KinoLivres
  • Blog
  • Index
    • Auteurs
    • Ratings
  • Adaptations
  • Chronology
  • Gurglings
  • Touchpoints
  • Contact
  • Rating Scale

Hell House (1971) by Richard Matheson

10/29/2016

5 Comments

 
Picture
++++

Physicist Lionel Barrett is the nominal leader of a small group of investigators hired by a dying man to investigate a supposedly haunted house in order to establish conclusively whether or not there is survival after death. Barrett doesn't think so; Florence Tanner, a mental medium, disagrees; and Ben Fisher, a physical medium and the only sane survivor of a previous investigation years before, agrees with Florence -- but he's there less to prove anything to his employer than to avenge his previous failure. Edith, Barrett's seemingly timid wife, is along for the ride. It's a wild ride, to be sure. This is not a book that skimps on its supernatural manifestations. Spirit guides, poltergeist activity, possession, teleplasmic extrusions -- the list goes on and on. You want action? You've found it. To Matheson's credit, it isn't, however, mindless mayhem. He doesn't toss a ghost in the house and figure anything goes. Matheson weaves together the personalities of his investigators with the sordid history of the house to create a believable framework for all the insanity. The final revelation -- a psychologically weak explanation for the house's most evil ghost -- can't spoil an otherwise satisfying resolution. Made into a film, The Legend of Hell House, in 1973.

5 Comments
bookstooge
10/29/2016 06:30:35 pm

How does this compare, style wise, to his "I am Legend". I watched the latest version, with Smith, and while it was slightly entertaining, it certainly didn't fill me with any desire to read the book.

And I'm always seeing reviews for Hellhouse this time of year and nothing that has been written has ever made me want to read this either.

Reply
Brian
10/30/2016 07:04:19 am

Now that I think of it, Matheson isn't like King or Barker. He has no flashy style, so his plots tend to take center stage, and his plots are always different. I'm no great fan of I Am Legend; contrary to popular opinion, I don't think it's a very good book; this one is much, much better.

That said, I Am Legend is certainly better than the Will Smith movie version, which I thought was pretty bad. (Smith did much better with I, Robot -- that's an entertaining movie.) And not only bad in its own right, but, as I recall, an awful adaptation. If it HAD made you read the book, you'd probably have been disappointed. (Both The Last Man on Earth -- Vincent Price -- and The Omega Man -- Charlton Heston -- are better adaptations, though I didn't like either of them a whole lot either.) It's a pretty pathetic franchise, as far as I'm concerned.

So don't think of Matheson in terms of style (other than that he's neat and readable and always professional). Go with the plot. And if the plot of Hell House doesn't interest you, forget it. But if you've liked other haunted house stories -- The Haunting or The Shining or any of the others -- it would be worth the risk.

Reply
Bookstooge
10/30/2016 10:14:26 am

I read the Shining but it certainly cemented my idea to only read 1 King book a year. I just can't deal well with horror...

Brian
10/31/2016 06:39:02 am

Which is why it saddens me that you choose to read Necroscope... : -)

Reply
Bookstooge
11/9/2016 08:45:49 pm

That wasn't scary. That was just pulpy vampire fiction. Bloated, turgid, angsty vampire fiction at that :-)

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    KinoLivres

    Books. Movies. Mostly.

    Archives

    July 2017
    June 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015

    Categories

    All
    1 Star
    2 Star
    3 Star
    4 Star
    5 Star
    Action
    Book
    Comedy
    Comics
    Crime
    Detective
    Drama
    Fantasy
    History
    Horror
    Movie
    Musical
    Mystery
    Paranormal
    Romance
    Science Fiction
    Thriller
    True Crime
    Western
    Young Adult

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.