Hell House
Rolf Rudolph Deutsch is going die. But when Deutsch, a wealthy magazine and newpaper publisher, starts thinking seriously about his impending death, he offers to pay a physicist and two mediums, one physical and one mental, $100,000 each to establish the facts of life after death. Dr. Lionel Barrett, the physicist, accompanied by the mediums, travel to the Belasco House in Maine, which has been abandoned and sealed since 1949 after a decade of drug addiction, alcoholism, and debauchery. For one night, Barrett and his colleagues investigate the Belasco House and learn exactly why the townfolks refer to it as the Hell House
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about Hell House
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
A dying millionaire pays four researchers a small fortune to settle, in one week, whether life continues after death. The house at the center of their study has eaten the last team that walked in.
Yes. Richard Matheson's Hell House (1971) is often paired with Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House (1959) as the two great American haunted-house novels. Stephen King has cited both as major influences.
Yes. The 1973 film The Legend of Hell House, with Matheson writing the screenplay, is widely considered one of the most faithful adaptations of his work. The film starred Roddy McDowall and Pamela Franklin.
Hell House was written by Richard Matheson, published in 1971 by Tor Books.
Hell House is 268 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Hell House takes most readers 4 to 6 hours to finish.
Hell House is a standalone novel by Richard Matheson, not part of a series.
Hell House is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.