The Haunting Of Hill House
The Haunting Of Hill House
Though I don't use and streaming services, and my film collection exists in a physical format, I must admit that some of the best modern horror, is being released on internet streaming services, such as Netlfix. Netflix who has made some of my favourite television shows, like Stranger Things, released a reimagining of Shirley Jackson's classic 1959 novel The Haunting Of Hill House in 2018.
The Haunting Of Hill House was directed by Mike Flanagan, who is an incredible director in the horror genre, and this film is no exception to the great works that he has been directing. The teleplays were written by Mike Flanagan, Liz Phang, Scott Kosar, Meredith Averill, Jeff Howard, Charise Castro Smith, and Rebecca Klingel. The series was produced by FanaganFilm, Amblin Television, and Paramount Television; and distributed by Netflix Streaming Services, CBS Television Distribution, Media Networks, and ViacomCBS Domestic. The series was met with critical acclaim, receiving unanimous praise from the critics, and holding a high ranking on online film review sites. The DVD/Bluray release includes three extended episodes and commentaries, and if you are a fan of the series I highly recommend picking up a copy of series on DVD.
The Haunting Of Hill House changes the roles of the character from what they were in the previous two films, and it also adds several characters that were not in the previous film. The series is more of a story about family drama that happens to all be tied to a haunted house that the family lived in when the main characters were kids, and the series bounces between two main timelines, of the present time with the main characters as adults, and in the past when the main characters were kids, and it all builds up to the events of their last night in the house has kids, and what lies behind the locked red door. The chronology of the show can get confusing at times, so it is important to watch for the time setting for each scene, because some may be weeks ago or years ago, and there is a lot of jumping back and forth, and between characters, so it bears a closing watching, as to avoid confusion.
The story follows the Crain family in 1992, and in the present. The series stars Timothy Hutton (Henry Thomas 1992) as Hugh Crain the father of the family, Carla Gugino plays his wife Olivia Crain, Michiel Huisman (Paxton Singleton 1992) as Steven Crain the eldest son of the family, Elizabeth Reaser (Lulu Wilson 1992) as Shirley Crain Harris the eldest daughter, Kate Siegel (Mckenna Grace 1992) as Theodora "Theo" Crain the middle child of the family, Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Julian Hilliard 1992) as Luke Crain the twin brother of Eleanor "Nell" Crain Vance who is played by Victoria Pedretty (Violet McGraw 1992), the twins are the youngest of the siblings. The show also features Annabeth Gish and Robert Longstreet as the Hill House caretakers, Cara and Horace Dudley; Anthony Ruivivar as Kevin Harris, Shirley's Husband; Samantha Sloyan as Leigh Crain, Steven's Wife; Levy Tran as Trish Park, Theo's girlfriend(?); and Jordane Christie as Arthur Vance; Nell's husband. Also, the show's creator James Flanagan makes a cameo as a funeral director. The show has an amazing cast, and the actors do an amazing job at bringing their characters to life.
Usually I am not a fan of "remakes" or "reimaginings" when they drastically change things from the original film or book, because it feels like, why not just create something altogether new rather than just a remake of something that was already great. I didn't feel that way about The Haunting Of Hill House. There is just a hint of familiar to the show, but enough new to make it stand on its own feet as its own work of art, and not just an recreation of something that we have already seen. At first I wasn't keen on the whole turning it into a family drama, rather than being the experiment that it was in the original film, but this bold change actually works, because of the incredible actors, the amazing direction of Mike Flanagan, and the expert screenwriting of the series. Overall this is just a great, well written, and well acted series. The show cinematography is absolutely beautiful, the special effects are top notch, and the story telling is multilayered and complex, and the horror elements are effective. This is a haunted house story that really works, the format of it being a show, rather than a film, allows the characters and story to be fully developed, and the writers leave no time wasted, as every little detail, of every minute of this series, is building upon itself and creating a bigger and deeper story. This is like eating a meal with a lot of flavours that are perfectly balanced, each having its strength and time on your tongue, and all coming together to create a masterful whole. This is a tasty show, and it builds up to a powerful climax that will have you experiencing
a whirlwind of emotions, from laughter, to fear, to tears.
