A Masterful Return to a Haunting Classic in A Haunting on the Hill

Elizabeth Hand delivers a chilling, atmospheric, and beautifully crafted return to the iconic Hill House in A Haunting on the Hill. Officially authorized by the Shirley Jackson estate, this novel honors the legacy of The Haunting of Hill House while carving its own deeply unsettling path through the dark corridors of the infamous mansion.

The story follows playwright Holly Sherwin, who is on the cusp of her big break. With a grant to develop her latest play, she seeks the perfect retreat to nurture her creativity. That search leads her to Hill House—a crumbling Gothic estate hidden outside a small town. Captivated by its eerie allure, Holly gathers her troupe of actors and sets out to create something extraordinary.

But Hill House has other plans. From the moment the group steps through its doors, tension simmers—not just among the actors, each carrying emotional baggage of their own, but between the living and the house itself. Hand masterfully weaves a tale of creeping dread as Hill House exerts its influence, revealing its malevolent nature in ways that are both subtle and horrifying.

The novel shines in its ability to evoke a sense of disquiet, with Hand’s prose echoing Shirley Jackson’s genius for atmospheric storytelling. The house becomes a character in its own right—watchful, patient, and sinister—its malevolence growing more palpable with each page. The interplay between psychological unease and supernatural terror ensures that the novel lingers in the reader’s mind long after the final chapter.

Fans of Jackson’s original work will appreciate Hand’s reverence for its themes and tone, while new readers will find themselves drawn into a harrowing tale of ambition, creativity, and the inescapable grip of the past.

“Whatever walks there, no longer walks alone.” In A Haunting on the Hill, Elizabeth Hand proves that Hill House remains one of literature’s most unforgettable and terrifying creations. Read it with the lights on—and never alone.

Holly is on vacation with girlfriend Nisa when she stumbles on a gothic house. Holly thinks it will be perfect to move into to practice her play Witching Night. So along with Nisa, Stevie and old friend and Amanda an actress who is going to be in the play, move in. They four don't know anything about Hill House or its history.

This novel is set in Hill House and I believe the author was commissioned to write the book by the Shirley Jackson estate. The Haunting of Hill House is the classic haunted house novel so this book had a lot to live up to.

I started reading this book last year and did give up because I was taken ill and stopped reading for a while. I wanted to give the book another go as I do like very much the original Haunting of Hill House.

I have to say I was a little disappointed with this one. It is set in modern times so does have a different feel to it. There are references to the original with my favourite being the help won't stay after dark.

Thr story for me wasn't scary at all. I didn't feel there was any atmosphere and it certainly wasn't creepy like the original. As a stand alone this book might have worked as there wouldn't have been any expectation. I was hoping for something a bit more. At times I was getting quite bored.

The Haunting of Hill House didn't need a follow up, although you could say this book is just another chapter in the history of the house.

I do have another book by the author on my kindle so would give her another go in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the book originally to review.

A Haunting on the Hill is an atmospheric read set in Hill House from the classic novel. A group of performers plan to spend time in the house rehearsing and soon find spooky goings on. I could imagine this making a great tv series or film. Great for fans of the genre.

I was interested in reading this book as it was officially endorsed by the estate of Shirley Jackson.
Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as much as I expected. Although it was set in Hill House, it didn't really seem like a follow on book to me. I wasn't expecting a sequel I think that I would have enjoyed this more if there had been no association with Hill House.I didn't really like the characters either.
Sadly this book didn't live up to my expectations.

3.5/5

Thank you to the author and Little Brown Book Group for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a good time with this one! It was sufficiently creepy and the character development was detailed and fitted well within the framework of the narrative (no info dumping, which is a feat in a short-ish book because it's harder to dedicate time to organically develop the characters). I also really appreciated the main couple being sapphic. The horror in this isn't akin to a traditional 'haunting' or ghost story, but that's what made it so well done, in my opinion; it really captured the essence and the vibe of Shirley Jackson's original, 'The Haunting of Hill House'. You can really tell that the author has done her research and spent a lot of time with the source material, and 'A Haunting on the Hill' really feels like the next stage in the story of Hill House. Shirley Jackson's original is ethereal and cerebral, and the 'haunting' is quite intangible - this feeling was really well replicated in 'The Haunting on the Hill'. My rating may seem somewhat low, only because I prefer my horrors to be a bit more explicitly scary, but I knew going in that this wouldn't be that book, and I still enjoyed it.

