The Haunting of Hill House - TV's first great horror series - Friday, Oct 12 on Netflix

Dokkaebi G0SU · Oct 22, 2018

so did they confirm season 2? i don't think i seen any official announcements from netflix.

i think how they left the "evil" unexplained is perfectly fine. I mean, that's how it is with "irl" hauntings no? there is an evil that can't really pinpoint to one thing or reason other than that it exists and in some cases its more concentrated than other places.

i had a friend wanting an explanation about the room, the other ghosts there and the absolute reason why it was evil. i think if i knew all that it would ruin the mystery of what evil is. cant just pin it on someone and call it a day and say , "yeah it was that guy/girl/group! oh maan, F them! They ruined so many peoples lives!" it just is, like chaos is in the world. it just is. How they explained that the world is unforgiving, chews you, and spits you out. its what they all experienced while trying to live their lives in the "world".

but if they do a season 2 i can't really see a continuation of the characters. i dont see any real progress and story telling like they did they in 1 . The ghosts mentioned in small stories were enough for me to understand that things happened in the house or in the forest. like the tall hat man was the father who felt guilt and shame and cemented himself in the basement. then the zombie/ghost in the basement tied to the illegal works of the liquor movement during that period of time. suggesting that sometimes bad things happen and someone was probably killed because they discovered the secret and werent supposed to know. people died in the house without something killing them too. just from illness or old age.

idk .. but I guess if they have to make a season 2, it would need to be a prequal of sorts where it's the original family (hills right?) who built it and what events that may have led to conjuring concentrated evil there. not pinpointing on a person but on events. I also liked the nod about the "dogs" or imo, actual "hell hounds" in search of souls for hell or whatever. usually hounds/dogs are associated with demons no?

anyway, i am glad i was able to watch this and i enjoyed everything,. even the ending. It was sad but not every movie/show needs a happy ending. you can see that in plenty of korean films and some of them are masterpieces.

Skinny Pete · Oct 22, 2018

Samurai G0SU said:
so did they confirm season 2? i don't think i seen any official announcements from netflix.

Not yet but it seems to be a pretty big hit so we should get a second season in some shape or form.

RumbleHumble · Oct 22, 2018

Finally got to the ending. It's still strong at its emotional core and true to its characters, but really whiffs it as far as providing a satisfying answer as to why the House did what it did in the first place. While I mostly agree with the idea that horror doesnt need much explanation, the show appeared to say conflicting things about Nell, the parents, and Luke regarding dying. And the monologues went on for entirely too long. Reminded me a bit of how Flanagan ended Gerald's Game in a bit of a whiff. Still absolutely fantastic show. True Detective Season 1 also missed the landing but remains one of my favorite seasons of TV anyway.

WrenchNinja · Oct 22, 2018

I mean, what explanation would possibly be satisfying? The house was built on burial ground, or it was built on a hellmouth, or there was a horrific crime that tied the first soul to the land, or it was cursed by a witch, etc. Like leaving the house as just an evil house is fine.

Booker.DeWitt · Oct 22, 2018

AMAZING Series

my god, this series on my OLED TV is absolutely stunning, beautiful. Dolby vision is the real deal.

and the sound? my god, my SVS sub has not rocked that much in a while. love the sound design.

great series man, love it

burgervan · Oct 22, 2018

3 episodes in. It's trash but it's entertaining trash.

The dialogue and acting is bad. The jump scares are telegraphed a mile away. They show too much for it to be genuinely creepy and what they show is usually cheap looking cg. But, for some reason I'm still interested to see where it goes, so it must be doing something right.

ArmsofSleep · Oct 22, 2018

Just finished episode 4. I think the bowler hat ghost is probably the best scare the show has done so far. I also think the adult appearances were pretty well done.

