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The Haunting of Hill House (TV series)

The Haunting of Hill House is an American supernatural horror drama television miniseries created and directed by Mike Flanagan, produced by Amblin Television and Paramount Television, for Netflix, and serves as the first entry in The Haunting anthology series. It is loosely based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson. The plot alternates between two timelines, following five adult siblings whose paranormal experiences at Hill House continue to haunt them in the present day, and flashbacks depicting events leading up to the eventful night in 1992 when the family fled from the mansion. The ensemble cast features Michiel Huisman, Elizabeth Reaser, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel, and Victoria Pedretti as the siblings in adulthood, with Carla Gugino and Henry Thomas as parents Olivia and Hugh Crain, and Timothy Hutton appearing as an older version of Hugh.

The Haunting of Hill House

Mike Flanagan

United States

English

10

Dan Kaplow

  • Jim Flynn
  • Brian Jeremiah Smith
  • Mike Flanagan
  • Ravi Subramanian

42–71 minutes

October 12, 2018 (2018-10-12)

The series premiered on Netflix on October 12, 2018. The Haunting of Hill House received critical acclaim, particularly for its acting, directing, and production values. A follow-up series by Flanagan titled The Haunting of Bly Manor, with most of the same crew and some of the same cast but a different story and characters, was released on October 9, 2020.

Synopsis[edit]

In the summer of 1992, Hugh and Olivia Crain and their five children—Steven, Shirley, Theodora (Theo), Luke, and Eleanor (Nell)—move into Hill House to renovate the mansion in order to sell it and build their own house, designed by Olivia. However, due to unexpected repairs, they have to stay longer, and they begin to experience increasing paranormal phenomena, resulting in a tragic loss and the family fleeing from the house. Twenty-six years later, the Crain siblings and their estranged father reunite after another tragedy strikes them, and they are forced to confront how their time in Hill House has affected each of them.

and Paxton Singleton as Steven Crain,[1][2] the eldest son of the family. He became a famous author after writing about his family's experiences at Hill House, despite his siblings' disapproval.

Michiel Huisman

as Olivia Crain,[3] the matriarch of the family, who designs houses. She, along with her youngest daughter Nell, is among the most affected by the paranormal activity in the house.

Carla Gugino

and Henry Thomas as Hugh Crain,[4][5] the patriarch of the family, who flips houses. He becomes estranged from his children after the events at Hill House.

Timothy Hutton

and Lulu Wilson as Shirley Crain Harris,[4][6] the eldest daughter of the family. She owns a mortuary with her husband Kevin. They have a son and a daughter.

Elizabeth Reaser

and Julian Hilliard as Luke Crain,[2][7] older twin of Nell and one of the two youngest members of the family. He struggles with heroin addiction as an adult to push out his memories of Hill House.

Oliver Jackson-Cohen

and Mckenna Grace as Theodora "Theo" Crain,[4][8] the middle child of the five, and a child psychologist. "Sensitive" like her mother, she wears gloves to prevent touching other people and experiencing psychic knowledge about them.

Kate Siegel

and Violet McGraw as Eleanor "Nell" Crain Vance,[6][8] Luke's younger twin and one of the two youngest members of the family. She has never fully recovered from the haunting she experienced while living in Hill House.

Victoria Pedretti

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

On April 10, 2017, Netflix announced that it had ordered a 10-episode adaptation of the classic horror novel The Haunting of Hill House, with Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy as executive producers, and Amblin Television and Paramount Television as co-production companies. It is the first scripted series to be made for Netflix by Amblin.[9]


Production on the series began in October 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia, with location filming in the city and its environs.[10][11] Bisham Manor, former name of the property located in LaGrange, served as the exterior of "Hill House".[11][12] The house's interior settings were filmed at EUE/Screen Gem Studios in Atlanta.[11]

Music[edit]

The soundtrack was composed by The Newton Brothers. On October 31, 2018, Waxwork Records released the soundtrack on a double LP.[13][14]

Reception[edit]

Critical reception[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, The Haunting of Hill House has a 93% rating based on 103 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Haunting of Hill House is an effective ghost story whose steadily mounting anticipation is just as satisfying as its chilling payoff."[16] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[17]


Corrine Corrodus of The Telegraph graded the series with a 5/5 rating, calling it "the most complex and complete horror series of its time."[18] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave unanimous praise to the Netflix adaptation, describing it as "essential viewing", and stated that "[the show] contains some of the most unforgettable horror imagery in film or television in years."[19] David Griffin of IGN gave the series a rating of 9.5 out of 10, calling it "a superb and terrifying family drama",[20] and Paul Tassi of Forbes described it as "absolutely fantastic" and stated that "it may actually be Netflix's best original show ever."[21]


Horror author Stephen King, who holds considerable admiration for Jackson's novel, tweeted about the series, "I don't usually care for this kind of revisionism, but this is great. Close to a work of genius, really. I think Shirley Jackson would approve, but who knows for sure."[22][a]


In January 2020, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino said, "My favorite Netflix series, with no competition, is The Haunting of Hill House."[25]

Home media[edit]

In August 2019, it was announced that The Haunting of Hill House would be released on Blu-ray and DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment on October 15, 2019. The release includes extended director's cuts of three episodes ("Steven Sees a Ghost", "The Bent-Neck Lady" and "Silence Lay Steadily"), all of which also have audio commentaries from Flanagan, and an additional audio commentary for "Two Storms".[31]

Other adaptations of The Haunting of Hill House

Bernstein, Arielle (October 26, 2018). . The Guardian.

"How The Haunting of Hill House conveys the horror of family"

Berriman, Ian (October 13, 2018). . GamesRadar+.

"The Haunting of Hill House showrunner on turning the classic ghost story into a Netflix Original"

Bloom, Mike (October 15, 2018). . The Hollywood Reporter.

"'The Haunting of Hill House' Creator Addresses the Show's Biggest Terrors and Twists"

Coates, Tyler (October 25, 2018). . Esquire.

"If You Liked the Netflix Show, You Should Really Read The Haunting of Hill House"

Dominick, Nora (October 23, 2018). . BuzzFeed.

"This "The Haunting Of Hill House" Detail Possibly Explains What The Crain Siblings Signify"

Foreman, Alison (October 17, 2018). . Mashable.

"In praise of Theo, the badass lesbian hero of 'Haunting of Hill House'"

Green, Holly (October 18, 2018). . Paste.

"How Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House Betrays Shirley Jackson"

Mellor, Louisa (October 15, 2018). . Den of Geek.

"The Haunting Of Hill House: Comparing the TV Show and Book"

Romain, Lindsey (October 15, 2018). . Nerdist.

"12 Hidden References to the Book in The Haunting of Hill House"

Roschke, Ryan (October 26, 2018). . PopSugar.

"How The Haunting of Hill House Pulled Off That Incredible Funeral Home Episode"

Rowney, Jo-Anne (October 22, 2018). . The Mirror.

"True story behind The Haunting of Hill House - Netflix's horror series was inspired by real-life unexplained mystery"

Velazquez, Alex (October 19, 2018). . Into.

"'The Haunting of Hill House' Has a Major Lesbian Character With Intimacy Issues"

Wetmore, Kevin. .

The Streaming of Hill House: Essays on the Haunting Netflix Adaption

on Netflix

The Haunting of Hill House

at IMDb

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at Amblin Television

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at Paramount Television

The Haunting of Hill House