When a group of performers choose Hill House as the location to work on a new play, it soon becomes clear that the mansion is still a terrifying place.

A brilliantly atmospheric return to a classic horror setting.

I enjoyed the way that the suspense was built slowly throughout this book, right to the very end. I never expected a retelling of the original book but I loved that it was a brand new story featuring Hill House. It felt new yet authentic at the same time.

The characters in this book were very unusual. I really couldn't decide whether I was rooting for them or not but I think this made it even more haunting because I was solely focussed on the house and where the story would lead.

This might be a controversial opinion but I actually preferred A Haunting On The Hill to The Haunting of Hill House!

Sadly couldn’t review this as my copy is readable. All the sentences were joined up and jumbled.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc.

This is an eerie and creepy story loosely connected with the original "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson. Using a contemporary setting of a strange house in which a group of people gathers to rehearse a play, the author explores the fear of the unknown and the need to explain it. The book uses tropes of a horror story – a remote location, unreliable characters, scary house and fear that lingers around rather than being visible - but is not overly scary or in any way gory.

A Haunting on the Hill returns to Shirley Jackson's Hill House, the first book to be authorised by Jackson's estate to do so. It might be as a result of the high expectations that gave me that I was so disappointed in this. Hand doesn't manage to deliver the same kind of psychological dread that Jackson is able to evoke and the characters fell very flat to me and I didn't feel very invested in what happened to them. Nisa particularly seemed to be written, almost like a caricature, as the most annoying person you can think of with seemingly no redeeming features. At times I found it very hard to believe this book had been run through an editor with the awkward pacing and the constant unnecessary short chapters that didn't lend anything to the book. There were some interesting elements of the actual haunting itself (that weren't really built on until later) which I think the book could have concentrated on to get a more compelling and interesting story, but we instead decided to focus on drama that would never come to a head. Also, I personally can't take it seriously when characters in the horror novel I'm reading are taking hits from their vape pen in between foreboding statements.
Whilst this didn't work for me, maybe as someone that enjoys Shirley Jackson, this might work if you're looking for a modern take on the haunted house and you don't mind short chapters.

Sadly had to abandon this one as text merged into one block for the opening chapters and despite downloading a few times, still the same issue. Will buy the book now :)

Hi
Thank you so much for approving me for a review copy of A Haunting on the Hill. Unfortunately my copy seems to have some formatting issues and most of the sentences are running into one. As a result I'm finding it very difficult to get through. I will buy a copy for Kindle and review it at a later date but thank you again for approving me to read this one. I'm excited to see what Elizabeth Hand brings to this story.
Kind regards
Lynn :D

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. I can’t put into words how freaking excited I was to read this. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is one of my favourite horror books and so obviously I was excited when this companion novel was announced. Unfortunately I was a little disappointed.

Like I said this is a companion/sequel that takes place in the same house and universe as The Haunting of Hill House. A group of people working on a play go to stay at Hill House to rehearse and it does not go well shall we say.

Let’s talk about what I liked first. The horror in this was definitely less subtle than in The Haunting of Hill House but I feel that it kept the same tone and atmosphere going. I liked that everything slowly built up and the horrifying moments were more character based than outright ghosts haunting the place if that makes sense. The house was messing with their minds. I really loved the mention of a family living there in the 80s. It was a nice nod to the show.

However, I could not have given a rats ass about this play or the characters. They were absolutely awful people with no substance and were only concerned with one upping each other. The inclusion of witchcraft also took me by surprise because that has never been a Hill House thing, I get that the house was using the play to get to the characters but then there were the hares (that were never explained by the way) and Evadne. It just seemed a bit random. The ending was also super rushed and extremely lacklustre and anti-climactic.

