Shirley Jackson was a pivotal figure in American literature, born in 1916 in San Francisco. Known for her mastery of horror and mystery, she penned the screenplay for The Haunting (1963), which adapted her chilling narrative style into a haunting cinematic experience. Jackson's work, characterized by psychological depth and unsettling themes, resonates within the cult film community, influencing countless creators in the genre. Her ability to explore the complexities of fear and isolation continues to spark discussions among fans of horror and exploitation cinema.
The Haunting
Ninety years ago, Hugh Crain buillt the mansion Hill House in a remote area of New England. When his wife is moving to the mansion, she has an accident and dies, leaving the bitter Hugh Crain and his daughter Abigail alone in Hill House. Hugh Crain marries again and his new wife also dies in Hill House. He moves to England and dies, leaving Abigail alone. When she is an old and invalid woman, she hires a paid companion from the village, but the woman neglects her and she dies. The companion inherits Hill House but the mansion drives her crazy and she commits suicide. In the present days (1963), Dr. John Markway rents the mansion from the inheritor Mrs. Sanderson to study the supernatural and prove the existence of ghosts. He invites the clairvoyant Theodora 'Theo' and the unbalanced and needy psychic Eleanor 'Nell' Lance to spend vacation in Hill House, and he goes with the skeptical future inheritor Luke Sanderson to the mansion. During the nights, the quartet witness supernatural manifestation in the house and the sanity of Nell is affected by her ghosts.