That being said, I'm ready to move on to Nell. I think the other siblings might be a bit too unlikeable

Lady Catherine de Bourgh · Oct 22, 2018

Really liked this. Some very touching scenes like;

on Nell returning to the house. Such a vulnerable moment that revealed what she craved all along. Unconditional love and trust from her family and to save her brother. So profoundly human. And in one of the latest episodes the twins talking about their bad dreams to their mother. Essentially describing their future lives and the pain they live with. Really well done [\spoiler]

WrenchNinja · Oct 22, 2018

Featurette for episode 6. Really is fucking amazing.

meow · Oct 22, 2018

Some of y'all in here are being really loose with the spoilers. I'm only on episode 3 and I like reading general impression as I go, or episode specific discussion. :(

Anyway, I thought episode 3 is where the show is really starting to shine for me. It also didn't help that I couldn't tell the people apart for the first two episodes. I get they're a family and it makes sense, but the first two episodes, everyone was the same pale, dark-haired woman to me. Including the housekeeper and the person who works with Shirley.

pedrothelion · Oct 22, 2018

I'm a big fan of the movie Magnolia and the dialogue of this show reminded me a lot of the dialogue in that movie. There are lots long, operatic, emotionally declarative monologues. It sometimes verges on being overwrought (much like Magnolia), but I felt it works well almost all of the time. I'm not a big horror aficionado, but I can't think seeing horror movie (or show) with dialogue like this.

Deleted member 18502 · Oct 22, 2018

Made it through one episode, acting was pretty substandard, and the story doesn't seem to provide much originality. I don't think I'll be back for more.

VideogameVices · Oct 22, 2018

dont think this show needs a second season :(

Masoyama · Oct 22, 2018

RumbleHumble said:
Finally got to the ending. It's still strong at its emotional core and true to its characters, but really whiffs it as far as providing a satisfying answer as to why the House did what it did in the first place. While I mostly agree with the idea that horror doesnt need much explanation, the show appeared to say conflicting things about Nell, the parents, and Luke regarding dying. And the monologues went on for entirely too long. Reminded me a bit of how Flanagan ended Gerald's Game in a bit of a whiff. Still absolutely fantastic show. True Detective Season 1 also missed the landing but remains one of my favorite seasons of TV anyway.

Steve told you why the house is haunted, in metaphors. The house sprung haunted from between the mountains and took over the original family, it was born haunted. If it was aliens, or demons, or burial ground or whatever else you can imagine it makes no difference.

meow said:
Some of y'all in here are being really loose with the spoilers. I'm only on episode 3 and I like reading general impression as I go, or episode specific discussion. :(

Anyway, I thought episode 3 is where the show is really starting to shine for me. It also didn't help that I couldn't tell the people apart for the first two episodes. I get they're a family and it makes sense, but the first two episodes, everyone was the same pale, dark-haired woman to me. Including the housekeeper and the person who works with Shirley.

That is interesting. My GF and I actually had the exact opposite reaction. We were actually pleasantly surprised how distinct every character is and how amazing the resemblance between the kids and the adults is. You can instantly tell which kid is which adult the first time they come on screen.

exmachina64 said:
It's not that she's "insane," it's that she's impulsive, among other things, when she's off her medicine. She's seeing the ghost of her older self because the spirits in the show exist outside of our conception of time and, like the other members of her family, she's psychic.

The bent neck lady is a representation of Nellie's sadness and sickness. It latches onto you in your early life and pops in and out in the worst moments. Some of us know the happiness of getting rid of the sadness for a small period of time, but always dreading its return. She even mentions how the visions dissapeared when she met Arthur, she was absolutely happy during that time. Arthur had a natural death - I believe - and the pure sadness that fell on her caused the triggering of the episode.

latex · Oct 22, 2018

The scene were the younger twins are just going on and on and on about their really bad dream to Olivia broke my heart big time.

It just kept getting darker and darker and then it dawned on me what was happening and I just started crying lol

MisterAnderson · Oct 22, 2018

Can't find a spoiler thread after searching, just finished the series (fucking amazing by the way from start to finish) but I have a question about the final episode:

After escaping the red room, Hugh tells the family that he and Steve will meet up with them at the hospital as they still have something they need to do.

*car drives off*
Hugh: "Probably best you didn't say anything to them."
Steve: "Dad. What did I see?"

Then Hugh shows him what happened when he went back to the house for Olivia. Basically everything that happened from his and the Dudley's point of view that night.

How is this in any way referencing what "Steve saw"?

Edit: Nevermind I watched the scene again and figured it out.