Though I don't use and streaming services, and my film collection exists in a physical format, I must admit that some of the best modern horror, is being released on internet streaming services, such as Netlfix. Netflix who has made some of my favourite television shows, like Stranger Things, released a reimagining of Shirley Jackson's classic 1959 novel The Haunting Of Hill House in 2018.
The Haunting Of Hill House was directed by Mike Flanagan, who is an incredible director in the horror genre, and this film is no exception to the great works that he has been directing. The teleplays were written by Mike Flanagan, Liz Phang, Scott Kosar, Meredith Averill, Jeff Howard, Charise Castro Smith, and Rebecca Klingel. The series was produced by FanaganFilm, Amblin Television, and Paramount Television; and distributed by Netflix Streaming Services, CBS Television Distribution, Media Networks, and ViacomCBS Domestic. The series was met with critical acclaim, receiving unanimous praise from the critics, and holding a high ranking on online film review sites. The DVD/Bluray release includes three extended episodes and commentaries, and if you are a fan of the series I highly recommend picking up a copy of series on DVD.
The story follows the Crain family in 1992, and in the present. The series stars Timothy Hutton (Henry Thomas 1992) as Hugh Crain the father of the family, Carla Gugino plays his wife Olivia Crain, Michiel Huisman (Paxton Singleton 1992) as Steven Crain the eldest son of the family, Elizabeth Reaser (Lulu Wilson 1992) as Shirley Crain Harris the eldest daughter, Kate Siegel (Mckenna Grace 1992) as Theodora "Theo" Crain the middle child of the family, Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Julian Hilliard 1992) as Luke Crain the twin brother of Eleanor "Nell" Crain Vance who is played by Victoria Pedretty (Violet McGraw 1992), the twins are the youngest of the siblings. The show also features Annabeth Gish and Robert Longstreet as the Hill House caretakers, Cara and Horace Dudley; Anthony Ruivivar as Kevin Harris, Shirley's Husband; Samantha Sloyan as Leigh Crain, Steven's Wife; Levy Tran as Trish Park, Theo's girlfriend(?); and Jordane Christie as Arthur Vance; Nell's husband. Also, the show's creator James Flanagan makes a cameo as a funeral director. The show has an amazing cast, and the actors do an amazing job at bringing their characters to life.
Usually I am not a fan of "remakes" or "reimaginings" when they drastically change things from the original film or book, because it feels like, why not just create something altogether new rather than just a remake of something that was already great. I didn't feel that way about The Haunting Of Hill House. There is just a hint of familiar to the show, but enough new to make it stand on its own feet as its own work of art, and not just an recreation of something that we have already seen. At first I wasn't keen on the whole turning it into a family drama, rather than being the experiment that it was in the original film, but this bold change actually works, because of the incredible actors, the amazing direction of Mike Flanagan, and the expert screenwriting of the series. Overall this is just a great, well written, and well acted series. The show cinematography is absolutely beautiful, the special effects are top notch, and the story telling is multilayered and complex, and the horror elements are effective. This is a haunted house story that really works, the format of it being a show, rather than a film, allows the characters and story to be fully developed, and the writers leave no time wasted, as every little detail, of every minute of this series, is building upon itself and creating a bigger and deeper story. This is like eating a meal with a lot of flavours that are perfectly balanced, each having its strength and time on your tongue, and all coming together to create a masterful whole. This is a tasty show, and it builds up to a powerful climax that will have you experiencing
a whirlwind of emotions, from laughter, to fear, to tears.
If you have not yet seen this series I highly recommend picking up a copy on DVD or Bluray, it is definitely a must-see that should be in every film collectors library. This is a great horror story, but more than that it is a great drama, about the complexities of mental illness, familial bonds, and the supernatural, and nothing is every quite as it seems. Definitely worth watching. There was a second season, but Flanagan stated that the story of Hill House was done, and the second season was called The Haunting of Bly Manor which is based on Henry Thomas classic novel The Turn Of The Screw.
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