Richard Matheson's Hell House by Ian Edginton (2005, Paperback)

Although I had never read Richard Matheson's novel, I was familiar with the film version of the book, "The Legend of Hell House." It had a creepy electronic soundtrack during the opening credits of the movie. Sort of reminded me of the theme to the old tv show "Night Gallery." But I digress. The graphic novel comes in four separate volumes. I purchased books one and two through private sellers on Amazon.com, book three from Amazon.com, and the fourth book through eBay. I got lucky. The last volume was very hard to find. In a nutshell, a rich newspaperman, on the verge of death, hires a parapsychologist to prove the existence of the afterlife. The scientist, along with his wife, and two mediums investigate the abandoned Belasco House in northern Maine. The house has a history of evil. Belasco started out holding orgies in his mansion. Over a period of time, things spiraled out of control, eventually leading to cannibalism and death in the house. The story follows the beginnings of the investigation into the house. Slowly the evil that permeates the building starts to affect the teammembers in physical ways. There are not too many graphic novels that fall into the traditional haunted house genre. The story holds your attention as you watch the house exploit each character's weaknesses. I must admit that the finale was a little disappointing. The black and white artwork is good. Recommended only if you are a fan of ghost stories like Stephen King's "The Shining."