“The Haunting of Hill House,” a television show by Mike Flannigan that is based on the novel by Shirley Jackson, is a masterpiece of psychological horror that is elevated by a unique film style and incredible actors. Using supernatural elements as a metaphor for mental illnesses, this show expertly portrays the deep-rooted impacts of generational trauma and the many forms that it can take.

Separated by the tragedy of a family suicide and then reunited by a second, the Craine family is forced to return to the place where their life began to fall apart: Hill House. The show alternates between the time that they spent living in Hill House as children and as adults over twenty years later, expertly depicting the family’s descent into madness. Although the family is grown up now, it seems they cannot outrun their past because two things never lie still on the premises: memories and the dead…

Fighting for their lives, each family member must reckon with the mental injuries the house and its history have left them with: addiction, suicidal ideation, PTSD and survivor’s guilt. One of the most important things about this show, however, is that the horror elements do not pander to the demonization and glamorization we often see of mental health in the media. For instance, there is patience and detail given to the storyline of the character Luke Craine, who is heavily addicted to heroin. We witness his life in shambles; separated from his family by his actions, in serious debt to their kindness and leaving rehab for the umpteenth time. There is no glory, but there is hope, especially when he accepts that he doesn’t need to be alone.

This show is incredibly moving yet deeply entertaining, full of so many hidden details that I still find more every time I rewatch it, despite having seen it over ten times. A true ode to classic horror with a new spin, this show does justice to the book, the characters and the mental illnesses that they represent.

You can find the trailer for it here!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eqxXqJDmc

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