The Haunting of Hill House

Saying I am not the biggest fan of the horror genre would be a severe understatement. I have always been terrified of watching anything scary, and as a child, I would have nightmares even if I accidentally saw a frightening scene on TV. Embarrassingly, the animated film Coraline scares me to this day, although I will not deny it is an excellent movie. Having made my feelings towards horror clear, I admit there has also always been a certain intrigue towards it. I remember watching movies like It (2017) and Lights Out (2016) on TV, petrified, but also unable to switch the channel. However, out of my limited exposure to this genre, The Haunting of Hill House is definitely at the top of my list.

The Haunting of Hill House, based on the 1959 horror novel written by Shirley Jackson of the same name, is a television drama series that was released in 2018. The Haunting of Hill House has been one of the most interesting shows I have ever watched. As I mentioned, I do not usually watch horror but I gave it a shot because of all the amazing reviews I had heard, and I was not disappointed. On the surface, it seems to be just another horror genre type show, but on watching it, I realised how deep it actually is, especially because of the themes that are portrayed.

The Haunting of Hill House is an American supernatural horror television drama series. The story alternates between the past and present, following the lives of five siblings who spent a summer at Hill House, and the repercussions they face years later, as adults. The creator and director of the show, Mike Flannigan, is known for similar themed movies and shows like Absentia, Oculus, Hush, among others. Personally, I have not seen these movies, but Flanagan’s work seems to be pretty well-received. The plot of this show revolves around the Crain siblings. The show jumps from the time they were children staying at Hill House, and the present where they are dealing with the experiences from that time.

The show starts by showing a flashback of the happy Crain family moving into Hill House in 1992 for the summer. The intention of the parents, Hugh and Olivia, is to renovate the house, and use the money gained by selling it to build Olivia’s “dream house”. Right off the bat, there is a sinister feeling that the audience, as well as the characters feel. The five children – Steven, Shirley, Theodora, Luke and Eleanor, all have extremely strange, horrifying experiences while staying in the house. Initially, the children were the only ones seeing these paranormal activities, but as their stay extends due to various “repairs”, we see Olivia begin to unravel as well. One night, something tragic occurs, and Hugh is forced to flee Hill House with his children, leaving their mother behind. We then find out that Olivia committed suicide that very night.

Twenty-six years later, the siblings are still dealing with the loss of their mother. They also have no knowledge as to what events had actually transpired the night she died. This is the main mystery for the audience as well, since the show is only from the perspective of the five main characters. The constant jumps to flashbacks from their childhood and their present-day selves lets the audience see the true impact that everything had on them. The end of the first episode shows another tragedy occurring in the present, bringing the estranged family back together.

The novel on which the show is based relies on terror rather than horror. The concept of showing a distinction between terror and horror is prevalent in the genre of horror. Terror refers to the feelings of dread and anticipation that occur before a horrifying experience, whereas horror refers to the feelings of shock and repulsiveness after a scary experience. Stephen King himself, famously known for writing horror novels, including The Shining and Carrie, has said, “I recognize terror as the finest emotion and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify, I will try to horrify, and if I find that I cannot horrify, I'll go for the gross-out. I'm not proud”. In my opinion, the anticipation is almost worse than actually watching the scene itself. The Haunting of Hill House really manages to blend these elements together. I can point out several instances where I was on the edge of my seat, full of anxiety, waiting for something scary to jump out at any moment. The feelings of shock eventually fade away, but the terror and panic that one feels when expecting for something to happen is harder to shake off.

The creator of the show, Flanagan, is known for the way he directs, which involves focusing on characters and themes rather than the typical jump scares of most horror shows. This is clearly observed in The Haunting of Hill House, and is one of the elements I appreciate most about the show. In the ten-episode show, each family member has an episode dedicated to them. These episodes show their respective experiences on Hill House, and, with the exception of Olivia, their lives at the moment. Through the terrifying ordeals they faced, and particularly the loss of their mother, we can see the true cause of the way they act and think as adults. There is also much more insight given to the audiences as a whole, and I personally like how each character was explored. I prefer watching shows to movies precisely for this reason; there is much more room for characters to develop in a series.

One of the main themes the show explores is grief and loss. The brothers and sisters, along with their father have dealt with their trauma in different ways. One of the deeper realisations of the show is how the show portrays that each of the siblings represent a different stage out of the five stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. As a psychology student, I really admired the way the reality of mental illnesses is showcased, and how the characters dealt with realistic consequences as a result of their childhood trauma. The actors also did a brilliant job of depicting the dysfunctional relationship between the family members, as well as the struggles each of them faces as a result of what they went through. I was also thoroughly impressed by the range of the child actors who played the younger versions of the siblings.

Being a horror show, the story also contains several excellent jump scares and scenes that leave a chill down your spine. There are several plot twists as well, leaving the audiences reeling with shock. In my opinion, blending the horror genre, with elements of themes like grief, and exploring the character’s emotions, really enhance the show. The depth the show had, tying in intense themes, thoroughly impressed me, and so did the minor details that can only be noticed on a second watch. The reason this show resonated with me is because it is so much more than just another ghost story. Granted, I do not have much experience to judge, but I truly believe this is an excellent and extremely well-made show, and I would definitely recommend watching it.