The story of Nell, Luke and Theo have been told for decades. Decades. And various versions of this gothic haunted Victorian home laden with ghosts and statues have been told with some of best actors in the business, from Vincent Price to Liam Neeson--albeit, the 1999 version with Neesom was crap-yeah, I said it, but facts are facts, folks.

Considered one of the best literary ghost stories published during the 20th century, The Haunting of Hill House was originally published in 1959 by Shirley Jackson. 69 years later Ms. Jackson's story is still haunting the screen and scaring America.

We live on the edge of the property and never stay after sundown. The family in the home is alone…in the night…in the dark. (Ms. Dudley)

Taking the original characters from the novel, Netflix has now created it's own version television version of The Haunting of Hill House. This new version, created and directed by Mike Flagan, is rich in detail, extremely layered with unnerving corner of the eye material, and leaves it's audience unbalanced-almost in every shot.

I have only finished two episodes of this 10 episode "season" and already I am doubting the wisdom of watching it at night . . . in the dark. Last night, as I huddled in my blanket, mulling over this series and fearing the monster under the bed, the shadow man in the corner and boogey man out my sliding glass door, my cat thought it was wise to come out of nowhere and stick her face into my mine without warning. Startled, I almost swung.

This version's premise is as followed: Shifting between the past and present day you learn siblings Nell, Luke, Theo, Shirley, and Steven came to live in Hill House as their parents purchased it to "Flip It" so they could finally buy "The Dream House". But one night Steven, the eldest child, is abruptly woken up in the middle of this night, by his AGAIN fully dressed father and tells him that they have to make a "run for it". Then locking the door, you hear something coming towards the door and see "it" trying to open the door. The father then tells Steven that no matter he hears, don't open his eyes. Soon the two are being chased out of the home, where the other children are waiting for them in the family station wagon. All the children are screaming, demanding their mother and their father does not answer. In the present day, you see haunting fall out of their experience living there, hating their father, dealing with Nell's mental health, Luke's drug addiction and their own personal, private issues and demons.

Nellie's in the Red Room!

And the clock reads 3:03 am.

Having said enough, and only basing these Kitty Paws on the first two episodes:

Two Kitty Paws for the actor/actresses. Everyone excels in their roles, especially young Nell, and the casting of the adult daughters who all in some way resemble their mother, actress Carla Gugino, really pulls it all together.

One Kitty Paw for it's unnerving eye candy. Is that a ghost in the corner or just my imagination???? REWIND!

One Kitty Paw for it's fresh and original approach to a ghost story that literally has been over and over again and giving it a true modern day spin.

One Kitty Paw because it draws you in, bit by bit.

One Kitty Paw for because for the good, decent and non-cheap jumps. (And if you don't get startled at least once, you are not watching it right.)

And One Kitty Paw for the Easter Eggs. You gotta be paying attention and know who is who.

This is 7 Kitty Paws. My highest rating. And I could go on! Why is the Dad always fully dressed, even in the middle of the night? What's moving in the Red Room? What happened in 1948, the last time the house had staff living in it????

But if this is not enough to convince you to check it out, then perhaps this will: last night, just minutes after we finished the second episode, my 15 yo son walked passed and I let out a simple, little innocent hiccup. He in turn did a double half pike turn and stuck the landing because it startled him. And the lights were on, folks.

For scary story novices, watch it with the lights on.

For scary story masters and enthusiasts, bring a blanket.

This is one of the smartest ghost stories I've ever seen and it doesn't dissolve into stupidity. Each episode goes further into each member of the family and their experiences. It's brilliant in the way it deliberately unfolds the story slowly. You have to pay attention and you're rewarded for it. I was not let down, even if the ending is somewhat sentimental for my taste. You'll be on the edge of your seat the whole time. Give it a chance, it'll grow on you and absorb you. I think I watched the whole thing in three days!

I started watching this show based on other people's recommendations and I have to tell you...I don't like it. I will agree that the show is creepy but to me, I had a terrible time trying to empathize with the characters, except, perhaps the mother and, if I try hard enough, maybe the twins. The father is cold and wooden, Steve as an adult is a rather arrogant jerk, the two older sisters are rigid and mean. I have one more episode to finish the series and I am trying to force myself to watch that last episode to see if maybe I will understand other people's ravings about the show.

I had to come back and edit this a little, I did find the parts that showed the children, especially the twins, to be the most endearing part of this show. It is the adults that I just couldn't warm up to.

I have to agree with Janila, I didn’t care for it a lot. It started out well enough, but for us, the last couple of episodes lost the plot and devolved into a lot confusion, jump scares and platitudes. IMO, they should have stuck more to the book.

I almost watched this yesterday afternoon, but decided on something else in the end.. think I might check it out this week... maybe.. lol

I forced myself to watch the last episode last night and have to say, it was so boring, I could hardly stay awake. Well, at least I can say I gave it every chance to interest me possible.

Wow. I thought it was a wonderful take on THoHH too. Really scared me - so much so that after streaming 4 episodes, I accompanied the husband and dog on their midnight walk because I was afraid to stay in the house alone! Next night, made said husband come to bed after streaming episodes 5-8 because I refused to go upstairs alone! I loved the final episode but hated the ending. Hill House wouldn't be that nice.

Do you think they will make another season? I think a prequel could work.

As I've said noted before, I very much appreciate your horror movie reviews. Have you seen Mr. Frost with Jeff Goldblum? Eeek!

Believe it or not, I have not finished the series. I stopped after the 5th episode because it's become a family show and my son went on vacation with his father, so I had to put a pin in it. He will be back tomorrow, so tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow!

As I've said noted before, I very much appreciate your horror movie reviews.

Thank you!!!

Have you seen Mr. Frost with Jeff Goldblum?

I have not even heard of that. The cost of cable is obscene in our isolated, little town so I keep to Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime.

csk

The episodes were rather long, but the writers really delved into the character's mindset. Their personalities were believable to me as individuals coming from traumatic childhood experiences. The lengthy episodes conveyed that and I'm not sure it would have worked otherwise. Each child grew up and manifested the horrors in different ways. The last episode was extremely long and it was a disappointing/overly sappy ending. I agree with the poster that stated that the house would not have been so nice, lol.
Oh, and the ghosts were a lovely (albeit creepy) cinematic backdrop. The character biographies could have been the result of any trauma: alcoholism, physical/emotional abuse, etc. It would have worked even without Hill House.

Have you seen Mr. Frost with Jeff Goldblum?

I have not even heard of that.

I saw it once years ago. From what I remember it was great. Not sure if would hold up but I’d watch it again.