TV Spotlight #2: The Haunting of Hill House

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TV Spotlight: This series will feature overviews of some of the best (and worst?) television series worthy of our discussion. TV Spotlight articles will focus on the overall theme of a series, without being too spoiler-y.  More in-depth discussions of certain shows and elements will be included in other series. Deeper discussion is encouraged in the comments section, so beware of spoilers there!



TV Show: The Haunting of Hill House (@haunting)
Network: Netflix Original
Produced By: Amblin/Paramount
Seasons: 1 (2018)
Genre: Horror, Drama
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰
Where to Watch: Netflix (@netflix)

I wasn't planning on my next TV Spotlight to be about The Haunting of Hill House. After all, I have a whole myriad list of shows I'd like to discuss.  However, I just finished watching this one, and immediately wanted to start writing.  Have you ever finished a show or movie, and because of all of the twists and turns and what you know at the end, you want to go back and watch it again with all of that knowledge, so you can really see the clues as they were presented? Well, this show did that for me. I haven't started a rewatch yet, but I probably will.


Going Into It:

Although this show launched on Netflix in October 2018, I have just gotten around to watching it. My mom had insisted I check it out. Due to other shows on my lineup, and an October move in a (thankfully not haunted) new house, I had put it off. Recently I had an opening in my before bed viewing schedule and decided to dive into it.

I'll admit I wasn't super excited to do so, as evident by waiting so long to watch. I love horror, so it seemed a good fit. It just didn't get me excited.  I knew very little about this story prior to watching, as I hadn't really read anything about it. I knew it was about a haunted house - ghosts. I knew it was based on a book, that I'd never heard of or read. That's about it. So I started out without any expectations.


The Book:

Yes, I knew it was based on a book. I had actually had it in my head (not sure why) that it was a series of books (which is false). While watching the show, I decided that it must be based on books that are in their essence, the books that one of the characters - Steve - is writing in the show. That his books must be meta to the actual books the show is based on. Nearing the end of the 10 episode series, I said to myself - "I have to buy and read these books!"  I was very disappointed then, you see, after finishing the show and searching for the books, to find that the books I was looking for, do not in fact exist. (Netflix: If you want to get on that and publish Steve's books, in the style of how The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer was to Rose Red, that would be great. I'm sure we would all buy them!)

What I did find, was that I very naively didn't know this Netflix show was based on a very classic story, that has been retold in many many forms (many of which, I am familiar with.)  So if at any time during this show you feel like it's overtly familiar, predictable, or doing something that is overdone - you are probably thinking of something else based on the same classic story.

The Haunting of Hill House was originally a novel published in 1959, written by Shirley Jackson.  Her novel, which (from what I've read online - again I haven't read the actual book) is about a paranormal investigation into a haunted house. She, in fact, got the idea for this story after reading about findings from "The Society for Psychic Research" into a "haunted house" in the 1800s.  So if you look deep enough, Hill House is based on actual events. 😉

The Movies: 

It may seem that I am going into a lot of detail about the backstory for The Haunting of Hill House, before actually getting to discussing the show.  That's because -  I am. Because the story has been told so many times, there is a lot to cover.

Jackson's 1959 novel was so well received, that it became the influence of many a haunted house themed adaptations to come.  The first was a 1963 motion picture simply titled The Haunting, (that I also haven't seen although I am now interested in seeing it) which took Jackson's ghost stories and added a psychosis element to it. This film became a classic in and of itself.

In 1999, the 1963 film was remade, maintaining the name The Haunting. This one (which I have seen, and had an ah-ha moment when getting to this point in my research) wandered a bit further from the original story, misleading the guests to the house on the grounds that they are participating in an insomnia study, and revealing later that it is a fear study, before the true haunted-ness of the house takes over the story.

The 1999 film became the base story for the parody film Scary Movie 2, in 2001.



I mentioned above about Rose Red. Prior to the 1999 release of The Haunting, Stephen King in collaboration with Steven Speilberg, were toying with the idea of a remake to the 1963 film. It is rumored that they couldn't come to terms on this project, but Speilberg did go on to be a part of the 1999 movie.  King, being left out of this project, rewrote his original script that was intended for The Haunting into a TV mini-series, Rose Red, which aired in 2002. He has said that he based Rose Red on a combination of Jackson's original The Haunting of Hill House novel, and the real-life story of The Winchester Mystery House in California.

Rose Red was accompanied by a promotional meta-novel, as I mentioned above, The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red (2001), which went on to inspire a mini-series prequel to Rose Red in 2003, The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer.

In addition to all of these, there have also been theatre and radio adaptations of Shirley Jackson's 1959 The Haunting of Hill House. It also, undoubtedly, has served as inspiration for more works that I have missed here.



My Review:

It seems out of place to discuss my review of the Netflix show, prior to actually discussing the plot of the Netflix show. However, since what I have to say directly connects into the above inspirational works, this is where it feels most at home within this article.

I have to admit that I much preferred this show when I thought of it as a stand-alone work. It really spoke to me. It made me dive into this article head first without looking back. It made me want to gush over it. If I had simply written the plot summary and my review at that time, I would have for sure given it 5 stars.

