Down a Dark Hall (Lois Duncan Thrillers)

The first time I read this book was about 25 years ago when I checked it out from my school library. Though I did not recall the title or the author, through the magic of an Amazon discussion board, I got the information very quickly from another helpful reader and was able to obtain my own copy. Obviously, if it stuck in my mind all this time, the book is a good read, and I'm happy to report I enjoyed it nearly as much the second time as I did all those years ago.Kit Gordy's father died several years back, leaving her and her mother alone. Nobody truly believed Kit saw her father in her bedroom on the night he died since he was out of town at the time, but now the memory is clearer than ever in Kit's mind. Her mother is about to remarry and take an extended European honeymoon, so Kit is enrolled in Blackwood Academy, an upscale, rural school for girls.So her mother and new husband can catch their ship, Kit is left at Blackwood a day early. She should be thrilled at the school's picturesque setting, but instead, Kit is unnerved by a pervasive sense of evil. Her first night there, she is bothered by the fact that the hallway to the dorm rooms is stygian dark, and then she is plagued by disturbing dreams about being smothered by her bed's ornate canopy. She hopes her unsettled feelings will change once the school is full of chattering students, but then is surprised to learn that only four students have been accepted to attend the term. She befriends another girl there and has some good times, but no matter how pleasant her days, at night the old mansion's shadows darken, and the hallway to the student rooms is dreadfully dark.Before long, the students at Blackwood start showing amazing talents in math and the arts, and Kit also notices that they all seem to be getting thinner. She often awakens with sore arms and fingers as if she had been playing hours of piano. Her letters to her mother don't ever seem to arrive, either. Other strange incidents among the students continue to occur and escalate, but Madame Duret, the headmistress, explains them all away, until one night Kit comes upon evidence that nothing at Blackwood is at it seems. Kit and the other girls are in terrible danger and there seems to be no way out.One of the most important elements to the plot of this book is isolation, which is less and less a part of the modern world. The way it is done in this story is a bit dated, but since it could still work in a modern setting with a tweak or two, it remains believable. The story itself is chilling, with the sinister elements slowly building until its explosive climax. The ending could have benefitted from a little more fleshing out, but again, I believe that is a mark of the time period in which it was written. Books these days tend to drag endings out sometimes past the point where they should.I enjoyed this book enough as a teenager to seek it out all these years later, and enjoyed it again as an adult. I highly recommend it.

A good book, very well written. The seller was correct in how they labeled the book (used). I wanted to see the movie on Netflix so or course I had to read the book first. Lois Duncan had made a suspenseful story that you can tell has been modernized and I can't say as a parent or when I was a teenager I would act like Kit does. Still a good story that we read for book club.

I read and loved Lois Duncan's suspense novels as a pre-teen and teen, and decided to pick them up again. They've been updated for the 21st Century, but the updates are seamless and don't disrupt the flow or the original storyline. Down a Dark Hall is just as chilling as it was 35 years ago.

I found the movie, with Uma Thurman and Annasopia Robb, and decided to watch it. And then I realized that it was based on a book, so naturally, I went and bought the book! I have to say that for such a simple story, the atmosphere that Duncan creates around Blackwood Hall is brilliant. It’s another implied horror book, but I was still creeped out and completely believed in the danger. As I said, the actual plot is very simple and not hard to figure out, but the fact that the villains are not what one would expect makes it all the more horrific. Kit is a strong character who is smart enough to carry the story. I think this is the perfect paranormal story to give to teens to help keep their attention. A great story that’s easy to read!

I must say this was a really really good book! I think that any reader who just wants a good page turner should definitely try this one. This book is about a girl named Kit and her mother has recently remarried. Her parents are going on a European tour and they are leaving kit in a boarding school while they are gone. When she arrives at the boarding school for girls, she realizes that something just isn't right. The place just seems sinister. She is very surprised by the fact that are only three other girls that come to the school. They were the only other ones that passed the unusual test. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but I'll go ahead and tell you that it is surprising and was no what I was expecting. I think that if you like to read an easy-read book and a thriller and suspense and mystery all mixed up together then you will like this one a lot!

I read this as a teenager back in the 80's and lived it than. I was disappointed that this edition I purchased wasn't the original, changing aspects to fit current times. I was looking for the book I read because of nostalgia, so would have preferred the original. It was still very good.

I wasn’t sure where this book was heading but I wasn’t disappointed. Now it’s time to watch the movie and see how it holds up.

When I purchased the Kindle Version, nowhere did I see mention of this being a "modernized" version of the story. So imagine my surprise when Kit pulls out her cell phone and is bummed that there's no Wi-Fi signal. This story takes place in 1974! I have no idea what other literary atrocities await as I haven't finished it yet. Why they did this I have no idea, unless it was an attempt to tie-in to the film version. Either way, if you want the original text of this book, don't get the Kindle Version. Buyer beware.

After reading reviews of the book I got interested. Despite it feeling like a teenage book I enjoyed it but was a tad disappointed in the end. It was different from other similar books. I've lent it to a friend.

Still a good and easy read but doesn't hold up to modern young adult books.

I read the Kindle version of Down a Dark Hall and was disappointed to discover that it has been edited ftom its original version to include modern technology in the story. The original book was published in the 1970s. The modernized version includes references to cell phones, computers, internet, etc, which in my opinion are very misplaced and detract from the authenticity of the story. I grew up reading Lois Duncan in the 1980s, so the changes were instantly noticeable. I couldn't stop noticinb them throughout the book, and it kept me from becoming fully immersed in the story. I can't speak for younger readers, but for longtime Duncan fans,Even knowing that she had made the changes herself, it was truly a letdown. The story is a classic gothic YA novel, one of the best, and I believe younger generations should be given the chance to appreciate the book in its original version. Surely young people can acknowledge and accept that people did not have cell phones and laptops in the past. I don't see how that woukd affect their appreciation of one of the best supernatural suspense stories ever, in my opinion.

Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan7/22/20180 Comments PictureKit Gordy is forced to attend Blackwood Hall while her mom and new stepdad go off on their honeymoon around Europe. At first sight, she sees the school and has immediate bad vibes; the house looks evil. Is it all in her head? No, it is definitely more menacing that she or anyone could ever imagine. There are only 4 students enrolled and each of them soon discover that they all have one thing in common; they can see what others can't and what they can see are ghosts. Blackwood is haunted and Kit soon finds herself fighting for control of her mind against ghosts who each want a turn to live again through her and the other students. Some of these ghosts were poets, musicians and even mathematicians. Kit was right about her suspicions. The staff and Blackwood itself is not as it seems.This wasn't a bad read. It was definitely scary and I found it hard to read at night because of that, so it gets points for scaring me to death. The main characters were likeable but at certain points in the story some of the things they did was very confusing. I liked that this book could still be scary without the usual blood and gore. The suspense was maddening and unpredictable which is good because there's no point in reading a book if you can guess everything that is going to happen. The love connection between Jules and Kit was very underdeveloped. I also hated the way it ended. I feel like there should be a sequel to explain what happened to Kit and her friends after the end events at Blackwood. Something was missing and I can't quite put my finger on it.

El género de terror juvenil no suele encontrarse mucho por España, pero este título merece la pena (sobre todo para que los chavales opten por lecturas en inglés). En breve además, veremos una adaptación de este libro en las pantallas.