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Hell House Audiobook
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“Hell House is the scariest haunted house novel ever written. It looms over the rest the way the mountains loom over the foothills.” — Stephen King
From the author of I Am Legend comes Hell House, the basis for the supernatural horror film starring Pamela Franklin, Roddy McDowall, Clive Revill.
For over twenty years, Belasco House has stood empty. Regarded as the Mount Everest of haunted houses, its shadowed walls have witnessed scenes of unimaginable horror and depravity. All previous attempts to probe its mysteries have ended in murder, suicide, or insanity. But now, a new investigation has been launched, bringing four strangers to Belasco House in search of the ultimate secrets of life and death. A wealthy publisher, brooding over his impending death, has paid a physicist and two mediums to establish the facts of life after death once and for all. For one night, they will investigate the Belasco House and learn exactly why the townsfolk refer to it as the Hell House.
Hell House, which inspired the 1973 film The Legend of Hell House, is Matheson’s most frightening and shocking book and an acknowledged classic of the genre.
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"Much can be said about Richard Matheson, one of the most respected horror writers in my particular niche of friends and fans. From the very beginning, Matheson gripped me with this story. It's a very typical ghost story, including a cookie-cutter haunted mansion. What's brilliant about Matheson's creation is that his detailing of the massive property makes the reader feel as if they are actually there watching the horrific events unfold. His writing style is also spectacular and lends itself to both flow and literary depth. The complexity of the story and characters is what made me read through this whole book in a matter of two days (something I only do with excellent books). This book taught me that world-building and atmosphere are extremely important in establishing a sense of realism."
— Jorge (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Hell House is the scariest haunted house novel ever written. It looms over the rest the way the mountains loom over the foothills.”
— Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author -
“The 1971 novel by Richard Matheson was made into the 1973 film The Legend of Hell House. There are differences in what happens in the book, and the novel does a better job of getting into the heads of the characters and, as a result, the heads of readers.”
— USA Today
Awards
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A USA Today Pick of Horror Novels Way Scarier Than the Movies
Hell House Listener Reviews
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" Wonderful spooky book that I have read more then once now. The haunting from Balasco gave me a few chills up my spine. "
— Lenny, 2/17/2014 -
" A lot of twisted stuff without even the decency of a good plot twist to make it worth it. I've greatly enjoyed Matheson's other work, but this is one I kind of wish I had passed over. "
— Kristine, 1/27/2014 -
" **CONTAINS SPOILERS** I thought there was going to be a lot more scary stuff in it and seeing that its a haunted house i would think that once yer in the house, the ghosts aint gonna let you leave alive. characters came and went freely. "
— William, 1/16/2014 -
" A dying millionaire who wants to know if there is life after death pays $100,000.00 each to Dr. Barrett the Physicist, Florence Tanner the mental medium and Ben Fischer the psychic medium to go into the legendary Hell House and prove or disprove the theory of life after death. The problem is the home has been witness to unimaginable horrors and those that have entered before have not lived to tell about it, except for one, the medium Fischer, and he's remained psychically closed off for years and isn't sure he can be of much service. The book leaves you on the edge of your seat throughout each chapter as it explores the evil entity living within the walls. It scared the tarp out of me but I couldn't put it down. "
— Michelle, 1/10/2014 -
" This story was originally published in 1971 and is very well written. A good, solid haunted-house story that is very reminiscent of the original "The Haunting" movie from 1963. Many will be satisfied by the ending.. I was only partially so (I won't say why, I don't like spoilers), but it left a couple unanswered/unaddressed questions that I wish writers in the haunted-house genre would address. Otherwise, a very good, scary, no-holds-barred ghost story. "
