“Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House. And whatever walked there, walked alone.” So says the opening monologue of The Haunting of Hill House, Netflix’s latest horror series to drop during the Halloween season. A slow burn of anxiety that builds to smart and terrifying scares, Hill House is a meaty television series that explores family and the lasting effects of trauma.
A re–imagination of Shirley Jackson’s novel of the same name, Hill House centers on the Crain family. After having lived in Hill House as children and losing their mother there, the five Crain siblings return to the house. The series follows them struggling to come to terms with their past when a tragic event draws all of them back to Hill House.
The stories of the five siblings structure the first half of the season’s ten–episode run. Steven (Michiel Huisman), the oldest sibling, is a successful author who had his first major breakthrough when he wrote about his childhood experiences in Hill House, against the wishes of his siblings. Estranged from his wife Leigh (Samantha Sloyan), he now travels and investigates the paranormal, writing about people’s supernatural experiences to turn a profit. Shirley (Elizabeth Reaser), the Crains’ oldest daughter, works as a mortician with her husband Kevin (Anthony Ruivivar). Theo (Kate Siegel), the next oldest, lives with her sister Shirley as she struggles to make ends meet as a child psychologist. The youngest and most troubled siblings are the twins, Luke (Oliver Jackson–Cohen) and Nell (Victoria Pedretti). Luke uses heroin to escape the figurative and literal ghosts of his past and estranges himself from the rest of his siblings. Nell is perhaps the most sensitive to the paranormal activities of Hill, and it is she who serves as the catalyst, drawing her siblings back to their childhood abode.
Hill House fits squarely into the haunted house sub–genre, and yet its high production value and puzzle–box plot keep the story fresh and the viewer engaged. Although the first part of the season is short on genuine scares, it gives the show time to flesh out the five siblings and their deadbeat dad, Hugh. In each episode, the story weaves between their childhood and the present, painting a detailed portrait of each of the characters that occupy the show. Returning to the same events but from different perspectives, the viewer is given a nuanced point of view on the story’s events, adding to the overall richness of the plot.
As the season transitions into its second half, the scares come hot and heavy, but are all the more effective because they feel earned. Although the show does indulge in a few jump scares, its horror tends to rely on ghostly apparitions that lurk inconspicuously in the corner of the frame. Surrounding these scares from episode to episode is a host of uncanny imaging, ranging from a woman dancing alone through the empty halls of the mansion to a stolen bowler hat. Not every episode will have you staring at the screen wide–eyed in terror, but each one does excel at filling your stomach with dread.
Although horror productions tend to rip the family unit apart, Hill House does the opposite. The Crain family was shattered by the events that occurred so many years ago. But ultimately, the story is about how the Crains come together to help each other overcome their trauma, elevating this series to something more than mindless horror.
