Now that the conclusion of the critical essay on The Haunting of Hill House has been posted, I figured it would be a good time to conduct a poll asking readers to vote for their favorite American haunted-house novel.
"American" here designates the setting of the novel, not the national origin of the author. Henry James's The Turn of the Screw is a classic haunted-house novel written by an American, yet does not qualify as American Gothic thanks to its English countryside setting. Conversely, the Britain-born Clive Barker makes the list by writing about a haunted Hollywood mansion.
I toyed with the idea of including Jay Anson's allegedly nonfictional The Amityville Horror as a choice, but ultimately decided against it.
The list of choices appears in the poll over in the right sidebar, but just for the record, they are:
*Coldheart Canyon: A Hollywood Ghost Story by Clive Barker
*House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
*The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
*The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
*The Shining by Stephen King
*Audrey's Door by Sarah Langan
*Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco
*Hell House by Richard Matheson
*Beloved by Toni Morrison
*The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons
*Other
So go ahead and give a quick click in the sidebar for your personal favorite. If you'd like to speak more about your choice (or identify the book if you voted for "Other"), you can leave a comment to this post.
The poll will close at 11:59 P.M. on Saturday, August 28th.
5 comments:
Damn. Too many great novels to choose from. I was forced to go with Shirley Jackson on this one, though Danielewski almost got the nod.
I had to vote for House of Leaves. As much as I love the Jackson book, there was just something outrageously indulgent about Danielewski's book. And authentically creepy. The book itself feels haunted--like you're listening to the maniacal whispers of a madman.
I really need to give House of Leaves another shot (confession: I got bogged down in the middle of it and never finished). But anyone who has ever read it raves about it. I think I just wasn't in the right frame of mind at the time that I tackled the book.
But you can't go wrong, Bob, with Shirley Jackson. Those oldies but goodies...
I have a soft spot for Matheson (I am Legend is so memorable). I also like the unexpected and somewhat bizarre ending of Hell House when they enter the chapel.
It seems a very American notion in 21st Century horror fiction that the paranormal should be explained somehow "scientifically" for the reader. Whereas a UK ghost story with a haunted house might be more interested in 'what' happens than 'how' it happened. Not sure that 100% stands up but I'll throw it out there as a thought :)
You're right, Ken: Matheson's supernatural novels definitely have a science-fictional feel. Maybe his greatest accomplishment in Hell House is making the occult seem so plausible.
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