RumbleHumble · Oct 22, 2018

Masoyama said:
Steve told you why the house is haunted, in metaphors. The house sprung haunted from between the mountains and took over the original family, it was born haunted. If it was aliens, or demons, or burial ground or whatever else you can imagine it makes no difference.

That is interesting. My GF and I actually had the exact opposite reaction. We were actually pleasantly surprised how distinct every character is and how amazing the resemblance between the kids and the adults is. You can instantly tell which kid is which adult the first time they come on screen.

The bent neck lady is a representation of Nellie's sadness and sickness. It latches onto you in your early life and pops in and out in the worst moments. Some of us know the happiness of getting rid of the sadness for a small period of time, but always dreading its return. She even mentions how the visions dissapeared when she met Arthur, she was absolutely happy during that time. Arthur had a natural death - I believe - and the pure sadness that fell on her caused the triggering of the episode.

It isn't so much that I didn't get how the House became haunted but:

Why it appeared that Nell, Olivia, and Hugh were happy having died in the house but its suddenly a bad thing for Luke, Steve, Shirley, and Theo. If the House is so evil and terrible, then why is dying there suddenly such a good thing but also a thing we shouldn't do? Look I get that the House is a metaphor for death and dying when you're supposed to and that those sorts of mechanics are best left unexplained, but it still felt unsatisfying.

Regulus Tera · Oct 22, 2018

I watched the first two episodes and found it extremely boring. Not even the jumpscares are good, you see them coming from a mile away.

Deleted member 21709 · Oct 22, 2018

Regulus Tera said:
I watched the first two episodes and found it extremely boring. Not even the jumpscares are good, you see them coming from a mile away.

Stick with it.

RumbleHumble said:
It isn't so much that I didn't get how the House became haunted but:

Why it appeared that Nell, Olivia, and Hugh were happy having died in the house but its suddenly a bad thing for Luke, Steve, Shirley, and Theo. If the House is so evil and terrible, then why is dying there suddenly such a good thing but also a thing we shouldn't do? Look I get that the House is a metaphor for death and dying when you're supposed to and that those sorts of mechanics are best left unexplained, but it still felt unsatisfying.

Huh. I mean, I don't think they cared so much about dying IN the house, they cared about NOT actually dying.

Deleted member 2802 · Oct 22, 2018

oatmeal said:
It's based on two tweets that don't even say they actually puked. It's BS, and it spread like wildfire.

Kschreck said:
Clickbait from CNN. The show has a very small amount of "scares" in the entire thing. There may have been 2 decent jumpscares and the rest of the stuff I didn't think was scary at all. Obviously subject to opinion but there are far more scary shows out there. I liked this first season but it was more about the characters and world building then it was about scaring you.

dammit fake news

Imma watch it anyways

Deception · Oct 22, 2018

Man Episode 5 is one of the most impactful TV moments i've ever experienced...

I don't think i've ever had such a complex mix of emotions from the Nell Bent-Neck Lady reveal, seriously fucked me up in so many ways. Seeing Nell's experiences throughout the episode and all of the trauma she has had to endure over her life made me hate the Bent Neck lady for ruining her life but when the reveal happens man... I don't think i've ever wanted to cry more than I did in that moment. The pain and fear you see in Nell's face as she realizes what happening is seriously an amazing acting job from Victoria Pedretti, she deserves so much praise for what is sometimes average acting on the part of her other castmates. Her final dance scene with Arthur was so touching but made me so angry that the house would toy and take that away from her was gut-wrenching. The whole self-fulfilling prophecy aspect really got me thinking too above mental-illness and suicide in a way I had never thought about which is something I definitely did not expect from this show.

Seriously, BRAVO! I'm on Episode 7 now but had to come in and say how much I loved and appreciated that episode.

Masoyama · Oct 22, 2018

RumbleHumble said:
It isn't so much that I didn't get how the House became haunted but:

Why it appeared that Nell, Olivia, and Hugh were happy having died in the house but its suddenly a bad thing for Luke, Steve, Shirley, and Theo. If the House is so evil and terrible, then why is dying there suddenly such a good thing but also a thing we shouldn't do? Look I get that the House is a metaphor for death and dying when you're supposed to and that those sorts of mechanics are best left unexplained, but it still felt unsatisfying.

