![]() It's at times amazing how much planning went into laying the narrative out in just such a way, for episodes that sometimes stretch beyond an hour. Thankfully, that trick doesn't overstay its welcome, since each moment effectively works both as a visual fright and a story bite. Scenes that play out in early episodes get revisited later in either a full or a different context. Hill House is most certainly not one made of cards. Remove one timeline, and the story mostly works. Remove the horror, and the drama mostly works. Yet somehow, series writer and director Mike Flanagan wove all these elements into a rich and layered tapestry with fascinatingly methodical character development. Perhaps the most effective performance motif, vocalized in the opening scene, is how characters rarely scream in fear, but more often just ogle in silent terror.Ĭreator Mike Flanagan Crushes Every MomentĪ major challenge for every horror TV show is maintaining a sense of suspense, dread, revulsion and/or hysteria for such an extended runtime. Certain scenes do reach sitcom-esque levels of miscommunication between argumentative family members, but everyone onscreen sells it perfectly. Everyone absolutely nails their multi-threaded roles, no matter how eerie and twisted. Thankfully, the younger cast is regularly just as phenomenal as their older counterparts. Two of my biggest horror pet peeves are underwritten child characters and annoying child actors. Finally, Paxton Singleton is the young and skeptical Steven, with Michiel Huisman playing the older, still skeptical Steven, whose "true story" paranormal books made him a fortune, and exploited the family. McKenna Grace broods heavily as young Theodora, with Kate Seigel portraying her as a substance-enjoying, emotionally stunted child psychologist. ![]() Lulu Wilson and Elizabeth Reaser play the teen and adult versions of the judgmental and pragmatic Shirley. He shares a special connection with twin Nell, played with adorable young dread by Violet McGraw and with melancholic optimism by Victoria Pedretti. The fear-filled brother youngest brother Luke is played by Julian Hilliard as a child, and by Oliver Jackson-Cohen as a haunted junkie adult. Despite the actors not having that large of an age difference, it works because they really do feel like they're embodying the same character. The shifting timelines mean viewers will also see Timothy Hutton as a much-older Hugh. As the somewhat unreliable patriarchs we have Carla Gugino as the alluring matriarch Olivia Crain, and Henry Thomas as the contemplative patriarch Hugh. ![]() Speaking of the family, let's meet the fantastic group that portrays them all. ![]()
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