In this episode of So, You Like Horror?, we begin a two-part discussion of The Haunting of Hill House, focusing on Episodes 1 through 5. We start by tracing the series’ literary roots back to Shirley Jackson’s original novel, a foundational work of psychological horror that reframed haunted houses as emotional spaces shaped by grief rather than simple sites of terror. We also acknowledge earlier film adaptations, The Haunting (1963) and The Haunting (1999), before examining how Mike Flanagan reimagines the story for television, shifting the emphasis from a single haunted location to a fractured family haunted across decades.

From there, we break down the opening episodes of the series, beginning with “Steven Sees a Ghost,” which establishes Hill House as a living presence and introduces the Crain siblings as adults still shaped by childhood trauma. Steven’s skepticism and denial, Shirley’s obsession with control, Theo’s guarded empathy, Luke’s addiction and bargaining, and Nell’s growing isolation form the emotional backbone of the show. Rather than treating these characters as archetypes, the series positions them as embodiments of the five stages of grief, each coping differently with the same formative loss.

As the episodes progress, we explore how funerals, addiction, psychic sensitivity, and sibling estrangement function as extensions of the haunting itself. The Bent-Neck Lady is introduced not simply as a ghost, but as a mystery tied to time, memory, and inevitability, culminating in Episode 5’s devastating revelation that reframes the entire series.

Throughout this discussion, we return to a central question: is The Haunting of Hill House more effective as a horror series or as a family tragedy, and does the distinction even matter?

This episode examines how trauma lingers, how grief reshapes identity, and why Hill House continues to follow the Crain family long after they leave its walls.