The show does not have a happy ending though, which is why your comment and others confuse me. The house feeds on the souls of the dead and it drives the living to kill themselves inside it. The ghosts remained trapped inside, aware that they are caught forever. Olivia and Nell were both coerced/tricked into suicide and the house projected itself onto the rest of the siblings to get them back. Like a deer that gets away from a hunter, its prey that it wants back. The whole point of the red room was to nurture them and get them ready to eat. The Dudleys are happy to spend a few more years with their kids as they wither away. The same with Hugh, he is willing to sacrifice himself to open the door for his kids and spend eternity with his wife and daughter. It is not a happy thing though, he is damning himself for eternity,

Vic_Viper · Oct 22, 2018

Finally started watching this last night and man am I surprised by how good this show is. I mean Ive seen the praise its been getting here since its release, but I hadnt heard a single word about it before it came out. I definitely wasnt expecting it to be this good though!

Only 3-4 episodes in so far, but my favorite character has to be Theo!

Having this random special ability thrown in to this show was pretty surprising. Wasnt expecting anything like that, but its awesome. After episode 3 where she discovers the adopted father was molesting the little girl was done really well. I had assumed something was up with her before, especially when they show her putting on the gloves, but was not expecting that at all.

carlsojo · Oct 22, 2018

This show is blowing up, good for Netflix getting another big hit.

RumbleHumble · Oct 22, 2018

Masoyama said:
The show does not have a happy ending though, which is why your comment and others confuse me. The house feeds on the souls of the dead and it drives the living to kill themselves inside it. The ghosts remained trapped inside, aware that they are caught forever. Olivia and Nell were both coerced/tricked into suicide and the house projected itself onto the rest of the siblings to get them back. Like a deer that gets away from a hunter, its prey that it wants back. The whole point of the red room was to nurture them and get them ready to eat. The Dudleys are happy to spend a few more years with their kids as they wither away. The same with Hugh, he is willing to sacrifice himself to open the door for his kids and spend eternity with his wife and daughter. It is not a happy thing though, he is damning himself for eternity,

I may have to watch again. Of course the show owes no one an explicit answer as to whether the overall ending was happy or a tragedy, but that first watch appeared to be a sort of "happily ever after".

I didn't catch on to the "wither away" interpretation until just now. It definitely re-frames what's happening in ways I didn't consider.

Masoyama · Oct 22, 2018

RumbleHumble said:
I may have to watch again. Of course the show owes no one an explicit answer as to whether the overall ending was happy or a tragedy, but that first watch appeared to be a sort of "happily ever after".

Hugh tells Olivia than only they can open the door - meaning the ghosts. Olivia tells Hugh that ever since she died she has been aware that her kids are gone and that Hugh took them, however she also feels that every step she takes is a new dream. She is caught in this trance like state but always aware that her kids were taken away. Here is the other thing, the house also seems to latch to people that are already fighting mental issues. The Hill's were all described as having some sort of mental health problem, which persisted after death. Poppy was still psychotic in death and her son was still mute and wheelchair bound.

Deleted member 13328 · Oct 22, 2018

Loving it, I love how slow it moves, it makes the show so much creepier.

Just finished Episode 5, can't wait for the last five.

RumbleHumble · Oct 22, 2018

Masoyama said:
Hugh tells Olivia than online they can open the door - meaning the ghosts. Olivia tells Hugh that ever since she died she has been aware that her kids are gone and that Hugh took them, however she also feels that every step she takes is a new dream. She is caught in this trance like state but always aware that her kids were taken away. Here is the other thing, the house also seems to latch to people that are already fighting mental issues. The Hill's were all described as having some sort of mental health problem, which persisted after death. Poppy was still psychotic in death and her son was still mute and wheelchair bound.

Apologies, I edited my initial comment to note that you mentioned something I hadn't considered when watching. I'm definitely going to watch again. Thanks for the comment!

Masoyama · Oct 22, 2018

RumbleHumble said:
Apologies, I edited my initial comment to note that you mentioned something I hadn't considered when watching. I'm definitely going to watch again. Thanks for the comment!

