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The Haunting of Hill House


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I started watching and I'm on Episode 4. 
While I fully appreciate character development and my own writing is largely driven by character, I'm torn.
This series, as well as some other Netflix series I can't think of off the top of my head, seem to be character studies almost. The plot seems almost to revolve around the various character devs, rather than the other way around. 
It's fun, well done, and sufficiently creepy. I just hope the pay off is worthy of the time I am spending with all of these characters. To that end, it will need to be pretty amazing as i'm on 4 and on the 4th character study. 
Net- I'm not sure it needs to be 10 episodes. 
It peaks, IMO with Nell's episode. Finish was a bit weak, and not dark enough.
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5 hours ago, Deej said:
5 hours ago, BurntEyes said:
I started watching and I'm on Episode 4. 
While I fully appreciate character development and my own writing is largely driven by character, I'm torn.
This series, as well as some other Netflix series I can't think of off the top of my head, seem to be character studies almost. The plot seems almost to revolve around the various character devs, rather than the other way around. 
It's fun, well done, and sufficiently creepy. I just hope the pay off is worthy of the time I am spending with all of these characters. To that end, it will need to be pretty amazing as i'm on 4 and on the 4th character study. 
Net- I'm not sure it needs to be 10 episodes. 

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It peaks, IMO with Nell's episode. Finish was a bit weak, and not dark enough.

This is true, but that episode brings in elements that remind me of the shining, which I didn’t feel belong in this story. 

I never read the book though, no clue how faithful this is. 

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4 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

This is true, but that episode brings in elements that remind me of the shining, which I didn’t feel belong in this story. 

I never read the book though, no clue how faithful this is. 

Not faithful in the least bit.

This whole series is borrowing heavily from The Shining.

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Two episodes in and it isn't scary at all just depressing and sad. Trying to use a lady performing funeral prep on her own sister for scare factor just doesn't work. All the constant jumped cuts from present to recent years flashback to way back flackback is getting damn annoying. Not interested in wasting any more time on this. 

 

O U T

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Thought it was incredible from start to finish. Ran through the last 7 episodes over the last two days like it was nothing. Scary moments intermittently, but some pretty sad, powerful developments and themes throughout. I’m sure some are/were disappointed with the finale, but it hit home for me.

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On 10/21/2018 at 10:36 PM, Etexhorn13 said:

Just finished the ep where they are in the funeral home with the whole family. That was a pretty damn intense episode. I am fully in. My wife has been making fun of me though, as all the sudden flashes or someone in the background or loud noises get me every freaking time. 

 

38 minutes ago, Bobby Light said:

3 episodes in and pretty hooked. It's rare that horror stories get much of a backstory to go along with it

 

Any scene in a funeral home with a dead body laying there always get me. Hate that shit lol

Watched the funeral home episode last night and thoroughly enjoyed it but can't yet speak to the ending.

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This is so dissimilar to the book, that it is Hill House in name only. They toss a few little references in to the original book, but if this series was titled something else, most would never put it together. One of the best descriptions I read was they made "This is Us" in a haunted house. 

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23 hours ago, Deej said:

This is so dissimilar to the book, that it is Hill House in name only. They toss a few little references in to the original book, but if this series was titled something else, most would never put it together. One of the best descriptions I read was they made "This is Us" in a haunted house. 

I haven't read the book, but as far as I can tell this version took some of the character names from the book, added several more characters not from the book, made them all siblings, and put them in the house. From what I have read, the 1999 Liam Neeson movie uses the characters from the book, but then adds in a bunch of supernatural stuff and a bizarre backstory about the original homeowner.

I need to see the original 1963 version. I hear it is very well done.

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I held off on reading this thread until I could muscle through the final episodes. I kept falling asleep. It’s a ten hour movie that didn’t need to be nearly so long.

The only scare that really got me was Theo and Shirley in the car. But it was pretty gratuitous, and Theo’s tearful breakdown afterwards was barely believable. I liked her character otherwise.

Glad to see I’m not the only one who didn’t love it considering all the rave reviews. I was worried my attention span was getting too short.

On to Defenders and the new DD season.

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Finally finished this tonight.  All in all, I thought it was enjoyable.  I didn't care for the ending though - thats where it seemed like they went full zack braff movie ending chasing the girl down the airport terminal crap.

A couple things - the acting - holy god - at least they cast the horrible child actors to match the horrible adult actors - I'm looking at you little Steve and big Steve.  That being said, the script randomly asked a lot of the actors in certain parts.  