Honestly this is going to be a book that people either love or feel very meh about and I am unfortunately the latter in this instance which is really disappointing. This was released on 3rd October if you still want to check it out but it wasn’t for me.

I’ve read enough retellings by now to know that I’m not actually the best reader for them. I have this stipulation when it comes to retellings or adaptations that I feel the author must be able to understand the original text in the first place. And by understand I mean, be able to write a degree level essay on it that would comfortably achieve a first. Now, you may say this is excessive. Gatekeeping, even.

But bear with me — you cannot have an effective retelling that doesn’t consider the themes, and what the original does, what it tells about the society it was written in, and doesn’t attempt to translate them into a new parlance. Consider this example: in Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Wickham ruins Lydia, right? He seduces and runs off with her, thus meaning that she is no longer “fit for marriage”. Yes, she’s 16 and he’s in his 30s, but the context of the time means that that’s not such an issue as it would be today. So, in my view, adaptations that make Wickham a paedophile sex pest are missing the point. And I hate to have to defend this man, but these two things are of different orders of magnitude. Wickham has to be, for the Bennets at least, redeemable.

Now is the time to admit I don’t recall quite enough about the original Hill House to say whether A Haunting on the Hill manages to fulfil these demands, but I thought it did alright. It certainly didn’t have me coming out of it scorning its attempts at adapting (although how much of that was because I barely recalled the original remains to be seen). It did okay, without ever really feeling like a new, or actually adapted, take on the material. More like, here is another group of people heading to be eaten by Hill House.

But as a book in itself, detached from the original work? It was kind of bland and not in the least bit scary. While Hill House may never have been overtly scary, there was always a creeping sense of dread about it, a certainty that something was not quite right, but you couldn’t quite say what. Here, from about the halfway point, you get the occasional inexplicable event — a hare falling down the chimney, for example — but there’s nothing the least bit unsettling about it. Even the parts that are meant to be unsettling, the house starting to take over, don’t land because of this blandness I mentioned earlier.

I think in part this is about writing styles. Shirley Jackson’s is so iconic — the whole No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality passage, for example — that you feel any attempt at an adaptation has to have equally visceral and memorable a writing style. This does not. Nothing about the writing in this distinguishes it meaningfully from any other book. I don’t know if this is a recent thing, but it does sometimes feel that a lot of books are just blurring into one monochrome writing style. A lot of authors don’t have a distinctive voice to their works. Maybe it’s because I’ve been reading a few recently who have one (Carys Davies and Raymond Chandler spring to mind), that the more generic feel of other authors comes across as so much worse. This one, then, suffers from the fact that nothing about it stands out.

Finally, very briefly and in the interests of not making this review too long, I have to mention the characters. There are four of them and each gets a POV (although Holly’s POV chapters vastly outweigh everyone else’s). They are, to a man, not at all likeable. In and of itself, this would not be an issue, if they were remotely compelling. They are not, for the most part. I would occasionally raise them from bland to a little bit interesting, but nothing further.

So, while overall I did enjoy this book to an extent, as an adaptation-slash-continuation of Hill House it lands squarely under “disappointment”. For me, at least.

"A Haunting on the Hill" is a gothic horror novel written by Elizabeth Hand. The book represents the first authorized return to the world of "The Haunting of Hill House," created by Shirley Jackson.

I love Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House." Over the years I have read and reread it several times, watching and re-watching the various adaptations that have been made of it. Hill House is one of my favorite haunted houses within the literary panorama, which is why when I discovered "A Haunting on the Hill," set sixty years after Jackson's book, I jumped right in. I wasn't sure what to expect, it could either be a success or a disappointment, but I was hoping for the first hypothesis. And I was not disappointed at all! Unsettling, disconcerting, and claustrophobic, it completely captivated me! It's a delightfully dark, anguished, and haunting book, featuring evocative prose, a highly atmospheric setting (Hill House gosh!), an intriguing story, and complex and problematic characters. In my opinion the title succeeds in maintaining the essence of the original, creating a different tale. Clearly it is not necessary to have read "The Haunting of Hill House" to understand this book, although there are references to Jackson's work within the pages that are easily perceived by those who have read it.