The drop of a star comes from all of this research. It comes from the fact that the story has been told time and time and time again. It comes from the fact that, while the creators deem this to be an adaptation of that original story, it fails to be that.  Yes, that's right, if you got excited reading that this show is based on the same story as all of the above-mentioned works, and you'd love to see a 10 part television adaptation series of that story, then you are to be disappointed. In reality, this show is so separated from the work that it is derivative of, that I have seen many of the above-referenced works and completely failed to see the connection until researching the history of the Hill House story.

The biggest similarly between Netflix's Hill House adaptation and the other works is the fact that all of the character names (and some of their individual characteristics) carry over. However, it is NOT the same story. As you will see in my plot summary below, this series completely omits the core story of strangers being brought to a haunted house, for any study. It does not have a researcher or investigator with their own agenda.  It does, however, pull in many many specific plot moments and devices that I have seen mentioned in descriptions of all of the other works.

In a way, of course, its very good that it's not just the same old story retold. Who needs that? Also, the way that the creators have managed to pull in so many details from so many different variations, is in a way a bit genius. It shows real dedication to paying homage to all of these other works. Examples being writing on the walls, a mysterious hand holding, a spiral staircase to a library, and the line Steve uses in one of his books about the house being "born bad", which is a reference to a tagline for the 1999 film (which may or may not be a line from the original book...I'll look out for it when I read it.) {Update: this line is in fact taken from the original novel, appearing in the TV tie in printing on page 70.} Even the character name of Steven, which as far as I can tell is not a name from the original novel or the direct film adaptations, is a name from the Rose Red lore. Steven is the name of Ellen Rimbauer's grandson, who fictitiously "wrote" the afterword to her diary. (Whether this is a coincidence or intentional is unclear, but I would like to think it was an intentional nod to the Rose Red world and/or a nod to Steven Spielberg for his work on the 1999 film.)

Even so, I find that Netflix calling their show an adaptation or re-imagining of Jackson's novel to be just a touch off-putting. It is definitely "inspired by" her work, but was unrecognizable until I knew what I was looking for.  Again I feel it may provoke a feeling of "I've seen that done before!" without fully giving the feeling that those are intentional moments.

While this was a rather lengthy discussion of why I took away one star, I do still highly recommend watching this series.  There is some phenomenal acting, cinematography, and (while simultaneously relying too heavy on nods to prior works and not following the original story enough) the writing is very good. There are a few notable twists and turns that really got me, in all the right ways. Specifically at the halfway mark, ending episode 5, as well as what is revealed in the final episode regarding "The Red Room." These are the things that make me want to jump on a rewatch.

Therefore my advice to you is to forget about the back story, the inspiration, the other works. Head into The Haunting of Hill House as I did, simply looking at it as, "a haunted house ghost story."

It's about that haunted house. It's about ghosts. It's about a family and their dysfunctional drama. It's about psychosis. It's about dreams. And it's also about timey-wimey stuff.  This story is a bit existential and full of symbolism and themes that can be open to much interpretation. This is: The Haunting of Hill House.

Plot Summary:

This 10 episode Netflix series follows the Crain family. Unlike the stories that have come before, in which Hugh Crain was the patriarch who had first build Hill House (named so because of the hills surrounding it) and his family were who had historically resided at Hill House, the Crains of our story (with the father being named Hugh) has simply purchased this old rundown mansion, which was built by a family named Hill. Hugh and his wife Olivia are renovating the long-forgotten dwelling in hopes to flip it quickly and use the profit to build their forever home that Olivia has designed.

In the summer of 1992, Hugh and Olivia move their 5 children into the home while renovations are taking place.  The story jumps back and forth between "then" and "now," showing these kids' adult lives.  The format is very reminiscent of This is Us, using an ensemble cast of multiple actors playing the characters at these two different ages in their lives, and telling the stories out of order.

In reality, the ten episodes cover only a few days in the "Now," with smaller glimpses at moments of their lives over the past few years, and a few key dates from that summer 26 years ago.  You see some of the same moments several times, however, always gaining a new character's perspective or adding a little bit to the bigger picture that you didn't know before.  While it doesn't really cover that much ground, these scenes come together to tell the story in a very unique and rewarding way.

During that summer in 1992, the family faces everything you would expect them to face in a haunted house that doesn't want to be disturbed. Namely, of course, ghosts of the homes prior inhabitants, the Hills. As the story unravels, we learn that our family is not all that typical and boring in their own rites, with many displaying very interesting interactions with the house.

While it is explicitly said within this story that the kids "grew up" in this haunted house, the reality is that they stayed there less than one full summer, after which time, on "that night," they were driven away as tragedy and the influence of the house would forever change their lives.  (This particular plot point, the fleeing of the house, was very much invoking thoughts of Amityville, albeit an intentional nod or not.)

