181 – Haunting Hill House, with Catriona Ward, Johnny Compton & Paul Tremblay

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Back from a too-short break, but ready to delve into the greatest haunted house of them all! Shirley Jackson’s Hill House. The place where the scary things walk alone.

Thankfully, I am not alone. I’m joined by my own group of creepy ghost-hunters: Paul Tremblay (A Head Full of Ghosts, Cabin at the End of the World), Johnny Compton (The Spite House) and Catriona Ward (Last House on Needless Street, Looking Glass Sound). I can think of no better collective to explore the corridors of this book and house.

We get INTO it. The crafted magic of that infamous opening paragraph, the long legacy of creepy houses in American fiction, the choice between the haunted void and hideous, mundane reality. Plus, a raft of film recommendations, and a few brief forays into our favourite real haunted places.

This one was necessary. Hope you enjoy it.

Other books mentioned:

House of Leaves (2000), by Mark Z. Danielewski

Carrie (1974), by Stephen King

‘Salem’s Lot (1975), by Stephen King

The Shining (1977), by Stephen King

The Spite House (2023), by Johnny Compton

The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers (1983), by John Gardner

The Letters of Shirley Jackson (2021), edited by Laurence Jackson Hyman

When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson (2021), ed. by Ellen Datlow

“Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad” (1904), by M.R. James

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