Hunting of Hill House is a supernatural horror show directed by Mike Flanagan who directed some amazing horror movies such as: Oculus, Ouija: Origin of Evil and Gerald's Game. The show is loosely based on a book by the same name written by Shirley Jackson. It is now currently streaming on Netflix and if you haven't already, you should watch this show.
If you love horror, or just good TV you have to watch this show. It is brilliant. I am not sure how I feel about the ending, but it is one hell of a ride.
The show follows the Crain family. It follows them in two timelines. One when there were younger and just moved into Hill House, and the second one is current times, when they are all struggling adults. In their young version the parents bought the house in order to renovate it and sell it off for a higher cost. This is the cause and the background of some horrific events.
All of the actors do an amazing job portraying the Crain family. Michiel Huisman plays Steven Crain plays the older version of the oldest brother in the family, while Paxton Singleton plays his younger version. Elizabeth Reaser plays the older version of the second sibling (she was also in Ouija: Origin of Evil), while Lulu Wilson plays her younger version (she had the leading role in Ouija: Origin of Evil). Kate Siegel plays the third child and the older version of Theodora, while Mckenna Grace (that is young Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel for you) plays her younger version. Then there are the twins. Oliver Jackson-Cohen plays the older Luke, while Julian Hilliard plays young Luke. Yeah, he has some hell of a makeover. And the show's two standouts are Victoria Pedretti who plays the older version of Luke's twin Nell and Violet McGraw who plays young Nell. They are the heart of the show and their acting just stands out, even when they don't have the biggest part. Carla Gugino (who plays in Gerald's Game) plays the mother of the family. The story is built towards the mystery of what happened to her. Timothy Hutton plays the older version of the father of the family, Hugh Crain and Henry Thomas plays his younger version. They all do a fantastic work though. Even the small supporting characters do an amazing job.
They do it, because this show, despite it being a horror show, is all about the characters. Each episode centers mostly around one character and their struggles. Not their supernatural struggles, well, a little of that, but mostly their everyday struggles and their loving and yet problematic family ties. They all love each other, but they struggle with their past and their present problems. The dialogue for the show it fantastic, so the actors have plenty of opportunities to showcase their talent.
Then there is the horror aspect which is really good. The monster design is fantastic. Also the moments when they show up are just picked so brilliantly. Sometimes we get to see where the horror comes from and unlike in most cases in which horror explains itself, it doesn't make it any less scary. The opposite. The house is the source of the horror, but just because they left the house, doesn't mean that it left them. The house design and everything just look amazing. Also, the show plays with the element of does the supernatural even exists or is it all a struggle with your inner demons?
Also, the camera work is brilliant. There is an episode that despite the fact that it travels through time, it is filmed in a move that looks like one long shoot. It just looks brilliant. It makes the sense of dread even more intense. The show has a lot of long shoots and takes. Artistically, it looks and feels amazing.
This show is a brilliant horror masterpiece. The only thing that damage it is the ending. I am not sure that I liked it, or that it makes sense. It has beautiful shoots, great dialogue and wonderful acting, and when you look underneath it all, I am not sure that it makes sense. But then again it is horror, maybe it doesn't need to make sense.
If you're into horror, this is a must see in my opinion. I mean if you haven't watched it yet as it seems that everyone already did.
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