‘The Haunting of Hill House’ heads to the stage

Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ is heading to the stage with a UK tour

Shirley Jackson’s seminal horror novel The Haunting of Hill House is being reimagined for the stage, with a major UK tour set to launch in autumn 2026. The adaptation marks the latest revival of Jackson’s 1959 novel, a work that has continued to shape modern horror across literature, film and television for decades.

The stage production centres on a group of investigators who gather inside the imposing Hill House, drawn together by curiosity and a shared desire to understand the mansion’s dark reputation. As their stay unfolds, unease slowly builds and unsettling events begin to ripple through the house, turning intellectual intrigue into something far more disturbing. The story leans into atmosphere and psychological tension, placing human fear and vulnerability at the heart of the experience.

The adaptation has been written by Stef Smith, an Olivier and BAFTA award winner whose theatre work includes Roadkill, Girl in the Machine and Human Animals. Smith has described the project as a privilege, praising Shirley Jackson’s novel as one of the most powerful supernatural stories of the past century. She has spoken about the deeply theatrical nature of Hill House and the way the story moves through fear, grief, longing and emotional fracture, with an emphasis on the idea that the most profound horrors are rooted in human behaviour.

Direction is by Martin Constantine, an award winning theatre and opera director known for productions including Peter Pan, The Owl and the Pussycat and Dead Man Walking. The production is being mounted by Wiltshire Creative in association with Theatr Clwyd, with Mark Puddle, Alexander Sandy Marshall and Patrick Myles presenting. Public funding support has been provided by Arts Council England.

Laurence J Hyman, Shirley Jackson’s son, welcomed the new adaptation and said his mother’s legacy continues to endure as her work finds new audiences across different art forms. He expressed confidence that the stage version will capture the unsettling spirit that has made The Haunting of Hill House so enduring.

The tour opens at Salisbury Playhouse on September 11, running until October 3, before transferring to Richmond Theatre from October 6 to 10. From there, it moves to Theatr Clwyd, Theatre Royal Brighton, Palace Theatre Manchester and Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, before concluding its run at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh from November 10 to 14.

Shirley Jackson, who died in 1965, remains one of the most influential figures in horror and mystery writing. With this new stage adaptation, The Haunting of Hill House continues its long afterlife, proving once again that its quiet dread and emotional intensity remain as powerful as ever.