Interestingly, Nell's funeral home episode was all one take for the first 15 minutes - including Dad walking in the funeral home and suddenly being in the Hill House.  Actually nicely done - switching the adult cast for the child cast when Dad arrives, then back.  

But how has nobody referenced young Hugh's (Dad) blue contact lenses.  Jesus, I thought he was the demon for the first few episodes.  No wonder why your children are basket cases, you're constantly freaking them out by looking at them.  They must have cast Timothy Hutton first then thought, 'hey we love that dude from Legends of the Fall, but his eyes are the wrong color'.  

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On 10/29/2018 at 10:49 PM, Homesickhorn said:

I’m on episode 6 now. Agree that there’s a lot of sad going on. I’m gonna press on and see what happens. Watching the funeral parlor scene right now and it’s legit.

 

I will say this, the actress who plays the mom has aged extremely well since Son In Law.

 

Gugino is hot.  She was a big draw for me wanting to watch this show.  Bummed she didnt get naked.

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On 10/22/2018 at 8:02 PM, BurntEyes said:

I despised how it ended. If you are a true horror fan, avoid at all cost. It will leave you empty trapped and pissed the fuck off that you spent so much time on a Lifetime movie hiding itself as horror.

Damn... (accurate), but the intention was to put a finale on this particular family... How will the show have new & fresh ideas for season 2, with a new cast is a good question...

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Spoiler

What was really the point of all their hauntings? I thought the one with Nell being her own ghost was clever. But why was Luke's the bricked-in wall guy? The dad didn't really have a ghost, the wife was just in his imagination. Were they being haunted because the mother wanted them back in the house "safe"? If so, all of their hauntings just seemed pretty random. 

 

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Spoiler What was really the point of all their hauntings? I thought the one with Nell being her own ghost was clever. But why was Luke's the bricked-in wall guy? The dad didn't really have a ghost, the wife was just in his imagination. Were they being haunted because the mother wanted them back in the house "safe"? If so, all of their hauntings just seemed pretty random. 
 


The kids each represent one of the five stages of grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Steve, Shirley, Theo, Luke, and Nell, respectively. I think the ghosts were just a device to express some of this theme.
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On 11/2/2018 at 8:12 AM, nycHorn said:

Finally finished this tonight.  All in all, I thought it was enjoyable.  I didn't care for the ending though - thats where it seemed like they went full zack braff movie ending chasing the girl down the airport terminal crap.

A couple things - the acting - holy god - at least they cast the horrible child actors to match the horrible adult actors - I'm looking at you little Steve and big Steve.  That being said, the script randomly asked a lot of the actors in certain parts.  

Interestingly, Nell's funeral home episode was all one take for the first 15 minutes - including Dad walking in the funeral home and suddenly being in the Hill House.  Actually nicely done - switching the adult cast for the child cast when Dad arrives, then back.  

But how has nobody referenced young Hugh's (Dad) blue contact lenses.  Jesus, I thought he was the demon for the first few episodes.  No wonder why your children are basket cases, you're constantly freaking them out by looking at them.  They must have cast Timothy Hutton first then thought, 'hey we love that dude from Legends of the Fall, but his eyes are the wrong color'.  

Dude from Legends of the Fall? He'll always be Kid from E.T.

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On 11/9/2018 at 9:44 PM, Xminus6 said:

 

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What was really the point of all their hauntings? I thought the one with Nell being her own ghost was clever. But why was Luke's the bricked-in wall guy? The dad didn't really have a ghost, the wife was just in his imagination. Were they being haunted because the mother wanted them back in the house "safe"? If so, all of their hauntings just seemed pretty random. 

 

This was my reaction as well.  In the end, the 'hauntings' seemed like they were thrown in there to break up the Theater-esque monlogues and sibling arguments.  Like, someone wrote a family drama for the stage, then said, lets add ghosts and turn it into  a 8 hour tv show.    Pretty successful as a drama, but as a fan of horror--thought it was cliched and slapped together.  (Our scene is stalling...let's bang on the walls!)

Also agree with the guy who said he thought the young dad character was a demon at the start.

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18 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

I await your critique of the resolution. 

Well that was a fucking disappointment.  After 9 episodes of intense mind-fucking creepiness, we get this touchy-feely finale where everyone live happily ever after, even all the ghosts of Hill House.  And they will run and skip and frolic at Hill House for years to come. Lame ending.

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11 hours ago, Sbbruin said:

Well that was a fucking disappointment.  After 9 episodes of intense mind-fucking creepiness, we get this touchy-feely finale where everyone live happily ever after, even all the ghosts of Hill House.  And they will run and skip and frolic at Hill House for years to come. Lame ending.

I told you to prepare for disappointment.

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