house on haunted hill rotten tomatoes

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

The Fall of the House of Usher review – a gleefully terrifying take on Edgar Allan Poe

Halloween is saved! Spookmaster Mike Flanagan’s final Netflix offering is a spooky, grisly, sumptuously gothic treat

C ompelling Edgar Allan Poe adaptations have been thin on the ground since Roger Corman’s films in the 1960s. Admittedly, there was a spectacular segment in an early Treehouse of Horror Simpsons Halloween special, but with The Fall of the House of Usher, Mike Flanagan proves just as adept as Matt Groening or Corman at bringing Poe to the screen.

Flanagan has form with making tributes to some of horror’s most beloved oeuvres. He took on Shirley Jackson in The Haunting of Hill House (which was fabulous), Henry James in The Haunting of Bly Manor (spooky but saccharine) and Christopher Pike in The Midnight Club (meh). Thankfully, Flanagan and Poe’s sensibilities prove a winning pairing, staying on the edge of terror without cascading into jump scares and sentimentality. Guilt permeates every frame of Flanagan’s Poe universe, and buys into not so much the horror as the terror. The feeling that something awful is imminent makes for an engaging watch.

The series begins with a pitch-black set-up befitting Poe. Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood) attends a joint funeral for a number of his adult children, and in a montage of press coverage, we see how a series of “freak accidents” has wiped out his entire bloodline. The Usher patriarch then sits in a dilapidated mansion with Carl Lumbly’s Auguste Dupin (based on Poe’s famous recurring character who is considered the first detective in fiction) and offers him a confession. We then flash back a few weeks to when the Usher clan were on top of the world, having become Sackler-esque billionaires peddling opiates that have inflicted untold misery on the American public, and begin to watch their painful demise.

Roderick has come from a miserable childhood with a puritanical, sickly mother who believes that “pain and suffering are the kiss of Jesus”. As a parent himself, Roderick doesn’t fare much better, having six children by five different women who range from obnoxious hedonists (Napoleon and Prospero Usher) to despicable creeps (Frederick, Tamerlane and Victoria) to obnoxious, despicable hedonist creeps (Camille). The family is made up of Flanagan’s regular ensemble of actors, and to buy them as relatives requires a lot of suspension of disbelief, but for Flanagan fans, there’s great fun to be had seeing how these favourites fit into his new tale of terror. Carla Gugino returns as Verna AKA the Raven. Ruth Codd (the highlight of The Midnight Club) plays Roderick’s much younger wife Juno, a former heroin addict whose life was turned around thanks to the drugs the Ushers peddle, while Rahul Kohli, Henry Thomas and Kate Siegel each take on a dastardly member of the Usher brood. Alongside his favoured players is Mark Hamill as an unfeeling lawyer/fixer for the Usher family who sounds as if he gargles a pint of nails every morning. But as we know from the start, there’s no point in getting overly attached to them, as grisly fates are assured for all. It’s not so much the “what” as the “why” that the audience and Dupin need to be answered.

Flanagan finishes his Netflix contract on a high, gleefully capturing Poe’s magic, eerie romance and sense of dread. His shows have become the streaming service’s best offerings for spooky season, and it is hard to imagine how that void will be filled. It’s not perfect – the order in which the Poe family meet their fates is a case of diminishing returns, as its most intriguing members are dispatched too quickly. Some of the CGI, particularly one scene involving bodies falling from the sky, is unintentionally funny. Problematically, Flanagan tends to conflate queerness with depravity and sexual fluidity is punished here with an unnerving flourish. But the show remembers to be actually scary, with truly inspired uses of chimps, mirrors and sprinkler systems. There’s no question that The Fall of the House of Usher ranks among Flanagan’s finest works.

So why is all this happening to the Ushers? Which Usher’s end will prove the grisliest? Why won’t Netflix throw enough money at this man to make more October delights? What gave that Simpsons episode any right to be so good? Some of the questions are deliciously wrapped up by the series’ powerful conclusion. As for the rest: nevermore.

after newsletter promotion

The Fall of the House of Usher is on Netflix now .

• Horror (TV)
• Edgar Allan Poe

Most viewed

This gripping horror novel has a beloved source

‘a haunting on the hill,’ elizabeth hand’s remake of shirley jackson’s ‘the haunting of hill house,’ is a perfect blend of a classic work with a modern twist.

In 1959, Shirley Jackson published “ The Haunting of Hill House ,” an iconic work of gothic fiction that explores the fallout among a group of paranormal enthusiasts as they investigate a haunted house. The novel was that rare beast in genre fiction — a horror novel that was both a critical and commercial success, a bestseller nominated for a National Book Award and adapted into a film starring Julie Harris and Claire Bloom. It went on to become a touchstone for writers aspiring to tell stories that capture the thrill of the supernatural through character-driven plotting and well-crafted prose. Jackson died six years after “The Haunting of Hill House” was published, when she was only 48 years old, leaving her fans to wonder what treasures she might have created, had she only had more time.

It isn’t surprising, then, that Elizabeth Hand’s novel, “ A Haunting on the Hill ,” the first authorized novel set in the world of Jackson’s Hill House, would be an exciting and risky venture. Coming to the book, fans of Jackson will inevitably expect to experience the same haunted mansion that she created, with all its eerie oddities, while fans of Hand — a beloved author who has written more than a dozen genre-crossing and award-winning novels — will want to hear her particular voice and her uncanny ability to combine the edgy and the ethereal. It’s a difficult high wire to walk. Bringing these two heavy-hitting novelists together could alienate fans of both.

And so it’s thrilling to find that “A Haunting on the Hill” is a true hybrid of these two ingenious women’s work — a novel with all the chills of Jackson that also highlights the contemporary flavor and evocative writing of Hand. The story stays true to Jackson’s vision of “Hill House” while becoming a thing of its own. Indeed, “A Haunting on the Hill” is strange and wonderful, a frightening foray into the supernatural that will inspire you to go back and reread the original.

‘Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life’

At the center of Hand’s novel is Holly, a playwright who has received a grant to adapt and stage a play called “Witching Night.” Holly’s play is based on an older work, a Jacobean dud called “The Witch of Edmonton.” It’s a play based on an older play in a novel based on an older novel, a bit of meta-narrative that deepens the doubling of these two novels like a hall of mirrors. With her new largesse, Holly and her girlfriend, Nisa, a singer whose voice “fills a room like water fills a crystal tumbler,” go Upstate to work in a “jeweled village” four hours from New York City.