— Wes, 1/8/2014 -
" This was an average read. Predictable story with cookie cutter characters and an unsatisfying ending. "
— Jeff, 1/8/2014 -
" Matheson has a creative way of bringing science and the supernatural together. No one wins in this scary haunt of electromagnetic setting. "
— Brenda, 9/12/2013 -
" Damn good freaky read. "
— Pedro, 6/24/2013 -
" One of the greatest haunted house novels ever written. Richard Matheson rules! "
— Raegan, 4/18/2013 -
" Matheson does a fine job of creating heaps of terrifying moments in this novel, but I had a few small issues with pacing and the writing in general. A fast and enjoyable horror read, though not in quite the same leage as I Am Legend. "
— Sydney, 9/9/2012 -
" An entertaining haunted house story; a quick read, creepy and graphic, with some imagery that definitely stays with you. Not as good as Matheson's outstanding 'I am Legend,' but worth a read, though 'The Shining' is still the king (pun intended) of this genre. "
— Michael, 4/19/2012 -
" I read this book a long time ago - this time was on audio. I think this is one of the few cases I've come across where the movie was better, maybe because it was made long enough ago that they had to clean up a lot of the graphic parts. "
— Leslie, 3/6/2012 -
" I really enjoyed "Hell House" by Richard Matheson. Once I started reading, I could not put it down. Even for a book written in the 1970s, the plot transcends time and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even the final twist paid off, although I wish there would have been more information. "
— Teatree_elle, 1/6/2012 -
" Everything that I've read by Richard Matheson is fantastic, but this one is perhaps the most intense story. I love me a good haunted house story, and Hell House is the best I've ever read. "
— Angro, 6/21/2011 -
" Very disappointing after the brilliance of I Am Legend. An ending that was horribly anticlimactic, and not a little confusing. "
— Veronica, 6/4/2011 -
" Not as scary as I thought... There are much better horror books out there "
— Mayra, 5/2/2011 -
" so far so good, not as scary as i thought it would be but definitely scary for the time that it was written in. "
— Laurie, 5/1/2011 -
" Timeless classic haunted-house tale. Very eerie and engaging. "
— Helen, 4/28/2011 -
" This was an average read. Predictable story with cookie cutter characters and an unsatisfying ending. "
— Nostratic, 4/9/2011 -
" The book practically every haunted house movie is based on, this is a must read. "
— Shonnie, 3/30/2011 -
" I read half, which is more than fair. Not scary and the writing wasn't for me. It's rare for me to quit without finishing a novel. "
— Jim, 3/25/2011 -
" The Haunting of Hill House's stupid younger cousin, who spends most of his time pulling the wings off flies and obsessing over what it might be like to touch a girl. "
— Sarah, 3/21/2011 -
" Loved it loved it loved - couldn't put it down until the end! "
— Karen, 3/12/2011 -
" Great ghost story. I read many horror novels and this one actually scared me. It was one of those books which I did not want to end. "
— Melissa, 3/8/2011 -
" This was an excellent "old school" haunted house book. "
— Kimmie, 2/24/2011 -
" I love Richard Matheson! How did I miss this book? Thank you, Mattyallen. I shall return the favor when I have something in my nook that you may be interested in reading. :) "
— Sally, 1/24/2011 -
" One of my all time favorite books :) "
— Elizabeth, 1/23/2011
About Richard Matheson
Richard Matheson (1926–2013) was born in New Jersey and started living and working in California in 1951. In addition to novels in the mystery, science fiction, horror, fantasy, and western fields, he wrote many film and television scripts, including “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” from The Twilight Zone. He also wrote episodes of Have Gun, Will Travel, Night Gallery, and Star Trek. Several of his novels and stories have been made into movies, including The Shrinking Man, I Am Legend, and What Dreams May Come (starring Robin Williams). Over the course of his career he won the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Bram Stoker Award for Life Achievement, the Hugo Award, the Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Golden Spur Award, and the Writer’s Guild Award.
About Ray Porter
Ray Porter has garnered two Audie nominations as well as several Earphones Awards and enthusiastic reviews for his sparkling narration of audiobooks. A fifteen-year veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, he has also appeared in numerous films and television shows.