The Haunting of Hill House

[Zarathustra]

I never read the book, so I can't say how this compares, but it's an amazing 10 episode miniseries regardless of how it compares to the source material. It's very much like a Stephen King story in its layering of multiple timelines to view characters as children and adults (e.g. It). The writing is great, each of the characters have a journey to take, and the actors do their job well. Casting for both young and older versions of the characters was nearly perfect. Best of all, it's actually pretty scary! Especially the episode that explains the Bent Neck Lady.

On Netflix. Watch it.

[High Lord Tolkien]

I never read the book, so I can't say how this compares, but it's an amazing 10 episode miniseries regardless of how it compares to the source material. It's very much like a Stephen King story in its layering of multiple timelines to view characters as children and adults (e.g. It). The writing is great, each of the characters have a journey to take, and the actors do their job well. Casting for both young and older versions of the characters was nearly perfect. Best of all, it's actually pretty scary! Especially the episode that explains the Bent Neck Lady.

On Netflix. Watch it.

I agree with everything you said.
Casting was outstanding.
Ghosts were creepy, original and fantastic.
The build up was like the thrill of getting to the top of a roller-coaster.
But the last episode made me want to light my TV on fire I was so disappointed.
The ending was clever.
I wanted action and revenge not clever.
It was still good though.

[Skyweir]

Ooooh great recommendation guys .. I will look for it

[Cail]

I never read the book, so I can't say how this compares, but it's an amazing 10 episode miniseries regardless of how it compares to the source material. It's very much like a Stephen King story in its layering of multiple timelines to view characters as children and adults (e.g. It). The writing is great, each of the characters have a journey to take, and the actors do their job well. Casting for both young and older versions of the characters was nearly perfect. Best of all, it's actually pretty scary! Especially the episode that explains the Bent Neck Lady.

On Netflix. Watch it.

I agree with everything you said.
Casting was outstanding.
Ghosts were creepy, original and fantastic.
The build up was like the thrill of getting to the top of a roller-coaster.
But the last episode made me want to light my TV on fire I was so disappointed.
The ending was clever.
I wanted action and revenge not clever.
It was still good though.

Agreed, the ending was a letdown.

Tim Hutton was fantastic in the last few episodes.

[I'm Murrin]

Yeah, I really enjoyed this series, even if it had almost nothing to do with the book. Z is right in that it seems to be more inspired by Stephen King than Shirley Jackson.

[Cagliostro]

I've rarely gotten creeped out in my life from horror movies, but it seems to hit me more the older I get. I started the first episode while the kids were asleep and the wife was at work while getting ready for the next day at work. I got creeped out. Finished the first episode the next morning while the wife and kids were asleep as I was getting ready for work, and got creeped out again. So I've not seen any more of that since then. I want to try it again, but will have to pick a better time.
Then I moved on to the Satanist stylings of Sabrina, and was fine. Had a creepy moment or two, but had much more fun with it.

[Zarathustra]

It definitely gets creepier!

[Cagliostro]

Oh, I figured as much. And I hope to watch it some day, but I need the mornings to be just a bit lighter in the sky while I'm getting ready so that I can watch it .

[Skyweir]

[Hashi Lebwohl]

Wait until you rewatch the episodes and you start looking in the corners or at locations on the screen which are *not* the main characters--you will then see all the ghosts you missed the first time around.

The Bent-Neck Lady is probably the most ingenious "ghost" idea I have ever seen.

[[Syl]]

I generally don't care for horror, but my wife and I really enjoyed this one.

[lucimay]

so...I just have to say, good and creepy as the show might've been (I only watched the first episode) it has little or nothing to do with the book.
seriously.
well...ok...they named a character after Shirley Jackson. that's about the size of that.

my brother has said (and he has read it) that he didn't give a damn, it's creep factor was off the charts, so he loved it. but..this is probably my all time favorite book. ever.
I've said it before and i'll say it again here, if I were a character in Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, and I got to the sanctuary where everyone "becomes" a book to save it for posterity...I'd be The Haunting of Hill House.
I consider the first paragraph of that book to be one of the best in all of American literature (that I've ever read anyway, and I've read a LOT! lol)
so...
that is why after watching the first episode, I just tuned out.
a) it didn't hook me and b) I had high hopes they'd do at least a marginally faithful adaptation.
the story is so layered and rich.

but hey...like my brother said, it had creep factor. i'm hopeful that the wide popularity of the show will bring more readers to the book.

[Zarathustra]

I agree that the first paragraph is amazing. Stephen King has praised it (as well as the rest of the book), and you can find lots written online about it being the perfect opening for a novel. The show does seem to acknowledge this, quoting it and coming back to it in the end. I do intend to read the book sometime. It's on my list. But this show gets much better after the 1st episode. It's not just creepy factor. I only mentioned that because most horror doesn't scare me. This is one of the few I found to be scary. But the creepiness is character driven, not gore or jump scares.

[lucimay]

I agree that the first paragraph is amazing. Stephen King has praised it (as well as the rest of the book), and you can find lots written online about it being the perfect opening for a novel. The show does seem to acknowledge this, quoting it and coming back to it in the end. I do intend to read the book sometime. It's on my list. But this show gets much better after the 1st episode. It's not just creepy factor. I only mentioned that because most horror doesn't scare me. This is one of the few I found to be scary. But the creepiness is character driven, not gore or jump scares.

well...the first episode *was* fairly creepy (that bent head woman, yikes!) i'm glad you have it on your TBR list. my problem is that it may be a *bit* too creepy for me. i watch shows on my pc, usually late at night after i've been playing WoW all evening. i get nightmares. heh. (i used to have serial killer dreams rather regularly when i lived in SF!! i can still remember every one of them in vivid detail! lol!!)

[[Syl]]

Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House Announces a Second Season, With a Twist

[Skyweir]

Oooh that sounds awesome.. I finally got around to seeing this .. I loved it .. it was excellent.

I thought it must be a stand alone one season deal .. cos where FO YOU GO from here?

Cant wait to see what the next chapter is like.

Do you think it might follow an American Horror story and cycle through different iterations of the houses existence but with different characters?

[I'm Murrin]

Yes, it's becoming an anthology series, with each season inspired by a different writer's work.

[Skyweir]

Wow now thats cool