When Holly stumbles upon Hill House, she’s instantly pulled in by its dark magnetism. “Deeply strange” and “obviously implausible” things begin to happen — a crazed woman rushes after Holly’s car with a hunting knife, and an ominous black hare begins to morph before Holly’s eyes. “Its body extended, growing longer and longer and thinner and thinner, as though made of some substance other than flesh and fur and bone, until it seemed that it might snap like a piece of Silly Putty stretched too far.” When Holly takes photos of the house, they come out faded, and while briefly looking at the place from the front stoop, almost four hours seem to disappear from the clock. Strange premonitions, to be sure.

And yet, despite these warnings, Holly is intrigued by Hill House and rents it as a space where she will work on the play. Holly and Nisa invite the lead actress, Amanda, who hasn’t had a significant role in years, and a vape-smoking, pill popping friend, Stevie, with whom Nisa shares a secret. Almost immediately, bad things begin to happen. A nor’easter blows through, and the black hare — which isn’t a black hare at all, Nisa believes — returns. Lights flicker through the misty darkness of the rooms, and one watches with horror as the house wakes and prepares to unleash itself on these innocents.

Or are they so innocent? Nisa and Stevie aren’t the only ones with a secret. Twenty years earlier, Holly’s first play was inspired by — or perhaps stolen from — a woman from the Blue Ridge Mountains named Macy-Lee Barton, who claimed to have had a child with a ghost. After Holly wrote the play, dramatizing Macy-Lee’s life, she accused Holly of plagiarism. Macy-Lee is Holly’s “dark door,” one she knows “better than to open.” But that is precisely what Hill House does — pries open what’s been suppressed — and it’s only a matter of time before Macy-Lee returns to Holly. That Macy-Lee “looked a bit like Nisa, dark-haired and dark-eyed” doesn’t bode well, either.

Shirley Jackson’s letters reveal the droll voice of an aggrieved working mother

As in Jackson’s novel, the group is slowly undone, overtaken physically and psychologically by Hill House. Jackson’s readers will be pleased to find that Hand incorporates many of the original architectural features of the house, the gables and the nursery and the tower, which Hand describes as warm in the middle of winter. “Like the rest of Hill House,” Nisa thinks as she ventures up into the tower, “the tower seemed to generate its own weather.” It is a moment that will make any lover of the original novel squirm with dread, and it is but one of the many terrifying pleasures of returning to Hill House.

Danielle Trussoni is the best-selling author of seven books. Her new novel is “The Puzzle Master.”

A Haunting on the Hill

By Elizabeth Hand

Mulholland. 326 pp. $30

More from Book World

Join Book Club: Delivered to your inbox every Friday, a selection of publishing news, literary observations, poetry recommendations and more from Book World writer Ron Charles. Sign up for the newsletter .

Best books of 2022: See our picks for the 23 books to read this summer or dive into your favorite genre. Look to the best mysteries to solve as you lounge by the pool, take a refreshing swim through some historical fiction , or slip off to the cabana with one of our five favorite escapist reads .

There’s more: These four new memoirs invite us to sit with the pleasures and pains of family. Lovers of hard facts should check out our roundup of some of the summer’s best historical books . Audiobooks more your thing? We’ve got you covered there, too . We also predicted which recent books will land on Barack Obama’s own summer 2023 list . And if you’re looking forward to what’s still ahead, we rounded up some of the buzziest releases of the summer .

Still need more reading inspiration? Every month, Book World’s editors and critics share their favorite books that they’ve read recently . You can also check out reviews of the latest in fiction and nonfiction .

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, the fall of the house of usher.

“The Fall of the House of Usher” updates the work of Edgar Allan Poe for the era of Big Pharma, turning his most famous tales into a sprawling story of the decline of a wealthy American family. It’s “Succession” meets The Tell-Tale Heart , a story of vengeance, power, betrayal, and bloody parts. It can sometimes feel simultaneously overcrowded in its cramming in of various sources and narratively thin at the same time, but Mike Flanagan ’s craft and his assemblage of returning performers keep this pendulum swinging through eight grisly episodes of horror television that should appeal to any fans of “The Haunting of Hill House” or “ Midnight Mass .” In a month filled with surprisingly lackluster new streaming shows and films for horror fans, it’s a highlight.

Late one stormy night, Roderick Usher ( Bruce Greenwood ) invites an investigator named C. Auguste Dupin ( Carl Lumbly ) to his home. He offers to lay out the truth about his family’s criminal, violent history. Immediately, Poeheads should have a raised eyebrow as Dupin is a Poe character from works other than the one that gives this project a title, but Netflix and Flanagan’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” only uses the titular 1839 Poe story as the torso of the skeleton, attaching limbs based on other Poe works to it, including The Masque of the Red Death , Murder in the Rue Morgue , The Black Cat , The Pit and the Pendulum , The Raven , and many more. All of these nightmarish visions are attached to the family drama that Usher offers up for Dupin, giving the season a clever episodic structure in that each chapter intertwines a different Poe source into the overall saga of the Ushers.

It turns out that almost every branch of the Usher family tree has been cut by violent horror. How does Usher know all of these gory details? “I know because they told me,” says Usher. Dupin asks, “Before they died?” “No, not before,” he replies in one of the show’s many glimpses of Flanagan’s viciously dark sense of humor. (Poe had one too.) Roderick has been haunted by all his awful children who have shuffled off this mortal coil, and it’s because it feels like the ghosts are finally coming for him that he is ready to confess. He’s having visions of monstrous ghosts, including the recurring specter of Verna ( Carla Gugino ), a figure that connects most of these tall tales as a sort of vengeful force of karma, the devil come to take what she’s due from a man who profited off the pain of others.

Usher has been reimagined as the head of a massive pharmaceutical company he runs with his twin sister, Madeline ( Mary McDonnell ). Every episode includes flashbacks to a young Roderick ( Zach Gilford ), Madeline ( Willa Fitzgerald ), and Annabel Lee ( Katie Parker ), Roderick’s first wife. These fill in how the Ushers made their fortune, but they’re kind of a narrative drag. It’s important that Roderick and Madeline are cruel, selfish creatures—less so how they got that way. What’s more interesting is to watch how the fallout of their decisions fell on Roderick’s many children, all torn apart by some of Poe’s most memorable creations.