Oh yeah no worries. If you want to get why I interpret the show this way, listen again to the intro monologue from Steve's book - I do not remember which episode.

No live organism can continue to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. (snip) Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.

MoonsaultSlayer · Oct 22, 2018

I'm home from work sick after finishing the series last night and I've been in bed, in and out of sleep. I dreamed the idea for next season.

The Crains are ghosts to another family.

It's super obvious and gets the cast back together and

instead of flash forwards and flashbacks of this new family, their time in the house could be the present while we get flashbacks to the Crains as they were raised by their aunt and the hauntings they no doubt still encountered?

This new family could actually seem like they're more successful at "fixing" the house and that's why the Crains are haunting them, and they could even get tropey ghosthunting/seance folks in there.

But the key word is it SEEMS like they're more successful but the major reveal would be seeing how far the new family has been digested and who makes it out by the end with maybe their own future flash forward recounting how the house damaged them and drew them back.

DrEvil · Oct 22, 2018

LukeOP said:
The kittens are a reference to the children and another hint that the ending we saw is fake fake fake. Another hallucinations.

ZZZzzzzzZzzzzz.

Deleted member 4247 · Oct 22, 2018

This was very good. Would love more, but don't really know where they could go that would be interesting.

Deleted member 48828 · Oct 22, 2018

I really loved this show. All 9 and a half episodes. Everything with the kids was fine. But wow, that second half. It really peeved me off.

So the whole reason the dad held everything back, causing so much pain to his grieving children, was because of these two dumbass housekeepers who spontaneously thought of a plan to keep the ghost of their dead daughter like a pet in a zoo mere minutes after finding her dead body instead of, say, realizing they were horrible fucking parents that caused the very thing that killed her? It's because of these two assholes that Nellie and the dad are dead + the entire family was almost killed. There was NO good reason to not demolish the house after realizing it could kill people. Like WTF is Abigail's mom thinking? That locking Abigail's soul in eternal damnation was a good thing? It didn't help that her actor was unfortunately awful as well, constantly putting on this akwardly forced tone that made her sound like a poor imitation of the evil teacher from Matilda. And these people, whose decision to selfishly trap their 6 year old's soul to a house of murderous zombies which later caused actual murders, get a """happy ending""" by...what the hell? Becoming a ghost that looks younger than when she died, yet her kids are the same age, suddenly turning the house from a horrible ghost prison to happy rainbows and sunshine? Is the house evil or not???

Other terrible decisions from this episode: making the Abigail character have basically no reaction to violently dying and becoming a ghost. This is weird because her actress was fine and the other kid actors were given shit to do. She just ghost-walks over to her mom, they sit down together like it aint no thing and it's just "OK, well let's cover up these murders and cause irrevocable damage to your family so this house can continue to torture it's inhabitants, my daughter included, forever along with eventually murdering you and your family now." Seriously, she took the same tone devising her creepy dead child zoo plan that she did when she talked to Olivia about Steven's surprise gift. The lady can't emote for shit.

Where does Poppy's character and Olivia's character start and end? Olivia apparently doesn't like Poppy now as a ghost, but is still doing all the things Poppy told her to believe in...?

Surprise: good ghosts exists now! Where were they the whole show? Your guess is as good as mine.

Looking back at that episode I almost forgot this fucking gem: "This house is full of precious things and they don't all belong to you." HIS WIFE WAS JUST FUCKING KILLED MOMENTS AGO. EVERYONE IS FUCKING DEAD. NO ONE OWNS ANYTHING EXCEPT THE FUCKING EVIL HOUSE THAT NEEDS TO DIE. He has EVERY reason to take revenge and release the ghost souls from their eternal torment??? Is he implying the ghosts are having a fun time being rotting corpses?? You do not get to guilt trip him with that crap.

