Netflix’s new series “The Haunting of Hill House” is a daunting, slow-burn ghost story that can’t be matched.

The series begins as a typical scary house story, where the children and parents are terrorized by ghosts dwelling within the mansion. However, the plot develops into much more than mere midnight jump scares.

What makes the show compelling isn’t the horror aspect, rather the episodic focus on each member of the Crain family.

The Crain’s are a mystery within themselves as each member is traumatized by what inhabits their childhood home, Hill House. In fact, the eerie plot journey isn’t about finding out the reason the house is haunted, but rather how each member deals with the loss they suffer from and the mental illnesses that follow.

The series focuses on the Crain family’s issues by implementing flashbacks between the adult characters and their childhood counterparts. The ghosts that the Crain kids are haunted by seemingly aren’t actual ghosts, but rather aspects of mental illness. These ghosts can manifest as guilt, sadness and even addiction. The five children cope with their own ghouls in different ways, and this story documents the ups and downs of these coping mechanisms.

The series starts out slow, then bursts into flames. The horror aspect is more of a mental scare than a physical, and the story is one that’s sure to stick with its viewers. It’s something even those who aren’t fans of horror should give a shot.

In the end, the emotions I felt ranged from sadness, to fear, and then to overall amazement at the cinematic aspects and content of this breathtaking show.

“The Haunting of Hill House” can be streamed on Netflix.

via GIPHY