Three friends have a clandestine sleepover in a beautiful, empty, secluded house in the woods, with disquieting results.
Another from the “When Things Get Dark” anthology of stories inspired by Shirley Jackson, this one is clearly an homage, at least in part, to “The Haunting of Hill House.” The house here, an empty but impeccably maintained Federal-style house in the Maine woods, is very different from Hill House — it’s described as being almost austere, with smooth white walls and square rooms and bright light streaming through the windows, unlike the not-quite-plumb Hill House. But it is also, it would seem, a trap, like Hill House, luring in the unwary with its unexpected warmth and hominess. Just as Hill House never reveals its secrets, neither does this house; it simply leaves a subtle tingle of dread beneath its cheerful facade.