In present-day we find this family, many members of which have strayed from each others' lives in varying degrees, to come together as tragedy once again strikes (and perhaps, with the influence of the house in their lives, tragedy had never left).  Their experiences as children at Hill House have hung over them their entire lives; have drawn wedges between them; have dominated their life decision within the context of their careers, their families, and of course their relationships with each other.

The format of going back and forth between past and present continues to the final moments of the last episode, pulling the story together.  There are of course a few small questions that leave me scratching my head, but all in all the story is complete and rewarding. It works.

Upon viewing the first few episodes, there is definitely a scary feel to the show. The house, and its ghostly inhabitants, can put you a bit on edge. I don't recommend starting this series late at night in the dark just before bed! However, it slowly starts drifting away from the scary, and heads to a sadder tone. I went into the finale asking, is this going to be scary or sad? What I got was a fair pairing of both. It also ended on (I won't say happy but...) a rewarding note. It felt complete. The story ended on a satisfying page for the viewer and the characters. There was even a moment within the last few scenes that brought tears to my eyes. Not sad tears, not exactly happy tears, but satisfied fulfilling tears, as one storyline is closed up (which, interestingly enough, doesn't involve any of the Crains.)


Meet the Crains (Character and Actor breakdown):

• Hugh Crain - The father, who is trying to flip Hill House & later pull his family together (portrayed by Henry Thomas & Timothy Hutton)
• Olivia Crain -  The mother, an architect to wants to build their forever home (Carla Gugino)
• Steven Crain - The oldest child, who just wants to be helpful to his family, and later novelizes their experiences and becomes a famous author of haunted house stories (Paxton Singleton & Michiel Huisman)
• Shirley Crain - The 2nd child, who needs to be in control. She runs a funeral home with her husband (Lulu Wilson & Elizabeth Reaser) {note: this character is a namesake to the original author Shirley Jackson}
• Theodora Crain - The middle child, who has always been a bit rebellious. She is a child psychologist. She also has always been a bit "sensitive" (Mckenna Grace & Kate Siegel)
• Luke Crain - Older twin to Nell, who spends his life seeking acknowledgment and hiding from reality (Julian Hilliard & Oliver Jackson-Cohen)
• Eleanor "Nell" Crain - Youngest child, twin to Luke, who feels overlooked and spends her life seeking answers (Violet McGraw & Victoria Pedreti)
• Janet - Sister of Olivia, Aunt of the kids (Elizabeth Becka)
• Kevin Harris - Husband of Shirley (Anthony Ruivivar)
• Leigh Crain - Wife of Steven (Samantha Sloyan)
• Arthur - Husband of Nell (Jordane Christie)
• Trish Park - Friend/Love Interest to Theo (Levy Tran)
• Joey - Friend/Love Interest to Luke (Anna Enger Ritch)
• The Dudleys - The couple who are life-long caretakers of Hill House (Mrs. Dudley portrayed by Annabeth Gish & Kathy Walton, Mr. Dudley portrayed by Robert Longstreet)
• William Hill - One of the original inhabitants of Hill House (Fedor Steer)
• Poppy Hill - William's Wife (Catherine Parker and Polly Craig)
• Hazel Hill - One of the original inhabitants of Hill House (Mimi Gould)
• Abigail - Luke's seemingly imaginary friend (Olive Elise Abercrombie)

What's Next?:

Due to the popularity of the series on Netflix, there is a good chance they will release a 2nd season, although as of the date of this, I couldn't find anything official about cancelation or renewal.

I have, however, seen multiple sources where the creators have indicated that if there is more Haunting of Hill House to come, it will NOT feature the Crains. It has been stated that their story is complete and will not be revisited. 

Which leaves us to wonder, then, what would a 2nd season look like? Possibilities include going back and showing an origin story of the house, and learning more about the Hill family. It has also been suggested that an anthology using some of the same actors as different characters (American Horror Story style) is a possibility.

I personally love the idea of going back to the Hills. I also think that they have an opportunity to get real creative, with the way the timey-wimey stuff I mentioned before comes into play, to shake things up and possibly present the ghosts of the house at any time period they choose.

Where Can I Watch It?: 

This 10 episode series can be viewed exclusively on Netflix.

Other Official Merch:

• Check out  The Hunting of Hill House Soundtrack (Digital; free for Amazon Prime members)
• 1959 The Haunting of Hill House novel by Shirley Jackson, 2018 Tv-tie-in addition. (I have ordered this book but haven't received it yet!) 

Further Viewing/Reading:
Here are links to some of the other works I have mentioned in this article.

• Shirley Jackson's 1959 novel, The Haunting of Hill House, 2006 Penguin Classics edition
• 1963 film, The Haunting - DVD (Could not find currently on any streaming services)
• 1999 film, The Haunting  -   DVD    Digital (free for Amazon Prime members)
• 2001 parody film, Scary Movie 2 - DVD   Digital   (Also available on Netflix)
• 2002 TV Mini-Series, Stephen King's Rose Red - DVD   (Could not find currently on any streaming services)
• 2001 Rose Red Tie-in novel, The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red
• 2003 TV Mini-Series, The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer - DVD    Digital (Could not find currently on any streaming services)
• https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/

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