I loved the writing! Elegant, sophisticated, and lyrical, it enchanted me with its vivid descriptions and brilliant dialogues. I think the author did an excellent job in conveying the eeriness of the tale, in dealing with the more horror component of the story, in portraying the characters with all their load of anguish and problems. And in bringing the haunted Hill House back to the pages!

What can I say about the setting?! It's Hill House! I think it constitutes a bit of a celebrity among haunted houses in the literary scene! It has captured my attention since I first read Jackson's novel and has never stopped intriguing me since. It is a grand gothic-style house, in disrepair, but still majestic and elegant in its structure. A mansion worn down by time and neglect, where many objects have been sold. A house full of labyrinthine corridors, dusty rooms, sudden drafts, sinister creaks, eerie decorations, and much more, to which are added a mysterious, perilous tower and soaring chimneys of unspecified number. A place where electricity is present in few areas and often unstable, almost unable to ward off the enormous darkness of the environment. An estate towering lonely atop a hill, lost amidst overgrown wilderness. A place where time seems to flow differently, full of distorted perspectives. A stage theater of many stories, mostly unpleasant, that have left an imprint on its walls. A vigilant creature, in constant and tireless waiting. A dark presence, malevolent and menacing, hostile yet seductive, with a will and rules all its own. I loved the way the author managed to capture the essence of the structure, portraying it with great skill.

The plot is disturbing, disorienting and cryptic. A group of characters with dissatisfied and unhappy lives, all with their own personal ghosts, find themselves in Hill House. Basically it is a journey into madness, in which rationality slowly loses substance, opening wide the door to nightmare. Those who have read Jackson's book know that "The Haunting of Hill House" exploits an allusive style, never explicit, open to different interpretations, with a very important psychological component. "A Haunting on the Hill" uses the same elements, creating a novel that plays with the thin line between reality and hallucination, between lucidity and madness. How much of what happens is true and how much the result of suggestions? The characters, after all, have their own problems, are informed of the possible but unlikely haunted past of the house, and thus are swayed by their experiences and what they have learned. Hill House then is a huge, dark, sinister-looking mansion that stimulates frightening fantasies. Alongside this more allusive aspect, there are the real spooky components: sudden apparitions, creepy visions, abrupt temperature changes, mysterious whispers and footsteps, ominous shadows and light plays, and treacherous creaks and drafts. All without ever falling into splatter, but instead using an evocative style.

The characters seemed convincing to me. Holly has her first person pov, while the others have their respective third person povs. Holly is a playwright in a work crisis, forced to do other work to support herself. Dissatisfied with her life and her job, a sudden grant seems to bring her closer to her big break. Nisa, Holly's girlfriend, is a singer with a wonderful voice, specializing in Child Ballads (traditional English and Scottish ballads, with Irish and American variants, characterized by gloomy tones and themes) and more particularly murder ballads, who take other jobs to earn money. Stevie is Holly's best friend, a sound designer with various addiction problems and a former child prodigy actor. And finally there is Amanda, once a star of the stage, currently in a bit of a decline. They are all troubled, paranoid, disappointed in life, cynical and petty, full of secrets, jealousies, grudges and regrets. They are not likeable characters, often they have really despicable and annoying attitudes, however, I found them coherent and well analyzed. They are already stressed characters, with tensions between them, which are an extremely fertile ground for Hill House.

All in all, this is a book I enjoyed a lot, featuring an eerie setting, an intriguing plot, evocative prose and haunting characters, which I recommend to lovers of the genre!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Well, we return to Hill House made famous of course by the highly regarded Author Shirley Jackson. Now don’t shout at me, but I have not read her book. I know, terrible for an avid reader but now I really want to.

The good bit about that is I had nothing to compare to. I went in with an open mind. This does build up slowly, so go with it, it’s not super spooky from pave one, but it’s able to suck you in until parts begin to really hit the nerves.

