More eerie than scary. I think it's one of those classics that you can tell are a product of their time, especially in terms of the dialogue. I think the characters are very distinct and they bounce off of each other really well however, because of how the dialogue is written I sometimes find it difficult to understand the tone and intent of each conversation. The best part for me is the narration and Nell's inner dialogue. The prose has such a way of pulling you in and putting you in the moment, like it's you running around the rooms and halls of hill house while the rest blurs in the background.