Think of your favourite horror movie. The Haunting of Hill House is like that… but on crack. I have no idea how this series is actually going to end but I have some theories. The Haunting of Hill House reminded me of The Babadook: a family who is grieving the loss of a father so hard, their grief takes up the form of a monster.
I think that The Haunting of Hill House isn’t directly based on Shirley Jackson’s novel of the same name but was inspired by it. The series follows a family of seven (The Crains) living in Hill House, a creepy, gothic mansion. I loved how atmospheric the entire production was. It roped me right in! So, the story shifts from past and present, and kids to adults dealing with what happened on their last night at Hill House and losing their mother.
The eldest child Steven is a successful horror writer, the eldest daughter Shirley owns a funeral home business, Theo is a child psychologist and has special powers in her palms, the youngest children are the twins Luke and Nell who are, in my opinion, struggling the most. Luke is a drug addict and Nell suffers from sleep paralysis. They deal with their ghosts in different ways.
“A ghost can be a lot of things. A memory, a daydream, a secret. Grief, anger, guilt. But in my experience… most times they’re just what we want to see.”
Until Episode five, there’s a lot of character development to cover for a family of seven. I’m patiently waiting for when we get to see the parent’s side of the story and the families that lived before them in Hill House. This is the perfect series for Halloween: eerie, slow-paced, melancholic, and dark. Get your favourite cup of tea, light a scented candle, and watch this series when there’s still daylight out… ☕️