Here's what the last episode taught me: be horrible parents that smother your children's curiosity, causing them to inevitably disobey you. Once your child dies (because despite knowing the house can and will kill people you stay close because you're an idiot), don't take responsibility and end the cycle of death. Place your selfish desire to weigh a ghost down to earth with your grief above more people dying from the house. Imply the house-owner is a bad person for wanting to stop the monster that just murdered wife, attempted to murder his children and himself, because being trapped in timeless ghost-hood with deranged monsters is a "precious thing." Be reunited with your idyllic children in the afterlife as a ghost, who definitely have no resentment towards you for smothering them their entire short life and forcing them to be a creepy ghost for eternity in a series about children resenting their parents. Because moving on from grief is stupid and you should just get really excited for when you can die and hold your stillborn in your arms despite the fact you're a ghost now and your entire concept of motherhood is now meaningless. Face no repercussions for doing nothing while innocent people suffered.

This is why I don't want answers to a good mystery sometimes. They can fuck up real bad with this kind of nonsense and moral houdini-try.

LukeOP · Oct 22, 2018

DrEvil said:
ZZZzzzzzZzzzzz.

ZzzzzzzZzzzzzzz

Dream Machine · Oct 22, 2018

DrEvil said:
6/10. Started strong and ended up disappointed. The two major revelations were easily predictable, and the ending did not fit tonally with the rest of the show.

Was never actually scared at all during the entire run - even the jump scares were almost telegraphed a mile away... It had a decent creepy vibe in the 'past' scenes, though.

Too many things were introduced only to completely disappear.. like, the kittens? They made it seem more sinister with the eyes thing and never referenced it again... there were a lot of little things that were set up but completely ignored that kinda compounded and bothered me the more and more I thought about it... The "Ghost" Dogs on the property, too..

Do you really want them to explain where kittens came from, or why there might be ghost dogs on the property? Sometimes things are just metaphor, imagery, and atmosphere.

I'm curious what else you felt was introduced that completely disappeared, because honestly I thought things were explained too much.

LukeOP said:
The kittens are a reference to the children and another hint that the ending we saw is fake fake fake. Another hallucinations.

I didn't get the feeling that the ending was fake at all. Maybe I'll rewatch to verify, but this comes across as a standard internet overcomplicating-the-source-material theory.

DrEvil · Oct 22, 2018

Dream Machine said:
Do you really want them to explain where kittens came from, or why there might be ghost dogs on the property? Sometimes things are just metaphor, imagery, and atmosphere.

I'm curious what else you felt was introduced that completely disappeared, because honestly I thought things were explained too much.

I didn't get the feeling that the ending was fake at all. Maybe I'll rewatch to verify, but this comes across as a standard internet overcomplicating-the-source-material theory.

The Kittens were silly because it was presented at face value at first, oh they died, cool, it happens, c'est la vie.. but then the final cat was like EYES OPEN DEMON KITTY, and provided nothing to really state.. why? It wasn't a ghost, it wasn't even born in the damn house.
If we want to establish that the house is the root of evil, then why can that family live on the property too and be generally okay? It was also stated that the wife only lost her first child because it was birthed in the house, and yet here are kittens in some random shed in the woods that are somehow possessed. That's what bothered me there

I'd argue the zombie/decaying body at the bottom of the dumbwaiter was also kind of unresolved too - Its not the "tall man" who bricked himself into the wall, because that was ghost who wanted his hat back, so it's just another person who happened to die in the cellar?

None of the ghosts outright harmed anyone who were living, i.e. they didn't 'kill' anyone - even Nell essentially put the locket/noose around her own neck via a hallucination - the mother also says that the spirits in the home aren't there to hurt anyone (to the kids), and yet we have, in the final moments, the father tell Steve not to look at the tall man staring him down. It's not as if anyone who looks at him is gonna die (young Luke looked at him under the bed when he came to retrieve his hat), so they played a bit fast and loose with the 'rules' of the haunting.

They began to set up the Dottie woman as the big bad / source of evil, and kind of just dropped it as her just being an insane ghost who had murdered her own kids, by episode 8 the tone of the show shifted from sinister possibly-haunted house or mental health halucinations, to 'house collecting spirits where people go to be with their deceased loved ones' - at the end of the entire show, it was basically a "happy ending".

