Shirley Jackson’s gothic horror classic The Haunting of Hill House has had three significant screen representations in the 65 years since its publication. But the middle effort stands out for several (not entirely great) reasons.
The Haunting Hour Full Episode Compilation #25 – The Haunting Hour
The original story was inspired by a group of paranormal investigators Jackson had read about, who were studying a house and collecting accounts of seemingly deluded and misguided individuals that seemed to resemble ghost stories. This motivated Jackson to write her own haunted house story, which led to her researching a suitably spooky-looking house (which turned out to have been designed by her great-grandfather) and a healthy stash of existing ghost stories.
The result is one of the most celebrated ghost stories of the 20th century. The titular Hill House fit in everywhere and nowhere, making it easy to take liberties when adaptors came knocking.
In the original story, people are brought to Hill House because of their previous experiences with paranormal events. The small group remains isolated in the mansion in hopes of finding evidence of the supernatural.
