Senza infamia e senza lode, si legge in una giornata. Piacevole, narrazione avvincente e serrata, buona trama.
Unica pecca il finale: troppo prevedibile e scontato.
Si prevede vagamente dove va a parare prima della metà e la conclusione è qualcosa di molto “già visto, già sentito”.
Da godersi quanto un bel episodio di “Ai confini della realtà”. ( )

Davvero poca cosa: forse scritto pensando che l'atmosfera di pathos sarebbe poi stata resa dagli artifici di un'eventuale trasposizione cinematografica, perché come tecnica descrittiva non ci siamo proprio. Curioso poi come la scena dei misteriosi colpi alla porta sembri ricalcare pari pari quella de "L'incubo di Hill House che ho letto qualche mese fa, quasi che sia l'unico schema ammissibile nel filone "case infestate"
Di qualche pregio la parte che rappresenta lo scioglimento finale, mentre assolutamente inutili e scontate sono le ultime righe

I first read this in the anthology [b:999|967876|999 New Stories of Horror and Suspense|Al Sarrantonio|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388228330s/967876.jpg|952773], where it was one of the few really good stories. Since I didn't keep that volume, I was happy when Cemetery Dance republished the novella on its own, so I could have a copy in my permanent collection.

Joan Freeboard is a hard-boiled realtor tasked with selling the fabulous mansion Elsewhere. Unfortunately, it was once the site of a murder and now has a reputation for being haunted. Joan stands to make quite a bit on the sale, so she's determined to make it happen. Finally she hits upon an idea: hire a paranormal investigator and a psychic, prove it isn't haunted, and then have a writer friend publish an article in a prominent magazine attesting to the fact.

To say things don't go as planned is an understatement.

This is a chilling story with a twist so shocking it (and much of the plot) was swiped by a popular film only two years later. I wish I could have read it again for the first time, but with this reading I was able to see all the clues, so it was interesting in a different way. ( )

The story of a haunted house on a remote island on the Hudson River. The real estate agent commissioned to sell the home hires a team of parapsychologists to clear out the ghosts. The book was described as “witty and intriguing”. It had it’s moments, but definitely lacked originality. In this familiar scenario THE HAUNTING OF HELL HOUSE is still the top contender in by opinion. ( )

Ah, this plot line never gets old: a select group of people stay at an old mansion to prove it's not haunted. I lied; this plot line has gotten old. Listen, select group of people: THE MANSION IS HAUNTED. It is ALWAYS haunted, or you wouldn't be in a book.

I was shocked at how bad this was, given William Peter Blatty's pedigree. The Denver Rocky Mountain News called it "the first truly original haunted house story in decades." Yes, it is strikingly original, assuming you haven't gone to the movies in the past 15 years, otherwise the main plot twist will feel mighty familiar. I enjoyed in and was fooled by it in that movie, but not in this book.

It can be relaxing to read a book that's familiar enough to deliver just what you expect, but here, the writing itself gets in the way. The characters are the mere sketches at best. Most jarring is Blatty's persistent habit of referring to the characters by their occupation instead of their names: "The realtor's eyes were glazed over." "The psychic mutely demurred." "The author shrugged." I suppose Blatty was trying to avoid repetion of proper names, but gawd, it was irritating. ( )