English majors will likely know where some of the stories are going just by seeing the episode names. When the young and trendy Prospero Usher ( Sauriyan Sapkota ) decides to host an exclusive sex-and-drugs party at one of dad’s old factories in an abbey, readers of The Masque of the Red Death  will know it’s going to be a gruesome scene. However, Flanagan is smart enough to shift the Poe narratives ever so slightly for a modern audience. His version of The Tell-Tale Heart  is a modern gem, and “The Gold-Bug” is reimagined as a new brand for the Usher company. But the themes remain the same—guilt, obsession, vengeance, and a supernatural sense of justice. Roderick Usher’s children are getting what they deserve, not merely because they are the fruit of a very poisoned tree but because they have made horrific decisions to stay in the shelter of wealth and privilege.

Prospero’s fate is merely the first as “The Fall of the House of Usher” also spins back to detail the truth behind the demise of Camille L’Espanaye ( Kate Siegel ), Leo Usher ( Rahul Kohli ), Victorine LeFourcade (T’Nia Miller), Tamerlane Usher ( Samantha Sloyan ), and Frederick Usher ( Henry Thomas ). Sliding through it all is the mysterious man who works as a sort of fixer for the Ushers, Arthur Pym ( Mark Hamill ), totally reimagined from the title character in Poe’s only complete novel,  The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket .

When one steps back and looks at the whole narrative of the season of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” it sags in places. Most of the flashbacks to a young Usher and Dupin are thin, especially compared to the wicked fun on display in the fates of the Usher children. It feels like padding to get episodes to a full hour when Flanagan and company could have leaned even more into the episodic structure that highlights a single Poe per chapter. However, it's an incredibly easy show to enjoy on an episode-by-episode basis, largely because Flanagan’s direction is sharp throughout, including excellent use of music and tight editing—some scenes are too underlit, but that’s just the Netflix brand nowadays, and I’m done fighting it.

While the writing is fun and the source material about as good as it gets, it helps “The Fall of the House of Usher” greatly that Flanagan reunited so many of his familiar faces. Everyone here is good; some people are great, particularly Greenwood and McDonnell. The former leans into his natural ability to command attention in a room, while the latter gets a juicy role and takes a full bite out of it. Lumbly’s decision to never wink at the camera adds gravity, while more fun, exaggerated performances like that of Thomas and Hamill can chew some scenery. It’s a great ensemble, brought together by the boundless potential of what a creative personality like Mike Flanagan could do with Edgar Allan Poe. That some of that potential feels too unbridled and shapeless is something that Poe didn’t often allow his characters to be: forgivable. 

Whole series was screened for review. "The Fall of the House of Usher" launches today on Netflix.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

Now playing

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial

My Sailor, My Love

Marya e. gates.

Last Stop Larrimah

Robert daniels.

Sheila O'Malley

Expend4bles

Peter sobczynski.

Film Credits

The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)

480 minutes

Bruce Greenwood as Roderick Usher

Carla Gugino as Verna

Mary McDonnell as Madeline Usher

Carl Lumbly as C. Auguste Dupin

Samantha Sloyan as Tamerlane Usher

T'Nia Miller as Victorine LaFourcade

Rahul Kohli as Napoleon Usher

Kate Siegel as Camille L'Espanaye

Sauriyan Sapkota as Prospero Usher

Katie Parker as Annabel Lee

Henry Thomas as Frederick Usher

Mark Hamill as Arthur Pym

• Mike Flanagan

Latest blog posts

CIFF 2023: All Happy Families, Bike Vessel, Departing Seniors, Memorial

NYFF 2023: AGGRO DR1FT, The Sweet East, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus

A Shocking Loss: Dariush Mehrjui (1939-2023)

Spider-Man 2 Swings into Action with Incredible Gameplay and Clever Storytelling

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

'A Haunting on the Hill' is a love letter to Hill House, a tribute to Shirley Jackson

Gabino Iglesias

"There's definitely something strange about Hill House."

That line, uttered by a character named Stevie soon after a black hare inexplicably falls down a chimney and runs out of the lit fireplace, perfectly encapsulates the atmosphere of Elizabeth Hand's A Haunting on the Hill . The first novel to be granted permission to return to the universe of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House , Hand's novel is not a retelling or reimagining of Jackson's brilliant classic; it is an entirely new, modern narrative that takes place inside Hill House and reckons with the supernatural mayhem that has made the place a horror fiction staple since 1959.

Holly Sherwin works as a teacher while struggling to get her career as a playwright off the ground. Now, she has received a grant to develop her play Witching Night . Holly knows the play, which is a feminist retelling of an old play in which a woman was accused of being a witch and consequently murdered for it, has a lot of potential. Nisa, Holly's girlfriend, is a fantastic singer-songwriter and has been adapting classic murder ballads for the play. With the help of their friend Stevie, a talented sound designer, and Amanda Wingfield, an actress trying to reclaim her glory after a devastating accident, Holly thinks Witching Night is her ticket to stardom. All she needs is the perfect place to put it all together and rehearse.

Holly and Nisa are on a weekend getaway when Holly accidentally discovers Hill House and almost immediately becomes obsessed with it. The place is exactly what she needs. Holly uses the money from her grant to rent Hill House from its owner, a woman who works locally as a realtor. A few weeks later, Holly, Nisa, Amanda, and Stevie move into Hill House to work on the play, and they soon learn the place is unlike anything they've ever experienced.

Hill House is "not sane," as Jackson stated in the opening paragraph of The Haunting of Hill House , one of the best opening paragraphs in literature and one Hand honors and echoes in her short, poetic prologue. Holly and company soon learn just how "not sane" the house is. Hill House, a main character here, has been active in the decades since Eleanor Vance walked its creepy hallways. Hand hints at some of the things it has done and the people it has pushed away. Now, Holly and her friends experience all of it. Strange voices can be heard at night. Black hares show up everywhere, some of them sporting bloody smiles. The house squeezes the group like a fist. The woman who cleans the place and her husband, who cooks for the group, refuse to come to Hill House at night. There is an overprotective local living nearby and trying to keep people away. Holly sees the face of someone from her past. There's someone looking at the house from the edge of the woods. Strange drafts of cold air appear out of nowhere. The curtains move even in the absence of a breeze and with the windows closed. A mysterious little green door hides something. Alone, these inexplicable things can be disregarded, but together they say something about Hill House that its new temporary residents can't ignore and struggle to comprehend: "Maybe Hill House really is haunted."

