Our Ghost Ratings: = buy it! = worth reading = ho-hum

		The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson. The book that was the basis of the 1963 movie, plus the 1999 remake, The Haunting. I rarely recommend this book because many people who get involved with the paranormal don't realize what a Pandora's box they're opening. Sometimes, troubled people are drawn to this field because they are looking for answers. They should not read this book. This book presents the troubling side of ghosthunting in a fictional but highly accurate and realistic setting. And, because it is so vivid in its portrayal of how spirits can affect the mind, reading this book can push people too far. However, if you're rabid about ghosthunting, and are either stalwart or foolhardy enough to tackle this book, it's a brilliant work of fiction by an award-winning writer. As with the movie, you'll get a genuine sense of what real hauntings are like. Or, click here to order it in the UK
		The Haunting, Lili Taylor, Liam Neeson, and others. VHS & DVD. A glitzy 1999 remake of the classic 1963 film, with enough plot changes so it doesn't quite follow the original. This video will intrigue only the most rabid fans of the original. However, don't expect it to show you what real ghosts are like. "Hill House," while magnificently designed as a Hollywood set, bears almost no resemblance to actual haunted houses. The spiral staircase from the original movie makes a cameo appearance in this film. It also gave Liam Neeson a genuine fright, since he is not fond of heights. Other than that scene, and the remarkable sets, there is little to recommend this film for serious ghosthunters' research. (However, this review is about the authenticity of the hauntings, not the quality of the film as entertainment.) VHS version - DVD w/DTS stereo - Or, click here to order the DVD (PAL) in the UK.
		Ghosts: True Encounters With the World..., by Hans Holzer As a reference book for researchers, Holzer's "facts" can be without an ounce of credibility. And his self-congratulatory style leaves me chilled--and not in a good way. Anyone who cuts off his unpaid psychic researchers when they share their experiences with the media... Well, he and I have some very big disagreements about what's fair to a ghosthunting team. His popularization of the "Ocean-Born Mary House" is an embarrassment; she never lived there, and--at best--may have had dinner at that house once or twice. However, if you are simply looking for an impressive "ghost" book for your coffeetable, or a "good scare" mixing fact & fiction for bedtime reading, you may enjoy this massive tome.

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