I finished watching ***THE HAUNTING of HILL HOUSE*** last weekend and I just love it! Somehow, I don't regret watching it later than *Bly Manor* because this series was indeed in another level. I mean, I did enjoy watching *The Haunting of Bly Manor*, but I enjoyed this series much more than I expected.
The story revolves around a family called the *Crains*. We have the parents, Hugh and Olivia, then the children Steven, Shirley, Theo and the twins Luke and Nellie. The lived in the *HILL HOUSE* which is in the woods away from all the other houses. They stayed there one summer when they were kids. Their parents were somehow renovating the place to sell it so they could build and live in their own house which they'd call the *Forever House*.
Unfortunately though, their forever house didn't happen because of a certain unwanted event one night in The Hill House.
They ended up leaving the house, not with all seven members though, unfortunately. Things happened in between and the siblings became adults and had a life of their own.
Steven became a well-known novelist with his masterpiece *"The Haunting of Hill House"*. He claimed to write mostly experiences of others because he can't see nor feel ghosts and the like. > I think he was just in constant denial and would somehow want to forget everything that has happened to him and his family. He takes everything as a mental illness and that what he or his siblings are experiencing are brought about their genes. It makes sense... I'm a believer of science, but I also believe that there are a lot of things that are explainable.
Shirley, the eldest daughter, became an owner of a mortuary together with her husband. She's strongly against Steven publishing his book about the Hill House. She has this image of being "perfect" person and tries to show that to others.
> In my opinion, though, she is quite a difficult person. She's someone who actually don't listen, but wants others to listen to her. She appears to be angry and upset even the littlest of things. Even when they were kids, I thought that she was kind of strict and has a strong personality.
Theo, the middle child, became a Psychologist as an adult. She used Steven's money *(from the book)* to get her PhD and it somehow became an issue between her and Shirley who she has been living with for a long time. Even before their transfer to the Hill house, Theo has always been more sensitive. With her mere touch, she can tell what's going on. She got this from their mother whose mother was also the same.
> She's actually my favorite character. I find her and her ability interesting. She tries to rationalize things and find reasons as to why something becomes the way it is. I like how "cold" she seems even when they were young, but I think she has one of the warmest hearts. If it were possible, she would give anything for things to be better.
The once very cute little boy ended up as a drug addict. He's been in and out of rehab and has stolen stuff from his siblings. However, he has always been thinking of his twin. He worries a lot for her. *It's a twin thing!* as they call it, but there are indeed stuff only he and his twin can agree on.
> He's a kind guy, though. He's just depressed, I think. He's depressed about his current situation... about his constant worry about his twin... and at how helpless he is since he's trapped. Trapped not only physically, but also in so many ways.
Years after they moved out from Hill House, Nell, the youngest still doesn't feel free. When she was young, she always see this certain ghost she calls *The Neck-bent Lady* that even after being an adult, she still sees her. She has this tendency to experience awful sleep paralysis, too... This and everything that's going on with her life made her do something she shouldn't have.
> Like her twin, I believe Nell has the kindest heart especially towards her family. She's a sweetheart, but she's just sad and broken. T_T Well, in the end, she was able to face everything and accepted her fate.. and even until the end, she was the sweetheart that her siblings see her as. I love it when she said ***"I loved you completely. And you loved me the same. That's all. The rest is confetti."***
I never thought I'd love this series, but I did! I enjoyed the jump scare and it's fun how you can actually see some random unrelated ghosts *haha*. The story was amazing! Despite the transitions from past and present which can be a bit confusing at times, the story was really good and heartwarming. If it weren't for the ghost and supernatural things, I'm sure my mama would love this series. Too bad she won't get to enjoy this. *lol*
Also, I like how some scenes are shown repeatedly but from a different point of view because we don't only see a clearer view of what's happening, but we can relate to the characters more as the scenes were shown from their point of view.
The house was eerie that even at daytime, it doesn't seem very home~y. I guess it added to the series' charm. If I may say, the house itself was among the main characters of the story.
There are a lot of interesting scenes in the series... be it related to the family or to some support characters. If I may say, I cried when I understood the stories of the Dudley's *(They're the family who helped out in the house during the daytime but never stayed at night)*.
The concept of death and how people try to go through with the process was well portrayed in the series. I remember learning ***DABDA*** in the past. It stands for Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance... and it's awesome how each sibling portrayed each stage well.
If you don't mind the horror or scary part, I totally recommend this series. I can see myself rewatching this! <3
★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★