A Haunting on the Hill is a class in atmosphere. Unlike haunted house narratives that introduce readers to a new place, this novel presented Hand with a unique challenge: delivering creepy, surprising scenes to readers who had high expectations and most of which were familiar with what Hill House could do. Luckily, she delivers. The unsettling atmosphere in this novel builds from the start and never disappoints. Hand deftly layers the history of the house with the past of each character and the things that haunt them, especially Holly and Amanda. Hill House is a spooky place, and Hand delves deep into its darkness and allows it to flourish in almost every chapter.

There are small echoes of Jackson's novel here, but A Haunting on the Hill is its own thing even if it constantly pays homage to its celebrated predecessor. It's also a novel that brilliantly picks up on some of the things Jackson played around with and pushes them to center stage. For example, this one is a tad gorier and the visions are firmly planted in contemporary horror. Also, Holly and Nisa, a lesbian couple, finally celebrate the queerness that was always at the heart of Jackson's novel.

A Haunting on the Hill is a love letter to Hill House and a very impressive tribute to Shirley Jackson. It is also a tremendous addition to Hand's already outstanding, multi-genre oeuvre. The thing inside Hill House is still there, but as long as Holly and her friends stay inside it, it won't have to walk alone.

Gabino Iglesias is an author, book reviewer and professor living in Austin, Texas. Find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @Gabino_Iglesias .

• Tickets & Showtimes
• Trending on RT

• Best Horror Movies
• More Horror Guides

TAGGED AS: ghosts , halloween , Horror , streaming , television , TV

(Photo by Eike Schroter/Netflix)

67 Ghost  TV & Streaming Shows Ranked

Do ghost stories make for good TV? You boo -tter believe it.

Whether it’s spooky dramas like Netflix newcomer The Fall of the House of Usher (releasing Friday) and 15-season horror stalwart Supernatural or comedies like short-lived, but Certified Fresh Truth Seekers and, well, Ghosts  ( US and UK versions), many a dearly departed character’s favorite medium is television. And, yes, this includes the Patricia Arquette–starring TV show Medium .

But ghosts do have the power to show up in unexpected places. Shows like Lost and Angel saw their share of spirits, while kinder apparitions offered guiding advice on nighttime dramas like Providence and A Gifted Man and in teen programs like Julie and the Phantoms . Ghosts are also popular storylines on soap operas like General Hospital (although some daytime soaps use that narrative device more than others) and have conjured a whole genre of reality TV, but we’ll save those discussions for another list.

Rotten Tomatoes has compiled the best and worst ghost stories on TV and streaming and some that don’t have Tomatometer scores, but need to appear on any “ghostly TV” list worth the claim. While the series don’t have to solely focus on ghosts to be included, they do have to routinely include storylines about them.

The series are ranked by Tomatometer score, then shows without Tomatometer scores are listed by Audience Score (denoted by “A” and its rank; see Audience Scores on the series’ pages). Those without any scores — either because they didn’t get enough reviews or have scores on less than half of their seasons — are then listed alphabetically.

Being Human (2008) 100%

Ghosts (2021) 96%

Ghosts (2019) 95%

Marianne (2019) 94%

Supernatural (2005) 93%

The Haunting of Hill House (2018) 93%

Julie and the Phantoms (2020) 93%

Lockwood & Co. (2023) 93%

The Fall of the House of Usher (2023) 91%

The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020) 88%

Angel (1999) 87%

The Kingdom Exodus (2022) 87%

The Umbrella Academy (2019) 86%

Lost (2004) 86%

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) 85%

The Adventures of Merlin (2008) 85%

Dead Like Me (2003) 84%

School Spirits (2023) 83%

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018) 82%

Being Human (2011) 77%

Ravenswood (2013) 75%

Truth Seekers (2020) 74%

Wednesday (2022) 72%

Constantine (2014) 72%

Shining Vale (2022) 71%

The InBetween (2019) 67%

A Gifted Man (2011) 66%

American Gothic (1995) 63%

Midnight, Texas (2017) 61%

Haunted (2002) 54%

Not Dead Yet (2023) 50%

Dark Shadows (1991) 50%

Bedlam (2011) 44%

Dark Shadows (1966) --

Secrets of Sulphur Springs (2021) --

Surfside Girls (2022) --

Charmed (1998) --

So Weird (1999) --

Ghost Whisperer (2005) --

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969) --

Nancy Drew (2019) --

Saving Hope (2012) --

The Ghost and Molly McGee (2021) --

Phantom Pups (2022) --

Danny Phantom (2004) --

A Christmas Carol (2019) --

SurrealEstate (2021) --

Deadbeat (2014) --

Ghostwriter (2019) --

Medium (2005) --

The Ghost Bride (2020) --

Charmed (2018) --

Jennifer slept here (1983) --.

My Mother the Car (1965) --

Oh My Ghost (2018) --

Big Wolf on Campus (1999) --

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1968) --

Ghostwriter (1992) --

Green Door (2019) --

The Haunted Museum (2021) --

Hex (2004) --

Kindred Spirits (2016) --

Kingdom Hospital (2004) --

Poltergeist: The Legacy (1996) --

Providence (1999) --

So haunt me (1992) --.

The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper (1996) --

Related news.

The Ultimate TV Fang-Off: Vote for the Best Vampire

Best Horror Movies of 2023 Ranked – New Scary Movies to Watch

25 Most Popular TV Shows Right Now: What to Watch on Streaming

More Countdown

30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming

Movie & TV News

Featured on rt.

October 16, 2023

Weekend Box Office Results: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Rocks a $96 Million Opening Weekend

October 15, 2023

Top Headlines

• Best Horror Movies of 2023 Ranked – New Scary Movies to Watch –
• 30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming –
• 25 Most Popular TV Shows Right Now: What to Watch on Streaming –
• All Friday the 13th Movies Ranked By Tomatometer –
• The 100 Best 2000s Horror Movies –
• The 100 Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video (October 2023) –

Screen Rant

Recasting house on haunted hill in 2021.

