Netflix's Haunting of Hill House Review

'The Haunting of Hill House' is a famous horror story written by Shirley Jackson in 1959. One of the most influential horror stories of all time, the novel essentially defines the modern haunting genre.

The story follows a small group of people who have entered the famously haunted house in order to perform research on ghosts.

I don't need to describe most of the hauntings to you, because Hill House essentially invented most of the tropes and concepts we now take for granted. This includes strange writings appearing on the walls, strange noises at night, and people appearing and disappearing when the narrator isn't looking.

Eleanor eventually falls under the house's spell and refuses all efforts to remove her from it, ultimately committing suicide before being removed from the property.

The story relies heavily on the perspective of Eleanor Vance who is an unreliable narrator. The story never makes it entirely clear whether we are genuinely dealing with paranormal events or if the entire situation is a result of Eleanor's mental illness.

The story has had several adaptations. This includes a 1963 black and white adaptation directed by Robert Wise which commonly appears on many lists of the Greatest Films of all time. It was also adapted in 1999 in a bizarre, almost parodical, take on the book which was roundly panned by both critics and audiences and was nominated for 5 Razzie Awards.

Netflix's adaption is a 10 episode mini series that takes a modern spin on the classic. This time rather than a group of people deliberately investigating ghosts, the story focuses on a family which moved into the house attempting to 'flip' it for profit.

The narrative takes place in two different times: some scenes set when the family was still living in the House, and some set several decades later when the children have all grown up and are forced to deal with their experiences.

The characters include the parents, Hugh and Olivia Crain, and the children Shirely, Steven, Theodora, and the twins Luke and Nell.

One nice touch is that most of the characters' names are lifted from the book. Hugh Crain was the original owner of the mansion and Theodora, Luke and Elanor were the investigators.

The story begins with the mother committing suicide in the House and the family, decades later, being forced to deal with the damage this has done to them all, including mental illness, substance abuse, and their resentment toward their father.

Steven has written a tell-all book about their experiences at the House earning Shirely's ire. Luke is a recovering heroin addict and Nell is dealing with mental illness. They are all estranged from their father.

The juxtaposition between the haunted house and the family dynamic of dealing with their own ghosts is actually and interesting concept. The acting is quite solid and the effects are very well done.

The series actually does a pretty good job at maintaining an unsettling atmosphere as well as keeping the audience guessing about what is real. The hauntings frequently take the appearance of dreams and hallucinations but never go so far as to deprive the audience of a solid sense of reality to hold on to.

The series does an excellent slow burn over its duration as well as a few great twists toward the end. The House's chief power is presented as one of insanity, forcing people to see and hear things that aren't actually there.

My only real complaint with the series is its ending. The final episode gives us a forced happy ending where the ghosts aren't evil or malevolent, just misunderstood and lonely. The whole tonal change almost gave me whip lash and I really feel like a better ending could have been devised.

All in all thought this really was a good series and is well worth a look.

Final Score:

7/10