The Haunting of Hill House (TV series)

The Haunting of Hill House is an American supernatural horror web television series created and directed by Mike Flanagan for Netflix; produced by Amblin Television and Paramount Television. The series is loosely based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson. The plot alternates between three timelines, following five adult siblings whose paranormal experiences at Hill House continue to haunt them in present day. The series also features flashbacks to 1992, depicting the events in Hill House leading up to the eventful night the family fled from the mansion. The ensemble cast features Michiel Huisman, Elizabeth Reaser, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel, and Victoria Pedretti as the adult counterparts of the siblings. Carla Gugino and Henry Thomas portray parents Olivia and Hugh Crain, with Timothy Hutton appearing as an older version of Hugh.

The series premiered on Netflix on October 12, 2018. The Haunting of Hill House received largely positive reviews, with many praising the acting, directing and production values, and calling it an "effective ghost story". A second season titled The Haunting of Bly Manor, based on the 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is scheduled for release in 2020.

Synopsis
In the summer of 1992, Hugh and Olivia Crain and their children – Steven, Shirley, Theodora, Luke, and Nell – move into Hill House to renovate the mansion in order to sell it and build their own house, designed by Olivia. However, due to unexpected repairs, they have to stay longer, and they begin to experience increasing paranormal phenomena that results in a tragic loss and the family fleeing from the house. Twenty-six years later, the Crain siblings and their estranged father reunite after tragedy strikes again, and they are forced to confront how their time in Hill House had affected each of them.

Main

 * Michiel Huisman and Paxton Singleton as Steven Crain, the eldest son of the family. As a grown man he's an author, famous for writing about his family's experience at Hill House.
 * Carla Gugino as Olivia Crain, the matriarch of the family, who designs houses. She, along with her daughter Nell, is among the most affected by the paranormal activity in the house.
 * Henry Thomas and Timothy Hutton as Hugh Crain, the father of the family, who flips houses.
 * Elizabeth Reaser and Lulu Wilson as Shirley Crain Harris, the eldest daughter of the family. She owns a mortuary with her husband Kevin. They have a son and a daughter.
 * Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Julian Hilliard as Luke Crain, older twin of Nell and one of the two youngest members of the family. He struggles with addiction as an adult to push out his memories of Hill House.
 * Kate Siegel and Mckenna Grace as Theodora "Theo" Crain, the middle child of the five, and a child psychologist. A "sensitive" like her mother, she wears gloves to prevent touching another person and experiencing psychic knowledge about them.
 * Victoria Pedretti and Violet McGraw as Eleanor "Nell" Crain Vance, Luke's younger twin and one of the two youngest members of the family. She has never fully recovered from the haunting she experienced while living in Hill House.

Recurring

 * Annabeth Gish as Clara Dudley. She and her husband are the caretakers of the house and help the Crains in their efforts to revamp the mansion.
 * Anthony Ruivivar as Kevin Harris, Shirley's husband.
 * Samantha Sloyan as Leigh Crain, Steven's wife.
 * Robert Longstreet as Horace Dudley
 * Levy Tran as Trish Park, Theo's girlfriend.
 * James Lafferty as Ryan Quale, an apparition from Shirley's memory.
 * James Flanagan as Funeral Director
 * Jordane Christie as Arthur Vance, Nell's sleep technologist and later husband.
 * Elizabeth Becka as Aunt Janet, sister of Olivia Crain.
 * Logan Medina as Jayden Harris, son of Shirley and Kevin.
 * May Badr as Allie Harris, daughter of Shirley and Kevin.
 * Anna Enger as Joey, a recovering addict that Luke tries to help.
 * Fedor Steer as William Hill, former owner of Hill House who went insane and bricked himself behind a wall; appears as Tall Man/Bowler Hat Man.
 * Olive Elise Abercrombie as Abigail, young Luke's "imaginary" friend from the woods.
 * Catherine Parker as Poppy Hill, one of the ghosts inhabiting Hill House, wife of William Hill and considered insane when alive.

Development and production
On April 10, 2017, Netflix announced that it had ordered a 10-episode adaptation of the classic horror novel The Haunting of Hill House, with Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy as executive producers, and Amblin Television and Paramount Television as co-production companies. It would be the first scripted series to be made for Netflix by Amblin.

Production on the series began in October 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia, with location filming in the city and its environs. Bisham Manor, former name of the property located in LaGrange, served as the exterior of "Hill House". Interior settings were filmed at EUE/Screen Gem Studios in Atlanta.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Flanagan said, "I don't want to speculate too much about season two until Netflix and Paramount and Amblin let us know if they want one. What I will say, though, is that as far as I've ever been concerned with this, the story of the Crain family is told. It's done."

Season 2
On February 21, 2019, Netflix renewed the series for a second season as an anthology series. Titled The Haunting of Bly Manor, season two is based on The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. It is set to premiere in 2020.

Victoria Pedretti and Oliver Jackson-Cohen return as new characters: Pedretti in the role of Dani, "a governess who takes care of two very unusual children", and Jackson-Cohen will portray Peter, "a charming fellow".

Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, The Haunting of Hill House has an approval rating of 92% based on 90 reviews, with an average rating of 8.47/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Haunting of Hill House is an effective ghost story whose steadily mounting anticipation is just as satisfying as its chilling payoff." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Corrine Corrodus of The Telegraph gave the series a 5/5 rating, calling it "the most complex and complete horror series of its time". Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave unanimous praise to the Netflix adaptation, calling it "essential viewing" and stating that "[the show] contains some of the most unforgettable horror imagery in film or television in years." David Griffin of IGN gave the series a rating of 9.5 out of 10, "Amazing", calling it "a superb and terrifying family drama." Paul Tassi of Forbes called it "absolutely fantastic" and stated that "it may actually be Netflix's best original show ever."

Horror author Stephen King, a huge admirer of Jackson's novel, tweeted about the series: "I don't usually care for this kind of revisionism, but this is great. Close to a work of genius, really. I think Shirley Jackson would approve, but who knows for sure".