House On Haunted Hill has already received a remake, but we'd love to see the campy classic redone in 2021 with an all-new cast.

Vincent Price helped shepherd myriad low-budget horror movies in the 1950s and 1960s, becoming an icon of horror camp and the over-the-top spooky sensibility that helped provide a visual vocabulary to his era. Chief among his projects is the delightfully campy mystery of the supernatural film  House on Haunted Hill .

RELATED:  William Castle's 10 Best B-Movie Shockers, According To IMDb

Released in 1959, the horror film has been a beloved one to rewatch in the intervening decades. It garnered such a reputation that it was even remade in 1999 , but with less acclaim surrounding it. The story of a man inviting a collection of people to his spooky manor with schemes afoot is a timeless one that is also loose enough to remake with an exciting cast in 2021.

Frederick Loren: Lakeith Stanfield

In the original movie, Frederick Loren ( Vincent Price ) is the ringleader of the whole affair, bringing elements of macabre and manipulation to the forefront of the story. There is a similar offbeat energy provided in the persona of Lakeith Stanfield .

RELATED:  10 Creepiest Roles of Vincent Price, Ranked

Stanfield definitely has the range; thanks to turns in  Get Out and  Judas and the Black Messiah , he's shown the ability to play characters who seem to be in control but are troubled within. Yet, it's  Atlanta 's "Teddy Perkins" episode that might make him the best choice to fill Price's shoes.

Annabelle Loren: Tessa Thompson

The fourth wife of Frederick, Annabelle Loren (Carol Ohmart), is similarly involved in some cockamamie affairs, but her put-together demeanor occasionally betrays the slyness lurking beneath the surface.

This is an element that Tessa Thompson would be able to replicate. In  Thor: Ragnarok , she has swagger, and, in  Sylvie's Love , she has ambition. Combine them both and it would make for a solid lead horror turn for Thompson.

Lance Schroeder: Bill Hader

On  Saturday Night Live , Bill Hader portrayed Price in a recurring sketch. It wouldn't be right to compose a modern Price reimagining without ensuring that Hader would be involved in some capacity.

Plus, a turn in the sequel to  It shows that Hader has dramatic chops to go with his comedy prowess. He'd be a solid selection for the role of Lance Schroeder (Richard Long), a curious test pilot who keeps his head on his shoulders.

David Trent: Saoirse Ronan

Turning the duplicitous Dr. David Trent (Alan Marshal) role into a more prominent one would suit the story well. It would allow for the motivations of all characters to be more fully fleshed out.

RELATED:  Saoirse Ronan’s 5 Best Movies (& 5 Worst), According To Rotten Tomatoes

As such, this nuanced take would also be best-suited to an Oscar-caliber actor . By casting Saoirse Ronan in the role, it would not only allow for attention to be drawn to more than just the two leads, but it would also provide an unconventional showcase for the  Little Women star.

Nora Manning: Han Ye-ri

Nora Manning (Carolyn Craig) is a character who initially seems innocuous, but she soon shows that she's not quite as out of her element as others are. This is the kind of role that's ripe for an actor on the precipice of stardom.  Minari 's Han Ye-ri would be a treat as the character. She's garnered acclaim for her supporting turn in the Lee Isaac Chung film, and this would be a quick way for audiences to see more of her.

Watson Pritchard: Walton Goggins

As the pseudo-narrator of  House on Haunted Hill , Watson Prichard (Elisha Cook) is the first character audiences are introduced to. He sets the unsettling, albeit slightly goofy, tone for the movie from the jump.

RELATED:  Top 10 Walton Goggins Roles, According to IMDb

Putting aside the obvious resemblance between Cook and Walton Goggins, it's also a supporting role that Goggins is perfect for, as he'd be able to flex his scene-stealing capabilities.

Ruth Bridgers: Michelle Fairley

Michelle Fairley has a storied career that has also become well-associated with the role of Catelyn Stark on  Game of Thrones . She'd be a great fit for the columnist Ruth Bridgers (Julie Mitchum) role, which calls for a more experienced performer.

Fairley is capable of maintaining a stoic demeanor, while also conveying abject dread beneath the surface. She'd be a logical successor for Mitchum's measured, underrated turn.

Mrs. Slydes: Katie Parker

Mrs. Slydes (Leona Anderson) is one of the caretakers of the house, along with her husband, Jonas (Howard Hoffman). Together, they provide an unsettling, ghostlike presence to the film, occupying classic haunted house archetypes.

They're also unusual-looking people. Katie Parker has experience in both iterations of Mike Flanagan's Netflix  Haunting anthology. In these roles, she's able to put on appearances that make her unrecognizable, and doing so again for the ghastly Mrs. Slydes would be suitable.

Jonas Slydes: Hedo Turkoglu

Hedo Turkoglu might be best known as a former All-Star forward for the Orlando Magic, but, if Boban Marjanovic can be a scene-stealer in a  John Wick movie, then there are clear avenues for other middling basketball stars to hit the big screen.

No matter what form  House on Haunted Hill took in a remake capacity, Turkoglu would be an outside-the-box casting decision for Jonas Slydes. But, getting creative with it always seems to be the best strategy for remakes.

NEXT:  Recasting Singin' In The Rain (If It Was Made Today)

Public Domain Movies

• Feature Films
• Drama & Romance
• Science Fiction & Horror

You are here

House on Haunted Hill

• Drama , horror , Thriller

Frederick Loren has invited five strangers to a party of a lifetime. He is offering each of them $10,000 if they can stay the night in a house.

The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.

Critical reception

Remake and sequel.

• List of ghost films
• William Castle Productions
• SciFi_Horror
• feature_films
• moviesandfilms

More Public Domain Movies

Legal Notice Privacy Policy

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories , we're happy to send you some reminders

Click ' OK ' then ' Allow ' to enable notifications

The Haunting Of Hill House Has 100 Per Cent On Rotten Tomatoes Already

Featured Image Credit: Netflix

Netflix's latest horror series, The Haunting of Hill House, already has a 100 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes , and it isn't even out yet.

