I recently finished watching the Netflix show Haunting of Hill House and I absolutely loved it. I’m a huge fan of the horror genre and I always try to be up to date with the latest movie additions. However, this show is actually the first horror series I’ve watched and I must say that I’m quite impressed.
The story follows a family of seven and their ties to their former home called Hill House. The family only lived in the house briefly before paranormal experiences finally forced them to abandon it. Now the children are adults, and they are still haunted by their past in the house.
The timeline of the story alternates between past and present. This approach doesn’t make the story confusing to follow. In fact, they connect the storyline and only reveal small pieces of information from the past to continue the suspense. The actors also played their characters extremely well, every emotion could be felt.
The cinematography is great; Hill House looks intimidating even from the outside, and the inside is perfectly decorated to look eerie. There is tension in every horror scene, and the camera moves with the characters to create a sense of reality.
The settings were chosen well, many scenes are rather picturesque yet still leave a sense of discomfort.
The actors’ makeup and outfits are also on point, showing off the personality of the characters. What I love the most are the subtle details throughout the movie that if you catch and understand will give you an extra dose of speculation. I was truly taken aback and appreciated how pieces came together when the dots were connected at the end. The connections are mostly made by changing the character perspectives, a tactic which is emphasized at the end of the show. Cliffhangers at the end of episodes were effective in making me keep watching.
There are few negative things to point out. Although I liked the switch between past and present and the switch between character perspectives, sometimes exciting scenes are somewhat cut short. The ending feels slightly rushed as the words and actions of the characters seem to be somewhat mismatched with the situation. Jump scares also felt predictable at points. Even so, the show ended with a mix of emotions and was wrapped up well without noticeable plot holes. I enjoyed my experience with the show and would definitely recommend it.