Netflix wants to scare the pants off of you. The streaming service is unleashing a dark reboot of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but did you know it's also releasing a series adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House soon? Horror fans have been buzzing about Hill House because Jackson's novel is one of the most celebrated ghost stories of all time, but previous attempts to bring it to life on screen haven't done it justice. Critics have been raving about this modern reimagining of the classic tale. Here's everything you need to know.
What is the book about?
Shirley Jackson's novel was first released in 1959 to critical praise. It was a finalist for the National Book Award and has been cited as inspiration for other prominent horror writers, including Stephen King. Jackson's ability to get inside the minds of her characters as they face their fears in Hill House is part of what makes it a such a groundbreaking piece of genre fiction.
What's the show about?
The show follows the lives of five siblings, the Crains, who grew up in Hill House—the most famous haunted house in America. Traumatized after the death of their mother in the house, they deal with what they've been through very differently as they grow up. They're brought back together to deal with the ghosts (literal and figurative) of their past when the youngest sister takes her own life.
How is it different from previous adaptations?
Although this is the first time the book has been adapted for TV audiences, there have been two film versions: one in 1963 simply called The Haunting and a remake of that film in 1999. Both film versions stick to the story of the book, but apart from some thematic references, the show is a looser adaptation.
The original story follows a paranormal investigator bringing a team to stay at the house in search of scientific proof that the supernatural exists. The Netflix series sticks with the very basic premise of people going to Hill House, but most of the characters are different. It explores what it was like to grow up there by following the Crain siblings in the present day as well as in flashbacks to their childhood at Hill House.
Creator/director Mike Flanagan calls his vision "a truly complex human story that happens to be wrapped in the skin of horror." Flanagan is no stranger to the horror genre. He previously worked on movies like Oculus, Hush, Ouija: Origin of Evil, and more. He's also set to write/direct the adaptation of Stephen King's Doctor Sleep (a sequel to The Shining) and a remake of I Know What You Did Last Summer. But, for the horror veteran, a TV series offers something very different in the storytelling than a feature film. Flanagan explains, "In 90 minutes, you can get away with scaring people three or four times. For something like this, over 10 hours, the rules are very different. I want to build a sense of tension and to sustain it for as long as possible."
Who’s getting spooked?
The Crain family are played by two sets of actors: one in the present, and one in the past. Here's the breakdown of who plays who:
- Timothy Hutton (American Crime) and Henry Thomas (E.T.) play the older and younger version of Hugh Crain, the children's father.
- Michel Huisman (Game of Thrones) and Paxton Singleton (Three Musketeers) play the older and younger version of Steven Crain.
- Elizabeth Reaser (Ouija: Origin of Evil) and Lulu Wilson (also Ouija: Origin of Evil) play the older and younger version of Shirley Crain.
- Kate Siegel (Hush) and McKenna Grace (Once Upon a Time) play the older and younger version of Theodora Crain.
- Victoria Pedretti (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) and Violet McGraw (Love) play the older and younger version of Nell Crain.
- Oliver Jackson-Cohen (What's Your Number?) and Julian Hilliard (Never Goin' Back) play the older and younger version of Luke Crain.
- Carla Gugino plays Olivia, the children's mother.
Where/when can you watch it?
All 10 episodes of the first season will be bingeable on Netflix on October 12, 2018.