The series is based on Shirley Jackson's classic 1959 novel of the same name, but it looks like director Mike Flanagan has changed the plot quite a bit for this one.

Described as a slow-building horror, Mike Flanagan's adaptation follows five siblings who grew up in the famously spooky abode, and they are forced to return to the mansion and relive their nightmare all over again.

The original book followed a paranormal investigator, who had rented out the haunted house, bringing with him fellow ghost-hunters and believers of the supernatural.

The 10 episodes will reveal the horrific haunting that occurred in the Crane's childhood home, and the impact it's had on them as adults.

Currently, the series isn't available to stream until the 12 th October, which may frustrate horror fans.

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes have been sharing their own reviews of the series.

Daniel D'Addario from Variety wrote: " Slowly insinuating, building in power as it tells a story of repressed trauma and family discord. It's an effective scare-fest that is at its best when the tale does more than jolt the viewer."

Chris Evangelista from Slashfilm said: "The Haunting of Hill House is a frequently scary, surprisingly emotional saga focused on both past and present. Director Mike Flanagan takes Shirley Jackson's iconic haunted house novel and works into something wholly different, yet equally effective."

The official trailer was released last week , and viewers are taken back and forth between the past and present through the children's childhoods, and it's fair to say that things look pretty spooky for them.

"On October 12th, you're expected. The Haunting of Hill House is a modern reimagining of the iconic novel, about 5 siblings who grew up in the most famous haunted house in America," teased Netflix as the series trailer launched.

The Haunting of Hill House stars Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, Timothy Hutton, Elizabeth Reaser, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Henry Thomas, and Kate Siegel.

Victoria Pedretti, Lulu Wilson, Mckenna Grace, Paxton Singleton, Violet McGraw, and Julian Hilliard will all appear in the Netflix series too.

The Haunting of Hill House will be streaming on Netflix from the 12 th October

Topics:  TV News , TV Entertainment , Netflix , Haunting Of Hill House

• The Haunting Of Hill House Trailer Has Arrived And It's Horrifying
• This One Detail From Haunting Of Hill House Could Change Everything
• The Real Story Behind The Haunting Of Hill House Will Terrify You
• Stars Of The Haunting Of Hill House Have Been Left Too Terrified To Sleep

@media (max-width:767px){.css-4n1las{display:none;}} Chosen for You @media (min-width:768px){.css-1s8mc50{display:none;}} Chosen for You

.css-12qjni8{display:-webkit-box;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;overflow:hidden;} Jeff Brazier explains why we won't see son Freddie following in his brother Bobby’s footsteps

Woman debates calling off wedding as fiancé refuses to have a vasectomy

Kourtney Kardashian opens up about ‘terrifying’ emergency surgery that saved her baby’s life

Most read stories most read.

Married At First Sight UK star Luke Worley ‘kicked off the show after punching co-star’

Strictly fans convinced they know 'real reason' why Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell were ‘upset’

Study reveals what women’s ideal height is for a man to be

Mum warns parents not to let children watch Hocus Pocus 2

A - Z of 1990s Movies

How many have you seen.

Confirm Delete Score

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotter Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Netflix streaming
• Amazon prime
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Killers of the Flower Moon Link to Killers of the Flower Moon
• The Royal Hotel Link to The Royal Hotel
• The Burial Link to The Burial

New TV Tonight

• The American Buffalo: Season 1
• Everyone Else Burns: Season 1
• Rick and Morty: Season 7
• Neon: Season 1
• Wolf Like Me: Season 2
• Bosch: Legacy: Season 2
• Upload: Season 3
• Billy the Kid: Season 2
• Living for the Dead: Season 1
• Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• The Fall of the House of Usher: Season 1
• Sex Education: Season 4
• Lessons in Chemistry: Season 1
• Goosebumps: Season 1
• Loki: Season 2
• Gen V: Season 1
• Lupin: Season 3
• Our Flag Means Death: Season 2
• Dear Child: Season 1
• Frasier: Season 1
• Top TV Shows
• Certified Fresh TV
• Most popular TV

Certified fresh pick

• Lessons in Chemistry: Season 1 Link to Lessons in Chemistry: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Best Horror Movies of 2023 Ranked – New Scary Movies to Watch

30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage

The Ultimate TV Fang-Off: Vote for the Best Vampire

New Tomatometer Scores: Latest Ratings on Movies and Shows

• Trending on RT
• Shop Rotten Tomatoes
• TAYLOR SWIFT | THE ERAS TOUR
• Killers of the Flower Moon
• The Fall of the House of Usher

Highest Rated: 94% Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982)

Lowest Rated: Not Available

Birthday: Nov 20, 1959

Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Initially touted as one of Hollywood's most promising starlets, actress Sean Young experienced a precipitous fall from grace within a decade of making her film debut. A former model and dancer, Young made an early splash in popular films like the Bill Murray comedy "Stripes" (1981) and the futuristic noir "Blade Runner" (1982), opposite Harrison Ford. Although not every project would yield a hit - director David Lynch's big-budget sci-fi flop "Dune" (1984) being the most notorious - high-profile movies like the Kevin Costner thriller "No Way Out" (1987) indicated a career on the rise. Things began to change with repeated rumors of personality clashes between the actress and her co-workers, including a well-reported battle with her "Wall Street" (1987) director, Oliver Stone. Rumors turned to outright scandal after James Woods, Young's co-star in the cocaine drama "The Boost" (1988), filed a lawsuit against Young, claiming she had stalked him after he rebuffed her advances. Less ominous, although equally embarrassing, was Young's ill-conceived ploy to win the role of Catwoman by dressing up as the latex-clad villain and storming the set of director Tim Burton's "Batman Returns" (1992). An unflattering role in the Jim Carrey slapstick comedy "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1994) marked one of Young's increasingly rare movie appearances over the decades that followed. A later career - consisting mostly of television and direct-to-DVD efforts - was less prolific than Young's widely reported stints in rehab and run-ins with the law, all of which sadly overshadowed her earlier leading lady promise.

Highest rated movies

Filmography.

10 Best Black and White Horror Classics

Just because they're old doesn't mean they're not great.

When most viewers think of classic black-and-white horror films, the first that come to mind are Universal's monster movies of the 1930s or Hitchcock's Psycho . Horror was not a genre that a lot of big studios at the time took seriously, categorizing scarier films as B-movie pictures made for kids and teens. With low budgets and even lower expectations, few horror films overcame their meager limitations and have aged like a fine wine.

