Netflix is notorious for awful originals like “Bright “and “Marvel’s Iron Fist.” However, it has stepped up its game with the most suspenseful horror show known to the platform: “The Haunting of Hill House.”
“The Haunting of Hill House” explores a broken family as they confront haunting memories of time spent at the infamous Hill House. Each of the 5 siblings relive the memories and events that drove them from their home in the form of flashbacks.
I don’t want to give away much of the plot considering the less you know the better the watching experience will be. That being said, “Haunting of Hill House” begins like most haunted stories with a scary house, darkness and small children seeing ghosts.
However, “Haunting of Hill House” dives much further than that. While most haunted house stories aim to discover the origins of the haunting and lifting the curse, this show barely explains the ghosts haunting the house. Rather, the biggest mysteries are about the family themselves. It is much less about defeating the ghosts, but discovering what the ghosts are (grief, shame guilt, etc.)
I was rather surprised by this style of horror that Netflix and director Mike Flanagan brought to the table.“The Haunting of Hill House” works not because it’s particularly scary but exceptionally suspenseful. I’ve even seen some comparing the show to being the “This Is Us” of horror.
The series ends with little hope for a second season, and that is perfectly fine. If “The Haunting of Hill House” ends up as a one-season series, it will go down as not only a terrifying addition to Netflix but a template for how to make a good horror series.
Trust me, as someone who binges a lot of Netflix and horror, I can say that “The Haunting of Hill House” is one of my favorite things I’ve watched in a very long time. If you’re a fan of the genre, or even if you aren’t, I would absolutely give it a chance.
Story by: Cassidy Jasperson
life@suunews.net
Photo by: tvweb.com
