Review: The Haunting of Hill House

The World Premiere of the stage adaptation of Shirley Jackson's novel, The Haunting of Hill House, is currently playing at Salisbury Playhouse, and it is brilliant!

Stef Smith adapted the book for the stage and stayed fairly true to the original, with a few minor changes to make it work on stage. Martin Constantine directs it, and his work with the script and actors has produced a fantastic production. 

I really enjoyed this production. From the moment the show begins, the staging, lighting, and projection work together to create something constantly unsettling without relying on spectacle for spectacle's sake. The design is clever, often giving us just enough to allow our imaginations to do the rest.

The sound design was particularly effective. At times it was jarring and genuinely unsettling, but what impressed me most was its restraint. At times, the sound dropped away almost completely, letting the audience breathe — or perhaps leaving us holding our breath — before the tension returned. That sense of anticipation was one of the production's greatest strengths.

The performances were strong too, with Clancy Ryan's portrayal of Eleanor standing out in particular.

Clancy Ryan as Eleanor (Images: Pamela Raith Photography)

Watching her gradually unravel was compelling, and the performance captured the vulnerability and growing instability of a woman who seems increasingly unable to distinguish between what is happening around her and what is happening within her. Watching that deterioration unfold in front of an audience is uncomfortable.

Some of the set-piece sequences were particularly impressive. The production makes excellent use of physical performance, lighting, sound and projection together, creating moments that really stand out. These sequences felt genuinely theatrical rather than simply attempting to recreate cinematic moments on stage.

Perhaps my biggest criticism is that I wanted more.

Not more spectacle, but more of Eleanor's unravelling. Just as her psychological deterioration became most fascinating, I found myself wanting the production to stay with her for longer. I wanted to see more of the gradual shift in her perception, and to spend more time inside that increasingly blurred line between supernatural influence and psychological collapse.

That isn't necessarily a criticism of the production's pacing. In fact, quite the opposite: the evening passed quickly. I was surprised when it ended, because I felt completely absorbed by the world the production created.

And perhaps that is a fitting response to The Haunting of Hill House. It leaves you wanting to stay a little longer — to understand what you've seen, to question what was real, and to spend just a little more time inside that house.

I left wanting more. For a production about a house that doesn't want to let people go, that feels rather appropriate.

You can find out more and book tickets here: https://www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk/events/the-haunting-of-hill-house