Most people have their favorite scary movies to throw on permanent rotation around the Halloween season, whether they're terrifying horror classics or hilarious B-movies. One series which definitely deserves to enter the pantheon of Halloween hits is 2018's The Haunting of Hill House.
Adapted from Shirley Jackson's 1959 gothic horror novel of the same name, this series was created and directed by Mike Flanagan. Released in 2018, Haunting of Hill House was the first of many of Flanagan's Netflix series, the latest of which is the fantastic Midnight Mass.
After two follow-up series and three years, it can be difficult to remember how special Haunting of Hill House was when it first dropped. The series is a supernatural horror-drama, centering around the estranged Crain family. The series examines the present and the past as the family suffers and deals with the trauma dealt to them by the eponymous haunted house. The series plays with ghosts and supernatural abilities, but the main focus is unquestionably on the drama of the family's strained relationship. It is fundamentally a story about trauma, but one packed with horrific elements to keep audiences on the edge of their seat. Like all of Flanagan's work, the world hides countless concepts in its wide-open shots, hiding regular Easter eggs for eagle-eyed viewers.
Though the series is unmistakably set in the modern day, the story of Hill House manages to feel like an instant classic in the horror genre. The over sixty-year-old source material defined the era's gothic horror sensibilities, and though the series takes numerous liberties, the adaptation creates something timeless. The classic structure mixed with the thoroughly modern approach to family drama allows this one series to feel like a cross-section of horror media from the past and present. Fans of both classical ghost stories and modern supernatural drama will both be satisfied, as the disparate halves of the series serve each other.
The haunted house is a well-honored tradition of Halloween, from stories to immersive attractions to real ghost tourism. The Haunting of Hill House reintroduces the titular mansion, which has made it to cinemas twice before. In this iteration, the house leaves deeply set psychological scars in its victims. The house itself is one of the great settings of horror media, even among the other countless haunted houses. This is partially Flanagan's outstanding use of atmosphere, from sound design to cinematography, but the house itself and its endless surprises are key to the series success. Binging a series about a haunted house could be just the catalyst to get audiences up and out to their own spooky experiences with ghostly real estate.
One of the most despised aspects of horror media is the dreaded jump scare. The jump scare is widely believed to be lazy and overused in the medium, abandoning the elegance of suspense for a cheap pop. Horror fans praised Hill House for its lack of reliance on this simple technique. The series is not without the occasional loud noise or sudden flash, but it overwhelmingly builds tension with eerie visuals and genuine atmosphere. The near absence of jump scares will come as a balm to many viewers less comfortable with horror media, perhaps even onboarding some to the medium. A series like Hill House has the potential to convert new viewers and keep them enjoying scary stories past Halloween night.
The iconic series also gives fodder to another wonderful tradition of the Halloween season, scary costumes. Three years ago, when the series released, hundreds of fans dressed up as the series iconic nightmare designs. The Bent-Neck Lady was a popular option that remains recognizable even today, as do the ghosts of Mr. and Mrs. Hill, which offer a great couples' costume option. The series' ghost design is simple but extremely effective. While the spirits are not the most groundbreaking designs, they are creative and iconic enough to demand attention, both on-screen and at a party.
The Haunting of Hill House commands a specific tone, one that might not fit with every Halloween. The series is intense, dealing with serious issues of trauma and regret. Horror fans who typically prefer the sillier side of the holiday might want to stick with B-movies for a much funnier experience. But, for those that like their Halloween dark and scary in every conceivable way, Hill House sets an inescapable tone. Binging this show with a crowd might create the kind of eerie silence that unites an audience in breathless tension.
The Haunting of Hill House is a special show, a truly harrowing journey into the horror of regret, self-destruction, and trauma. This Halloween, consider diving back into the dark world of the Craine family as they struggle against the weight of their past and try to seek out a brighter future in The Haunting of Hill House.