House is far more twisted than I have ever imagined, his discriptions are frightingly real, his style is unique, his intentions are dark, the book has a shocking twist of an end and a roller coaster of chills to get to that ending, truly a masterpiece, Hell House...