The Haunting of Hill House (TV series)

Synopsis

In the summer of 1992, Hugh and Olivia Crain and their five children move into Hill House to renovate and sell it. Unexpected repairs force them to stay longer, and they experience increasing paranormal phenomena, resulting in a tragic loss and the family fleeing. Twenty-six years later, the siblings and their estranged father reunite after another tragedy, confronting how their time at Hill House affected each of them.

Cast and characters

Michiel Huisman and Paxton Singleton portray Steven Crain as an adult and child, respectively; he becomes a famous author writing about his family's experiences. Carla Gugino plays Olivia Crain, the matriarch who designs houses and is among the most affected by paranormal activity. Timothy Hutton and Henry Thomas portray Hugh Crain as older and younger; he flips houses and becomes estranged from his children. Elizabeth Reaser and Lulu Wilson play Shirley Crain Harris, the eldest daughter who owns a mortuary with her husband Kevin.

Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Julian Hilliard play Luke Crain, older twin of Nell, who struggles with heroin addiction as an adult. Kate Siegel and Mckenna Grace play Theodora "Theo" Crain, a child psychologist who wears gloves to avoid psychic knowledge from touch. Victoria Pedretti and Violet McGraw play Eleanor "Nell" Crain Vance, Luke's younger twin who never fully recovers from the haunting. Annabeth Gish and Robert Longstreet play Clara and Horace Dudley, the caretakers.

Anthony Ruivivar plays Kevin Harris, Shirley's husband. Samantha Sloyan plays Leigh Crain, Steven's wife. Levy Tran plays Trish Park, Theo's lover. James Lafferty plays Ryan Quale, an apparition from Shirley's memory.

James Flanagan appears as a funeral director. Jordane Christie plays Arthur Vance, Nell's sleep technologist and later husband.

Elizabeth Becka plays Aunt Janet. Logan Medina and May Badr play Jayden and Allie Harris, Shirley and Kevin's children. Anna Enger plays Joey, a recovering addict Luke tries to help.

Production

Netflix announced a 10-episode adaptation of the novel on April 10, 2017, with Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy as executive producers and Amblin Television and Paramount Television as co-production companies. Production began in October 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia, with location filming in the city and environs; Bisham Manor in LaGrange served as the exterior of Hill House, while interior settings were filmed at EUE/Screen Gem Studios. The Newton Brothers composed the soundtrack, released on double LP by Waxwork Records on October 31, 2018.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 93% rating with an average of 8.4/10, and the critical consensus calls it an effective ghost story with satisfying payoff. On Metacritic, it has a score of 79 out of 100. Corrine Corrodus of The Telegraph graded it 5/5, calling it the most complex and complete horror series of its time. Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com described it as essential viewing with unforgettable horror imagery.

David Griffin of IGN rated it 9.5 out of 10, calling it a superb and terrifying family drama. Paul Tassi of Forbes called it absolutely fantastic and possibly Netflix's best original show. Horror author Stephen King tweeted that it is close to a work of genius. In January 2020, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino said it was his favorite Netflix series with no competition.

Did You Know?

• The Haunting of Hill House was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 15, 2019, with extended director's cuts of three episodes.
• A follow-up series, The Haunting of Bly Manor, based on The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, was released on October 9, 2020.