The whole family ended up at the house, just so the father could make a pact with the mother/house to spend eternity together - happy ending for dad and mom.
Servant husband brought his wife to the house so she could be with the spirit of her stillborn baby and rat poisoned daughter - happy ending for mom/baby/kid and likely old man since he made steve/dad promise not to burn down the house.

Weeeeeee.

Dream Machine · Oct 22, 2018

DrEvil said:
The Kittens were silly because it was presented at face value at first, oh they died, cool, it happens, c'est la vie.. but then the final cat was like EYES OPEN DEMON KITTY, and provided nothing to really state.. why? It wasn't a ghost, it wasn't even born in the damn house.
If we want to establish that the house is the root of evil, then why can that family live on the property too and be generally okay? It was also stated that the wife only lost her first child because it was birthed in the house, and yet here are kittens in some random shed in the woods that are somehow possessed. That's what bothered me there

I'd argue the zombie/decaying body at the bottom of the dumbwaiter was also kind of unresolved too - Its not the "tall man" who bricked himself into the wall, because that was ghost who wanted his hat back, so it's just another person who happened to die in the cellar?

None of the ghosts outright harmed anyone who were living, i.e. they didn't 'kill' anyone - even Nell essentially put the locket/noose around her own neck via a hallucination - the mother also says that the spirits in the home aren't there to hurt anyone (to the kids), and yet we have, in the final moments, the father tell Steve not to look at the tall man staring him down. It's not as if anyone who looks at him is gonna die (young Luke looked at him under the bed when he came to retrieve his hat), so they played a bit fast and loose with the 'rules' of the haunting.

They began to set up the Dottie woman as the big bad / source of evil, and kind of just dropped it as her just being an insane ghost who had murdered her own kids, by episode 8 the tone of the show shifted from sinister possibly-haunted house or mental health halucinations, to 'house collecting spirits where people go to be with their deceased loved ones' - at the end of the entire show, it was basically a "happy ending".

The whole family ended up at the house, just so the father could make a pact with the mother/house to spend eternity together - happy ending for dad and mom.
Servant husband brought his wife to the house so she could be with the spirit of her stillborn baby and rat poisoned daughter - happy ending for mom/baby/kid and likely old man since he made steve/dad promise not to burn down the house.

Weeeeeee.

The house manipulates people and makes them see hallucinations. Those kittens could very well have just died because they were diseased/abandoned by their mother. The fact that Shirley saw some creepy stuff having to do with them needs zero explanation to me. The house amplified her anxieties and fears and she saw some creepy shit. The white eyes and bug in the mouth may or may not have been real.

Did you see how many ghosts there were in the house when Steven leaves in the last episode? There were tons of people who didn't get specific backstories for why they were in the house. The dumbwaiter guy was just one of them.

Poppy was revealed as the facet of the house that was directly manipulating and wearing down Olivia. She was introduced in the episode that focused on Olivia's experience in the house. The house itself was always the big bad/source of evil and was set up as such.

The Dudleys lived on the property, but i didn't read them as being free from the house's influence. The way Mrs. Dudley walled herself and her daughter up in her own house to "keep her safe" and was really vibing with Olivia when they started talking about how letting their children go outside the house was dangerous and she shouldn't let anyone tell her otherwise, to me, was the house's influence on her over years and years getting inside her head. Even though she thought she was separate from the house, she was always a tool of it. I also read the ending where the Dudleys are suddenly asking the house to be spared for their daughter's sake as the house's gambit for self preservation using the Dudleys as a tool.

I agree the ending felt too happy, but a lot of that was how long it went on and the music choice for me. In addition, the change from "and whatever walked there, walked alone" (taken from the refrain paragraph that the book opens and closes with) to "and those who walked there, walked together" while everyone solves their life problems in montage was kind of embarrassingly saccharine to me. But it wasn't wholly happy, as the house got what it wanted in the end. It got more people, and it still stands. And how happy that existence is for anyone is clearly... not very. The scenes of Olivia and Eleanor beckoning the dad into the red room, and Mrs. Dudley with her daughters beckoning Mr. Dudley in the entryway are still a temptation to be trapped in the house for eternity. It looks good and inviting, but so did the red room throughout the show. The creative choices at the very end of the last episode bothered me too, but I don't think everyone is having a great time in there now that mom and dad and nelly makes three are stuck there. They are just facets of Hill House now.

