This horror miniseries from Mike Flanagan on Netflix is ​​required Halloween viewing

Scary season is the time when horror films and television shows take center stage. Since there’s a lot to see from July onwards, I usually try to fit in a wide selection of horror films as well as the almost annual release of American horror storyand whatever spin-off of that is The walking dead I still have to catch up. But since 2018 there is a mini-series that I can’t miss in October, namely Mike Flanaganis the miniseries that started it all – The Haunting of Hill House.

I found myself drawn to re-watch The Haunting of Hill House every October in three different, escalating phases. First, simply because I loved it since I first watched it, and because the series is set during the Halloween season – and also to find the hidden ghosts! Next time because of what the show portrayed about facing my fears. And finally after the pandemic because it also helped me deal with the loss. With every rewatch It has grown on me The Haunting of Hill Houseand no Halloween season will go by without watching it again.

The Haunting of Hill House is simultaneously festive and frightening

Since the climax – which essentially makes up half the episodes – spans October 31st and November 1st, The Haunting of Hill House is Halloween perfection. If you enjoy watching movies and shows that take place chronologically over Halloween and whose decor, atmosphere and atmosphere truly reflect a trick-or-treat scenario – The Haunting of Hill House is it. Through little details like Shirley’s (Elizabeth Reaser) son who wants to dress up as a daredevil for Halloween, or she’s trying to get rid of nagging trick-or-treaters, the seasonal vibe is well established.

For most of my teens and twenties, I was afraid of watching horror media. But as I moved into my thirties, I realized that watching these stories was a powerful way to come to terms with what really scared me—the darkness, the unrest, and the uncertainty of things. In this sense I found The Haunting of Hill House be a reflection of these themes. The horrific experiences that the Crains go through individually – whether supernatural or real – confirm this Halloween is not just about the horrors, but also about facing them to overcome your fears.

“The Haunting of Hill House” is a gateway to dealing with loss

2020 was a complicated year, to say the least. Quarantine and watch during this year’s Halloween The Haunting of Hill House The third time was a completely different experience. With COVID-19 ravaging me and my father in the hospital, this rewatch prepared me for what was to come. While the final moments of “Silence Lay Steadily” focus on Steve (Michiel Huisman) and Hugh (Timothy Hutton) said goodbye, the show bridged the farewell that I couldn’t have directly with my father.

The Crain family is plagued by heartbreaking deaths, and their father makes the ultimate sacrifice for their survival. It’s a bittersweet sensation because Hugh couldn’t fully reconnect with his sons and daughters, but he was able to reunite with Liv (Carla Gugino) and Nell (Victoria Pedretti), and life is so completely imperfect. By covering the five stages of grief through a terrifying emotional roller coaster, The Haunting of Hill House became a gateway to coping with loss. For what is the worst horror on earth imaginable other than the loss of a loved one through tragic and inexplicable circumstances?

Not just watching The Haunting of Hill House Appropriate but also mandatory during the Halloween season. Aside from being set in the last days of October, the 10-episode miniseries features an evil mansion, ghosts, possessions, and jump scares that are still effective on every rewatch. It’s a unique experience where the spookiness of the season meets a truly touching ghost story set in “America’s most famous haunted house.” In a way, every Halloween I could say: Flanagan takes the audience trick-or-treating, then through a house of horrors, and finally to a cemetery – where he processes the fun, fear and relieving acceptance that the season brings.

The Haunting of Hill House can be streamed exclusively on Netflix.

WATCH ON NETFLIX