Gather 'round, boys and girls, because I just binge watched "The Haunting of Hill House" in 2 days and I’ve got some things to say.
First of all, Luke is a precious angel who must be protected at all costs and Theo is my new idol, but the point of this post is actually that I have some questions and I need some answers (Mike Flanagan, where you at?).
If you haven’t watched the show yet (I’m not sure why you’re here), it centers around the Crain family at two points of time: in the past when they were living in Hill House, and in the present where they are struggling to confront the dark events of their childhood. [Beware of spoilers, and actual ghosts, below.]
This show was completely addicting, and I usually hate scary things, but it did leave me with a few queries when all was said and done. Truth be told, I spent a lot of time muting and unmuting my TV, so that could be part of it... Anyways here they are:
1. First of all, what the heck is the deal with this house? Who built it? How did it get like this? Is it actually a living thing? In the end, we find out the red room is the house’s "stomach", luring people in so it can start digesting them, but I’m so confused about its whole history. And it can’t be set on fire?!?!? What is the deal?!
2. Speaking of the red room, how did each of the kids get in there without knowing it was the red room? For goodness sakes, it turned into a treehouse for Luke and everyone knows treehouses are in trees, OUTSIDE! And Steve visited Luke in the treehouse, so they were both in Luke’s version of the red room at the same time. I’m so confused!
3. What is up with Theo’s special powers? She’s the only Crain kid to have powers, and Olivia tells her that she has powers too that have something to do with headaches but never fully explains why or what or how. Plz Liv I’m going to need a few more details here, hun, help your girls out.
4. Nell. I have a lot of questions. How is older Nell haunting younger Nell? And why is she the only one that this happened to? Time is very confusing in this world. Nell was haunting herself for years, she brought herself back to Hill House to die. Why????
5. What’s up with Abigail? We see the Dudleys leaving the house with the body of Abigail AND Abigail the ghost, but I thought the ghosts had to stay in the house. Isn’t that why Hugh made the deal to leave the house standing? And in general, how do these ghosts work? It seems like they only come out at night but then we can see them in the background of scenes during the day. I’m just trying to sort out these ghost mechanics, y’all.
6. Hugh. I have some problems with Hugh. Did he know about all these ghosts? Cuz he knew about the ghost who fixed the clock but never said anything about it. And he knew Luke’s treehouse wasn’t real, so what the hell, Hugh? Did he know his kids were getting haunted and still pretend not to believe them? And at what did he actually die?
7. What happened after they escaped the house? Why did they live with their aunt and not Hugh, their dad? Did Hugh go to jail or did he just abandon the kiddos? There is still so much to explore here!!
8. Can we please get more Luke Crain? Please. Please. Please.
Clearly there is a lot of material left to explore for Season 2... if there is a Season 2, that is. There have been whispers, however, that this will become an anthology series, focusing on different characters every season. While I would do anything for more Luke, I could be persuaded to get on board with a season based on the original Hills and how this house came to be, or any of the other (seemingly plentiful) ghosts in the house. The ball is in your court Netflix.
In conclusion, Luke Crain deserved better and I am prepared to lay down my life for him. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
(Image via Netflix)
- Kyla Killackey, YH Contributing Writer