Netflix’s new show “The Haunting of Hill House” is not one to skip over. You have probably seen it trending on Twitter, on Netflix or pop-up ads all over social media. There is a reason for that: It is arguably one of the best shows on Netflix today.
The Netflix show premiered on Oct. 12 and is based on a book by Shirley Jackson, which was published in 1959.
The show is about a family of seven, a husband and wife with their five kids. The family grew up in a house filled with ghosts, spirits and supernatural phenomena. Their past experiences in the house follow them through adulthood and affect their daily lives and relationships with one another.
Sure, if horror is not your forte, this may not be for you. But the show is much more than horror. It has a few jump scares, but it also has psychological mind games and a plotline that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The actors are phenomenal in making their characters come to life. Each of the family members has a past self and a present self, resulting in two different versions of each character.
The kids in the show are extraordinary in showing their feelings and acting abilities while the adult actors make everything seem real and relevant.
The characters all have different storylines, making the show interesting in many different aspects. There is always something new to learn about the characters and their ongoing story. Plus, there is an abundance of familiar faces scattered all throughout the show.
The setting sets the tone for the story. The Hill House itself is huge, old and dark, much like you would expect. But the other places visited in the show have significance and add to the somber mood of the plot. The colors are dark and dreary most of the time, but shift in happier times, which can be noticed greatly.
The angles and transitions from scene to scene are fantastic. If you aren’t a movie critic, you may not notice these things right away. The show is constantly changing from flashbacks to present day, which gives viewers an interesting and varied experience.
The horror aspects aren’t all blood and gore. Instead, the show focuses more on lifelike figures and amazing makeup that make the horror come to life.
The whole show centers on the fact that the real horror is the unknown. The characters don’t know what is happening to them or the house, and the suspense leaves viewers wondering what will happen next.
The plot itself seems basic, I know. A family lives in a haunted house. But what makes it special is the flashbacks, the character development and the new information that is shown in each episode.
The first couple of episodes are hard to follow because there are many unanswered questions. But as you keep watching, plotholes are filled and the story starts to connect.
Viewers self-consciously come up with theories, which are debunked or refuted, making the viewing experience a fun guessing game. Each episode has a question and an answer.
“The Haunting of Hill House” is very different from anything out right now. It is a show that makes you keep watching, whether you’re scared or not.
