Grief, loss blends into gripping thriller
12/20/2018
By CRISTIN THOMAS
SNN Staff Writer
Netflix released The Haunting of Hill House, a new original TV Show from the same name as Shirley Jackson’s 1953 novel. However, the only subjects that this show shares with the novel is its name and central theme of ghosts.
Before watching this, I didn’t even know there was a book, so I can’t say which one is better, but I will say this show is perfect.
This series comes from Mike Flanagan, who also wrote and directed other horror works such as: Gerald’s Game, Oculus and Hush. He also casts some of the same people in his movies, including Carla Gugino, Kate Seigel and Henry Thomas. It also helps that the trio are amazing actors.
The show follows the Crain family: the mother, Olivia, the father, Hugh, their three daughters, Nellie, Theo and Shirley and their two sons, Steven and Luke. Olivia and Hugh buy houses, renovate them and sell them. So, they buy Hill House with plans to stay there for eight weeks and then leave. Things go very wrong when they quickly realize they aren’t the only family living there. Things only escalate with the children’s supernatural abilities.
The daughters have paranormal abilities they got from their mother. Theo is an empath, which means when she touches objects or people, she can feel their emotions and absorb their thoughts. Shirley is a medium, who can hear things from dead people and hear the future. Olivia experiences “color storms” where she sees the auras of the house.
The story is so dynamic and it’s the perfect balance of scary and meaningful. One thing Flanagan does well is write characters that connect with the audience. I really felt for this family, and it hurt me to see them in pain. Watchable media always means more when you can look at the screen and see parts of yourself in the characters. And this show was incredibly refreshing and welcoming from all the other bad horror and thriller shows I’ve seen.
Although the story of a family moving into a haunted house has been pulled inside out by every horror writer on the face of the earth, Flanagan made it seem new. Along with the captivating writing and engrossing performances, the directing is amazing.
The lighting in this show is meaningful to what is happening in the scene and the shots really sell the scene and create atmosphere. In episode six, when the family is experiencing a storm that destroys their house, there are five long shots. It is not only stunning, it pulls the scene together by showing the full chaos of the storm and how the family is scared - something that the viewer wouldn’t get with scenes that was shot and cut normally.
Gugino is the star of the show and she outshines everyone. Gugino sells her character’s descent into madness with ease. She fits into the role like a puzzle piece. If she doesn’t win any awards for her performance, every award association can catch these hands.
The downsides of this show are that the actor who plays young Luke, Julian Hilliard, at some points doesn’t sound like he is his character talking, but more like he is just reading a script rather than bringing it to life. I don’t think it’s that bad of a thing, though, because he is 7 years old, and I expect him to act like a 7-year-old. Also, there are a lot of jump scares, which in certain scenes work quite well and others seem redundant. Although jump scares get such a bad rap nowadays, this show does use them well.
Overall this show was one of the best things I’ve seen in recent years. I highly recommend it and give it a 10/10.