The Haunting Of Hill House: Netflix’s Best Horror Series

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Mike Flanagan became a celebrated horror director after the instant success of The Haunting of Hill House a few years ago. The series remains a standout title on Netflix, and it’s led to several other highly-regarded horror shows from Flanagan. It also earned him the confidence of author Stephen King, who entrusted Flanagan with adapting his stories.

Among all of Mike Flanagan’s work on Netflix, his adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s classic novel is truly exceptional. The Haunting of Hill House follows traditional horror tropes but is also incredibly creative and visually stunning. It’s largely responsible for the current wave of high-quality horror series on television.

Most horror fans have probably already seen it, but The Haunting of Hill House is essential viewing before Flanagan’s new Stephen King projects. Released on Netflix in October 2018, it fundamentally changed modern horror in both film and television, and it’s hard to imagine the landscape without it.

The Haunting Of Hill House Is One Of The Best Shows On Netflix

Look, Netflix puts out a lot of new shows, and some of them become huge hits. But honestly, I keep coming back to Mike Flanagan’s first series, and I think it’ll always be considered one of their very best. It just did something special with classic horror – it wasn’t just scary, it felt genuinely innovative and well-crafted.

Stephen King famously called Shirley Jackson’s 1959 gothic novel, which heavily influenced his own writing, a “genius” work. More recently, Quentin Tarantino named the TV adaptation, The Haunting of Hill House, as his favorite show. Even after nearly eight years, few Netflix releases have had a similar impact.

Netflix Launched Mike Flanagan’s TV Career With This Show

Mike Flanagan clearly loves the way classic horror movies build suspense and deliver scares, and this is obvious throughout The Haunting of Hill House. He skillfully adapts Shirley Jackson’s psychological novel into a truly frightening haunted house story, delivering some of the most thrilling and terrifying moments ever seen on television.

This series first demonstrated Mike Flanagan’s talent for adapting Stephen King’s work, particularly laying the groundwork for a potential Dark Tower adaptation. He uniquely understands how to blend supernatural elements with a haunting and unsettling atmosphere, both visually and through storytelling, surpassing the abilities of most other filmmakers and showrunners today.

The Haunting Of Hill House Remains TV’s Best Horror Series

As a huge horror fan, I still think The Haunting of Hill House is the best TV has to offer when it comes to scares. It kicks off with one of the most chilling opening lines ever, and honestly, I think it has the most terrifying episode I’ve seen in years. What really sets it apart is how cleverly it builds the horror – it feels like Shirley Jackson would have loved it, and it makes everything genuinely frightening and believable. It really gets under your skin!

I’ve seen a lot of great horror shows lately – things like Mike Flanagan’s other Netflix series, HBO’s take on It, and even hidden gems like From and Interview with the Vampire. But honestly, none of them even come close to The Haunting of Hill House. For me, it’s still the absolute best horror has offered on streaming so far.

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2026-02-23 00:58