Hell House

I love Richard Matheson, and this book is a must-have. The story is simply amazing, I read it all in a rush. The atmosphere is creepy and the characters are really interesting. To any italian reader: I'm italian and i read it easily. Sometimes you may have to check some words, but it's still a good and enjoyable reading.

Hell House is quite simply an outstanding horror novel. The pace is brisk, and the style does not seem dated. Matheson wrote several episodes of the old Twilight Zone show, and this novel has that disturbing kind of feel to it. To me, it far surpasses anything by Stephen King, John Saul, or Peter Straub. Matheson's prose is crisp yet detailed, and his plotting is very effective. In my opinion, gothic horror should be terrifying, and while that is always going to be a subjective quality, Hell House does not disappoint. Even the most jaded horror fan will find Matheson's depictions of potergeist activity creepy. But what sets Hell House apart from other stories in the genre is that it explores both psychological and the supernatural explanations for the haunting of Belasco's mansion, making it not only scary, but also thought provoking. A few words of warning, though. While most readers of horror are not likely to be offended by blasephemy, Matheson's malevolent ghost indulges in some of some of the most darkly depraved actions one can imagine, subjecting the female medium, Florence Tanner, to what has to be one of the most bizarre rape scenes ever imagined involving a large crucified Christ sporting an enormous wooden phallus. Nevertheless, such things are in keeping with Emeric Belasco's character as the most evil man in early twentieth century America. In fact, he seems almost like a fictional rendering of Aleister Crowley, and his mansion is similar to Crowley's own "anti-monestary" the Abbey of Thelema. Crowley and his followers lived lives spent not on laws, statutes, or rules, but according to their own free will and pleasure, growing so self-indulgent that Mussolini's government forced the group to leave Sicily in 1923; Matheson's anti-hero carries such hedonistic pleasure to sadistic extremes. All of this, of course, makes for fascinating reading, but I can imagine that some folks would find it offensive. Also, if you purchase the Kindle edition, be aware that the text is a VERY poor scan of the original text. Consequently, mistakes such as "Fie" for "He" and "nov/" for "now" abound. Most of them can be deciphered with some effort, and all of them are confusing and inexcusable. Nevertheless, Hell House is the best horror novel I've read in a long time, and it comes with my highest recommendation.

Não tinha percebido que é no inglês. Kkk Sou péssimo em inglês. Se for bom e delicado ao estudo do inglês compre .

The book arrived in perfect condition, and the plot was so enticing that I could not put it down. I read a lot of horror books, and I will say after the first read, this was in my top three. I have reread this book several times and plan to keep it on my reread list.

1970: Ein Team von paranormalen Investigatoren soll im Auftrag eines exzentrischen Milliardärs das legendäre "Hell House" erforschen, das zu Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts der Schauplatz ungeahnter Perversionen und Greueltaten war, geleitet vom geheinmisvoll-dämonischen Emeric Belasco. Die letzte paranormale Forschung fand 1940 statt-es gab nur einen Überlebenden: Benjamin Fischer. Dieser ist 1970 wieder dabei-zusammen mit der Spiritualistin Florence Tanner und dem Forscher Dr. Lionel Barrett, der mit seiner Frau reist und eine eigene Apparatur zum Vertreiben von "residualer Energie" entwickelt hatte. Im Hell House soll sie ihren Test bestehen. Was immer die Vier erwarteten-es wird um ein Vielfaches übertroffen. Der Geist der Protagonisten wird ebenso wie ihre Körper angegriffen und lange Zeit scheint der zerstörerische Geist des Hauses die Oberhand zu behalten. Doch dann tritt eine unerwartete Wendung ein.. Wer einen modernen Spukhaus-Roman der Oberklasse genießen will, ist mit "Hell-House" bestens bedient. Am besten nachts beim Licht einer Schreibtischlampe lesen, dann gruselt es sich leichter...