RELATED: 10 Classic Horror Movies And Their Secret Meanings, According to the Creators

Some horror films like Carnival of Souls took decades to find their audiences, while others like The Thing From Another World were overshadowed by flashier (albeit excellent) remakes. Despite the decades that have passed, vintage horror can still dish out thrills from undead to giant insects all in the name of a good scare.

10 'Carnival of Souls' (1962)

Carnival of Souls follows a woman named Mary ( Candace Hilligoss ), a church organist, who is the sole survivor of a car accident. Still reeling from the trauma, she moves to a new town where she is drawn to a pavilion where ghoulish figures dance eerily inside. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers the pavilion holds secrets beyond her comprehension.

A low-budget masterpiece, this film went largely unnoticed for two decades. Praised for its cinematography, lighting and sound design, Carnival of Souls has been the inspiration for filmmakers like George A. Romero , David Lynch and James Wan . Though the film was slow to find its following, it remains a cult classic and has landed itself on many lists of the greatest horror films of all time.

9 'Night of The Living Dead' (1968)

George A. Romero's directorial debut would be one that would revolutionize horror . Night of the Living Dead follows a group of people surviving a zombie apocalypse in a rural farmhouse. The film is notable for introducing the concept of flesh-eating undead and though the film never explicitly calls them "zombies" it has served as the basis for almost every zombie movie since.

When Night of the Living Dead was released in 1968, it was controversial and labeled a "junk movie," but the film quickly caught on as a cult favorite. The film was not only gruesome but had underlying themes of racism and Cold War politics. It was one of the rare films to cast a black actor as the lead and the shocking twist ending is one that is still talked about to this day.

8 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' (1920)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a German Expressionist film about a hypnotist that uses a sleepwalker to commit a string of murders in the fictional town of Holstenwall. The silent film is known for its twisted, angular sets and distorted perspective. It uses light and shadow not only to set a disorienting tone but convey the inner state of the eponymous doctor . Its story, bookended by a narrator, provides one of film history's finest twist endings.

RELATED: Frankenstein's Monster and 9 Other Characters That Launched The Horror Genre

Known as the first true horror film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a visual masterpiece. The film brought German Expressionism to the international stage, influenced the arthouse film movement and is considered a precursor to the film noir visuals of the 1940s. The film remains a cult classic and despite many remakes the original reigns supreme.

7 'The Blob' (1958)

The Blob stars Steve McQueen in his first leading role as a teen who discovers a gelatinous alien form that grows with each human it consumes. The film starts off rural with a few victims and moves to a city as the blob grows to a mass larger than a building.

The film was not well received and written off as a cheesy teen drive-in flick, however, its legacy has endured. Time has been kind to the campy B-film genre and watching it now, it reads more like a horror/comedy. The film has earned itself cult status and has influenced films like The Thing and Hotel Transylvania .

6 'Invasion of The Body Snatchers' (1956)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers takes place in the fictional town of Santa Mira. A local doctor discovers that his neighbors are being replaced by identical alien lifeforms grown from large seed pods. As he tries to stop the invasion and save the woman he loves, he realizes the plot may be more widespread than he thought.

The film is one of the most notable political allegories of the 50s . Post-war communist paranoia and anti-McCarthyism sentiment drive the underlying fear of an invisible enemy. Despite its age, the film holds up and is equally terrifying now as it was over sixty years ago.

5 'The House on Haunted Hill' (1959)

The House on Haunted Hill is a schlocky B-movie thrill ride. The film stars Vincent Price as an eccentric millionaire who invites five people to a haunted house for his wife's birthday. Whoever can stay all night will earn $10,000, though all decide to stay not all make it until morning.

RELATED: Classic Black And White Horror Films That Aren't Universal Monsters

The film was an immediate hit. Paired with a marketing gimmick in which a skeleton was rigged to fly at the audience, The House on Haunted Hill has remained one of the most beloved horror films of the genre. The film's camp and laughable effects are juxtaposed with legitimate jump scares and foreboding ambiance, making for a fun movie night.

4 'Them!' (1954)

In Them , local law enforcement in New Mexico discovers a nest of gigantic irradiated ants. An FBI agent and a pair of scientists join a government task force to investigate the origins of the nest and stop two queens from establishing a new colony before it's too late.

Them is one of the first atomic monster films of the 50s and the first to star a giant insect. It has been praised for its suspenseful pacing and life-like effects (it even earned an Oscar nom). It holds a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has amassed a cult following.

3 'Cat People' (1942)

Cat People centers on a Serbian fashion illustrator who believes she is descended from an ancient tribe that can transform into black panthers when aroused. This causes a strain between her and her new husband who is growing tired of waiting for her to consummate their marriage. When her husband sets his sights on his new secretary, her primal urges become dangerous.

The film remains controversial, at the time it was a provocative commentary on sexuality but by today's standards it's much more subdued. Though the film received backlash for its popularity, Cat People remains a beautiful film, with a masterful play of light and shadow and an atmospheric sense of foreboding.

2 'Freaks' (1932)

"One of us, one of us." Todd Browning's Freaks follows a gold-digging trapeze artist who marries a sideshow performer with plans to murder him for his large inheritance. However, as she is accepted by his fellow performers and his community, her bigotry gets the better of her as they soon discover her dastardly plot.

Over the years, Freaks has been the source of much study and research. Though the marketing at the time would suggest the performers with disabilities were the ones to fear, Browning took care to humanize his cast and question the way the viewer defines beauty. In the near century, since it premiered, it has garnered a cult following.

1 'The Thing from Another World' (1951)

A team of scientists returns to their Antarctic outpost with an alien frozen in a block of ice. After the alien is accidentally defrosted, the crew must defend themselves against the malevolent humanoid and find a way to survive in the remote location.

The film was remade in 1982 as The Thing , the iconic John Carpenter film starring Kurt Russell and Keith David . However, the original held mystery and thrills that genuinely scared audiences. Though most viewers are more familiar with its remake, the original is worth the watch for its well-written characters and tight pacing.

