The series I won’t shut up about is The Haunting of Hill House, the brilliantly creepy series by Mike Flanagan on Netflix.
Now, I know what some people are thinking already. Another adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House? Really? Do we need that, and ten episodes to tell that story?
It’d be easy to roll your eyes considering the novel has already been adapted twice before. First there was the absolutely phenomenal black and white classic The Haunting directed by Robert Wise, which still feels eerie enough to crawl under your skin sixty years later.
Then there was the glossy 1999 version, The Haunting starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Liam Neeson. Let’s just say - it exists…probably in a dusty DVD bargain bin!
But keep an open mind, because I promise you, this series will pleasantly surprise you.
From the very first episode, viewers learn they’re in for a wild ride. There’s an early jump scare that perfectly sets the tone for the nine episodes that follow. Not the cheap “cat jumps out of cupboard” variety either.
But it wasn’t the scares that kept me coming back each night, it was the characters.
The series follows the five Crain siblings, whose lives were permanently warped after spending one terrifying summer in Hill House as children.
Steven
The eldest brother, played by Michiel Huisman. He grows up to become a successful horror author despite not fully believing in the supernatural events his family experienced. He’s the definition of a sceptic.
Shirley
The practical older sister, played by Elizabeth Reaser, who runs a funeral home. She tries desperately to hold the family together while suffocating under the pressure of being the responsible one in the family.
Theo
She is played by Kate Siegel, easily one of my favourite characters. (Fun fact, she is Mike Fallangan’s wife in real life). She has psychic abilities that she numbs with gloves and her sarcasm attitude.
Luke
Played heartbreakingly by Oliver Jackson-Cohen. Luke struggles with addiction throughout the series, and his storyline is one of the saddest and most human depictions of trauma I’ve seen in horror television.
And finally there’s…
Nell
Portrayed by Victoria Pedretti, she is the emotional heart of the show. Gentle and vulnerable, and haunted since childhood by visions of the mysterious “Bent-Neck Lady”.
And Speaking of the Bent-Neck Lady…
I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen the series yet, but when the truth behind that figure is finally revealed, it absolutely floored me! Mike Flanagan somehow manages to make ghosts feel tragic instead of just frightening.
Hill House isn’t simply a haunted building, it’s about family tragedy and the effects of trauma. That said, the series isn’t simply a drama, it still contains some of the greatest jump scares in TV history.
There’s one particular scene in a car that made me throw popcorn into the air! I was still finding rogue bits of popcorn on my bedroom floor months later!
Overall, The Haunting of Hill House is scary and heartfelt in equal measure. It’s a ghost story wrapped around a family drama, or maybe a family drama wrapped inside a ghost story. Either way, it lingers long after the credits roll.
And if you enjoy that series, definitely check out Midnight Mass, which is probably my second favourite Flanagan project. Set on an isolated island community, it blends religion, addiction, grief, and vampires into something strangely beautiful and deeply unsettling.
Then there’s The Haunting of Bly Manor, a more romantic and melancholic gothic horror story inspired by The Turn of the Screw. It’s less terrifying than Hill House but far more emotionally devastating.
Flanagan has also recently completed work on a television adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie, which is definitely going straight onto my watchlist. Because apparently I must love watching emotionally damaged people in scary locations !
Share your thoughts!
Be the first to start the conversation.