The basic plot is that a group of people who are rehearsing for a play rent out Hill House which has had no residents since a family with children lived there (yes, that family from the Netflix TV series). It’s been rented out short term now and then but nobody leaves unscathed. It’s kept empty by the current owner who is fast to rent it out despite knowing what she does.

Constant warnings to leave Hill House by an eccentric neighbour who knows the owner of the house go unheeded. In fact she’s a fabulous character. Think creepy witchy, all-knowing elderly woman with gifts to know and see what most don’t. She pops up through the book and I found her fascinating.

This theatre group are all unique. We have the playwright, two Actors (one male, one female) and a singer. Throw in a strange Chef and his partner whom are hired to provide food but flat revise to stay the night. Ever. The characters are very well written. You connect with each one and see and hear them as very distinct personalities from each other. No blurry people here. I like that the book lets you enter their private thoughts and feelings, often in conflict with external impressions they put out to each other.

This is a book that ratchets up the tension and atmospheric intensity as it goes. Don’t be dismayed if you think you are not getting your spooky fix early on. It builds up very cleverly. The relationship dynamics between the characters are super intriguing. Nothing is straightforward and plenty of suspicious events keep occurring.
This group should never, ever have entered this house. This house doesn’t want them there and by God does it show it. After halfway I was on edge, I devoured the events on the pages and the Author very cleverly brings you into the visual, auditory and sensory strange events that are going on. This is a dark place. This is not gory horror, it’s not a jump out of your skin book. This is spooky, eerie, sinister atmospheric storytelling. The way the Author writes visual scenes is very commendable. I could see everything as if I was there (thank the Lord I wasn’t!)

As the house starts to impact each guest the relationships between them are impacted also. Will any or all make it out alive? It’s only rented for two weeks so what occurs is really happening very quickly in real time. I could tell some scenes would be linked back to the original Hill House story. Shirley Jackson readers would no doubt pull out more than I did.

This house is alive..and it’s not happy to have guests. It wants so much more from them than they should give.

As it barrels to the ending I was utterly immersed. The imagery and concepts are creepy and disturbing. There are no twee happy outcomes here to spoil the genre. I also did not expect final events so loved nothing was predictable! My only criticism, the only tiny one is I found the publishing of the lyrics to the songs being sung as part of the play in rehearsals unnecessary. It’s not frequent and a minor part of the book. So don’t let that put you off.

And oh my…you’ll NEVER look at a Hare (a big rabbit but not a rabbit) the same way ever again.

I enjoyed this very much and by not comparing it to Shirley Jackson’s original introduction to readers about Hill House I may have liked it more. So if you’ve read it perhaps try to read this with a fresh expectation. I could see this on Netflix for sure. A very solid 4 stars from me, Defined recommended.

Deliciously Sinister..
A worthy return to Hill House in this deliciously sinister novel dripping with intrigue and suspense and officially authorised by the Shirley Jackson estate. Sixty years later, Hill House is to become a creative retreat but what exactly is to meet the guests at that haunting place? Wholly immersive, atmospheric and downright chilling, the tale captures the very essence of the original, infused throughout with a mounting sense of fear and outright dread. A perfect read for a chill Winters night.

A worthy sequel to the classis Shirley Jackson novel

This was creepy and then creepy some more! Oh You have to read this with no clues really as there's lots of delicious scary moments to find out for yourself.

I was hiding behind a cushion at certain points. I scare myself but totally worth it

Elizabeth Hand has been given official permission by Shirley Jackson's estate to return to Hill House and I'm pleased to say she has created a fine follow up to Jackson's iconic novel. When a struggling playwright stumbles upon Hill House, she finds herself drawn to it, deciding to rent it for a fortnight so that she and her mottley crew of friends/actors may rehearse which could be her breakthrough. However, Hill House starts to weave its' dark spell upon the group.

This well crafted novel draws upon Jackson's original and brings to it the same sense of unmitigated dread.