NEXT: From 'Frankenstein' to 'Rosemary's Baby': 10 Classic And Through Provoking Horror Movies

When you purchase through Movies Anywhere , we bring your favorite movies from your connected digital retailers together into one synced collection.   Join Now

The People Under the Stairs | Full Movie | Movies Anywhere

• See Retailers

Rotten Tomatoes® Score

As with most Craven images, this one suffers from lackluster performances, a clumsy screenplay, a campy tone, and a noticeable lack of suspense.

...those shrieking, reaching victims will always stay with me.

The People Under the Stairs may be as misshapen as the people who live in this basement, but it might be as subversive too.

It’s both a nasty thriller and a concise satire of race and class in America.

A darkly comedic and prescient social commentary that ranks among Craven's best films.

The People Under the Stairs does not quite succeed in its intentions, but for such an off-kilter and original work it achieves a lot more than an audience might fairly expect.

Wes Craven's most engaging, peculiar, and memorable film.

Although much of the film is too exaggerated and flamboyant to be scary, the chills garnered from helpless children trying to elude armed adults is undeniably effective.

Easily one of the Wes Craven's most original, deranged, and off the wall films.

...a decent premise that's employed to pervasively (and increasingly) unwatchable effect by Craven...

Additional Info

• Genre : Horror, Thriller
• Release Date : January 11, 1991
• Languages : English
• Captions : English
• Audio Format : Stereo

You Might Also Like...

New Releases

Entertainment

These 5 Theories About 'The Haunting of Hill House' Ending Will Chill You To The Bone

There really isn't another show like The Haunting of Hill House on TV right now. The hit series currently has a 91 percent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it's been called the first great horror TV show by some critics and fans. More importantly, people just can't seem to get the series out of their heads. There are even The Haunting of Hill House ending theories that take what viewers watched in the final episode, and flip it on its head by suggesting that everything wasn't as happy as it seemed for the Crain family. Spoilers ahead .

Surprisingly, The Haunting of Hill House does appear to have a happy ending. Nell sadly died, and so did Hugh, the kids' father. But aside from those tragic losses, the rest of the family live on to reach sweet milestones that they (and the viewers) didn't think would come. In the final shot, it's revealed that Steve and his wife, Leigh, are starting a family, Luke is celebrating his two-year sobriety anniversary, Shirley and Kevin are still together, and Theo gives up her gloves and commits to a romantic relationship. It's all a little too nice, if you ask some horror fans.

However, if you believe these The Haunting of Hill House theories , then that happy ending might not actually be so happy after all.

1. Steve Is Going To Move Back To Hill House

At the end of the season, Hugh tells Steven that he's now in charge of the house, leaving it where it is uninhabited, in the hopes that it rots and dies. This would mean no one would be able to fall prey to Hill House ever again, but Twitter user @TheSaharBar tweeted out an interesting idea . What if Steven goes back to live in Hill House in hopes of writing another bestseller (and maybe trying to free his family members from the house's grip once and for all). It's not super plausible, given the explicit warning from his father — and the fact that he lived through the hell the house caused before — but it would be an interesting way to revisit that ending which saw Nell, Hugh, and Olivia together in the Red Room.

2. The Black Mold Attracted The Family And It's Not Done Yet

There have been many theories that the house wasn't actually haunted, but instead the black mold was making them all go insane and hallucinate what viewers watched. However, that doesn't make sense, just for the fact that the Dudleys' didn't live there, and they were able to see Abigail. That being said, what if the mold did have a role to play in the family's arrival and inability to stay away? Reddit user CyberToaster , theorized that the mold is some sort of "parasitic ancient life form" that's capable of luring families to Hill House. If that's the case, then the place won't stay empty for long.

3. Hill House Isn't Evil, But Rather A House For Evil

Another theory found on Reddit, this time from user EmperorJoker , is that the house isn't the source of the evil that wreaked havoc on the Crain family, but instead, the house is a "prison" of sorts for evil spirits. The theory goes on to say Hill House is meant to contain spirits who wish to do others harm, and the deaths in the Crain family weren't due to the house, but instead the evil spirits who live within it's walls.

Deconstructing this theory is interesting, because a lot of the spirits fans saw didn't seem evil. One was a child, and another one was a bedridden old woman. The only ghost that can be seen as malicious was maybe Poppy, but who's to say she wasn't driven mad by the house just like Olivia.

Of course, the audience never saw any spirits try to help the Crains. If the end of this theory is also correct, then once the house rots, as Hugh wanted, those spirits can then go free. This would make for a terrifying end, but also an interesting plot point for a later season, perhaps.

4. The House Is Still Hungry For The Crains

So, one of the creepiest moments in that last episode, if you look closely, is Olivia's eyes as she's reunited with Hugh. He had just revealed to Steve that he died to save Luke by appeasing his deceased wife, and now he's off to join her and Nell. While this seems bittersweet, Olivia's deviously empty glare says otherwise.

Olivia died believing that her children needed to die in order to be "saved" from the darkness of the world. Is she really content with Hugh giving himself over instead? If that look means anything, she might not stop until her whole family is deceased, which would make Season 2 rather interesting, and possibly more of a mind-trip. Speaking of a mind trips...

5. The Family Never Escaped The Red Room

As mentioned before, the ending for The Haunting of Hill House is definitely a relatively happy one. Despite Nell and Hugh's deaths, all the other siblings survive and have uplifting stories. They're thriving, really, when it leaves off. But could things really be that happy for this beleaguered family?

In an interview with The Wrap, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, who plays adult Luke , revealed an essential tidbit about the Red Room. “Every, uh — again, I feel like I have to be careful if I'm saying this right," he said, laughingly. "But whenever each child, each sibling, is in the Red Room, something in the fantasy is red. And it'll be a very, very small thing." This is an interesting, creative fact to point out, only it's not just a nugget of insider information.

Jackson-Cohen then pointed out that Kate Siegel, who plays adult Theo, noticed that Luke's sobriety anniversary cake in the finale was, you guessed it, red. They couldn't handle what that could potentially imply, and when they went to director and co-writer Mike Flanagan, he was dubious as hell. He answered with an, "I don't know!"

Jackson-Cohen can't tell if the theory that the entire family is trapped in the Red Room "could have legs," or not. But it's definitely a chilling one to contemplate. Either way, this last one might be the most compelling and plausible Haunting of Hill House ending theory of them all.