Dream Machine · Oct 22, 2018

I only caught like two of these while watching. I love the way the figures are just thrown in for subliminal atmosphere.
http://www.vulture.com/2018/10/the-haunting-of-hill-house-hidden-ghosts.html

They don't mention the statues moving, but that article reminded me that I only saw them move once, in the storm episode. Did anybody else keep track of them?

Exis · Oct 22, 2018

I just finished it, I had to do an episode a day for awhile as it was too heavy.
I really, really really don't need a 2nd season this was pretty much perfect.

Precious Tritium · Oct 22, 2018

So how scary is this show? I want to watch but my Wife doesn't do well with super scary horror. Is it gross? Do kids / babies get hurt?

She's fine with Movies like it Follows but I think she would hate so something like Hereditary

frankenstrat · Oct 22, 2018

Precious Tritium said:
So how scary is this show? I want to watch but my Wife doesn't do well with super scary horror. Is it gross? Do kids / babies get hurt?

She's fine with Movies like it Follows but I think she would hate so something like Hereditary

Kids do get hurt at the end of the season and it is a little gross on one occasion I can remember. The scares are well done for the most part but it's not as "up there" as Hereditary was.

bluehat9 · Oct 22, 2018

Finished it. Thought it was ok, the first episodes hooked me but by the end I was kind of done.
Full spoilers:

Didn't really like ep 5. Turned it into a Doctor Who wibbly wobbly timey wimey thing. Was Nell destined to die that way since she was a little kid? If she didn't kill herself then the neck lady wouldn't have existed and she wouldn't have been scared of her to end up going back to kill herself later. Oh yeah, time happens out of order though because Nell told me it does.

Who put the needle in Luke's arm? Everyone else has to kind of give in and get saved by Nell, but his arm just gets stabbed with rat poison when hes not looking. Where did the needle come from?

Some episodes felt really long for little pay off.

Who was the ghost that destroyed Shirley's forever house and why again?

Who was Steve seeing in the glass at the fertility doctor?

At the beginning of episode 9 in the kitchen arguing about giving theo's clothes to Abigail there's a ghost face in the glass behind them? Or was I seeing things?

Does theo just give up her powers are the end or can she control them at the end?

Didn't like how they switched the line at the end from whatever walked there walked alone to walked together. Like it's a happy existence to be taken by the house, but Nell had to stop the rest of the family from dying there.

Also, Olivia knows she was tricked by Poppy and doesnt like her, but still believes what she says and wants the rest of her kids to die there? The older ghost in the bed even told her Poppy lies on the night olivia dies, olivia asks for help, then just listens to Poppy anyway.

I dont know. Like I said, I was done by the end.

TheGameshark · Oct 22, 2018

I enjoyed it. I thought it was a little too jump scare heavy. I guess if it's a hit Netflix will make another season but I don't really see where a season 2 fits in.

Landawng · Oct 22, 2018

Shout out to the dude who recommended The Lady In Black earlier in this thread. Started off a little slow but damn this is getting pretty fuckin good and is quite creepy so far.

Vic_Viper · Oct 22, 2018

does each episode follow just 1 of the family members? Starting to get tired of this episode format.

The Cellar Letters · Oct 22, 2018

Best Netflix original by far.

Opto · Oct 22, 2018

Episodes 1-9 are good. Episode 10 felt like it needed to rush and take forever at the same time.

Honestly, skip episode 10 and you'll feel better about the show

Deleted member 1656 · Oct 23, 2018

Why did I watch Daredevil when I could've been watching this instead? There's some pretty goddamn uneccessary loud noises accompining the scares but otherwise I really like how this is going. Not too far yet.

Hush was so cool!

Jombie · Oct 23, 2018

Show is very good but the jump scares are grating.

Kyuur · Oct 23, 2018

Watched up to episode 5, this is really good! Unlike some others I think I'll actually sleep better after the ending to 5 :lol:

Once there's an explanation it because far less terrifying and more cool.

The Haunting of Hill House - TV's first great horror series - Friday, Oct 12 on Netflix

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