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The Haunting Of Hill House Scene Analysis

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While the novel “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson and the film “Sunset Boulevard” directed by Billy Wilder both feature isolated, haunted mansions that drive the protagonists insane, they differ in that Eleanor becomes possessed by the house and Norma is possessed by her fame, which is important because it shows the different ways of how an isolated environment can lead lead characters into madness. The main setting of both the novel and film take place in a large, isolated mansion. In “The Haunting of Hill House,” the characters visit a gothic castle that is hidden away from everyday reality. The overall atmosphere of the house seems to be grand, a place that could possibly be from a “book of fairytales” (Jackson pg. 37). …show more content…

When Eleanor goes to Hill House, there is a voice telling her to “get away from here, get away” (Jackson pg. 24) this is reminiscent of many horror movie experiences when one of the characters of the film are walking into a basement or an attic, while the audience is screaming for them not to go in there. There are a few scary events that are caused by the supernatural, one of them being when there is “Help Eleanor come home” (Jackson pg. 107) written in chalk on the wall. A fight between the group ensues when they try to discuss who wrote her name on the wall, but when it is revealed that none of them did it, Eleanor starts to become paranoid. Another incident is when the doctor shivered when the door “swung wide open and then crashed shut” (Jackson pg. 147). It is one of the first haunting moments in the novel and it signifies a presence or spirit entering the estate. The most scariest event in the novel is said to be when Eleanor and Theo are walking outside of the house and notice a “picnic party on the grass in the garden,” (Jackson pg. 130) Theo then looks over her shoulder and tells Eleanor to “don’t look back” (Jackson pg. 130) and run away. It is an important moment in the book because it is the only paranormal event that Eleanor never witnesses herself. We never find out what Theo sees, which leaves it a mystery to both Eleanor and the reader. In “Sunset Boulevard, there

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