The Haunting of Hill House is a creepy series that’s perfect for the Halloween season and is streaming on Netflix now. The series is a ten-episode adaptation of the 1959 gothic horror novel by Shirley Jackson. In terms of adaptations, The Haunting of Hill House is very loose; it only borrows a few characters from the original text. Instead, the story and themes of the novel have been repurposed to tell a modern family story about guilt, addiction, buried memories, and grief. There’s also plenty of creepy ghosts and apparitions too. Despite being a loose adaptation, series creator Mike Flanagan has managed to create a series that is both disturbing and poignant, and it will likely go down as a classic in terms of horror television.
Note: This review will contain NO SPOILERS for the show. Feel free to read on without fear of getting the story ruined.
The Haunting of Hill House follows the Crain family and details their lives both in the past and present. Led by parents Hugh (Henry Thomas) and Olivia (Carla Gugino), the Crain family consists of five kids of varying ages. Hugh and Olivia move into Hill House while the kids are still young, planning to renovate it and flip it for profit. Over the course of one summer, the family undergoes some unspeakable horrors. From the supernatural to the horrifyingly human, the Crain family is one that is full of secrets. The Haunting of Hill House functions as both a creepy trip through a haunted house and a twisting family drama. While its scares are reminiscent of films like The Conjuring, the drama in between feels more grounded and believable.
The show does an amazing job drawing you into the Crain family and their woes, and it does so with a mix of expert casting and incredible storytelling. The show flips back and forth between the past and present with a surprising amount of frequency, but it does so without effort or pause. As the viewer, we get to see the events of Hill House during the family’s youth, but we also see the effects of those events that plague them in the present. After the initial set up, each episode of the show focuses on one major character in the family, while also supplying overarching narrative support. This gives the viewer enough time to understand the nuance of each character, their personality, and more importantly, their fears.
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Although The Haunting of Hill House feels ultimately straightforward when all is said and done, the structure of the story manages to be just as impacting as the tale itself. As we experience both the past and present timelines of the Crain family, we are granted a trickle of information slowly. A lot of the time, The Haunting of Hill House feels like a puzzle with just a few missing pieces. The pace at which these puzzle pieces are given to the audience is great and makes it incredibly easy to binge the whole show in one go. As the story jumps between past and present, there are just enough interesting characters and scenarios to keep you interested. All the while, there are bigger elements at play. By the time these overarching secrets come to fruition, you’ll be pretty satisfied.
Not only is the show consistently interesting, but it’s also consistently scary. This is a feat many horror shows and movies struggle with. How long can people realistically be scared of the same bumps and creaks in the night? Surprisingly, The Haunting of Hill House manages to expertly handle both atmosphere and true scares. While the majority of frights come from predictable jump scares and disturbing images, the foundation of those scares are an impressive amount of atmosphere. In a show with plenty of characters and stories, The Haunting of Hill House makes the house feel the most intimidating out of all of them. After just a few episodes, it’s hard to deny how “alive” the house feels. This is due to excellent cinematography, appropriate and evocative set design, and a creeping score that flows with the tension of the show. For all the horrors contained within, The Haunting of Hill House is an oddly beautiful and hypnotic visual experience.
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Although The Haunting of Hill House is effective and of high quality, it’s not entirely spotless. For the most part, the show manages to keep things fresh and interesting throughout. However, there is a bit of a slog in the middle of the show, as well as the conclusion. Ultimately, these slow spots are few and far in between, but they are a noticeable blemish on an otherwise perfectly paced story. The pacing flaws are easy to forgive though, as they were almost expected. It’s a tough job to craft nearly 10 hours of perfectly paced television. The casting is exquisite, and nearly every performance is worth a hefty round of applause. This is especially true for Carla Gugino, who excels in her role of Olivia. The same can be said for every younger actor on the show. Somehow, the group of five Crain kids is played to near perfection. Generally speaking, I have no issues with the acting in the entirety of the “past” segments. Every scene that looks back on Hill House and the summer of terror is mostly spotless, with only minor gripes.
Unfortunately, the present day storyline has a few bumps along the way. For the most part, the cast of adult Crain kids is relatable, endearing, and easy to empathize with. I especially enjoyed the performance of Oliver Jackson-Cohen, who plays the adult version of Luke. In some of the more emotional scenes, a few of the actors can come off as wooden and unfeeling. When this is intentional, it’s done well. Unfortunately, there are a few scenes where the chemistry doesn’t click and things can get a bit melodramatic. The same can be said for the conclusion of the show, which while satisfying, also veers a bit towards the melodramatic.
Ultimately, The Haunting of Hill House is fantastic show the highlights the full spectrum of human fear. The design of the show, including the cinematography, story structure, set design, and inventive scares, is solid and well crafted. There are a few bumps along the way, but in a ten-hour long horror series, those are forgivable. There aren’t many shows that manage to stay as consistently scary and interesting as The Haunting of Hill House, and that’s an achievement within itself. The narrative is hefty and tons of fun to follow, the scares that await are effective, and it’s very pretty to watch. The handful of missteps along the way are easily forgivable, as The Haunting of Hill House will surely end up as both a critical and financial success. If you’re in the mood for something spooky and don’t mind a bit of drama mixed in, I highly recommend The Haunting of Hill House.
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Watch The Haunting of Hill House via Netflix .
Series Rating: 4 stars.
Series Rating Guide
1 Star = Unwatchable
2 Stars = Cannot Recommend
3 Stars = Great for the Fans
4 Stars = Must Stream
5 Stars = Must Download
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