The Haunting Of Hill House

If acclaimed horror writer Stephen King gives his stamp of approval, you can usually bet that the end result is successful.

King's "close to a work of genius" comment was remarked toward the near-brilliant "The Haunting of Hill House" streaming series as seen on Netflix. For those without that streaming service, a new 3-disc Blu-ray set releases on October 15th and comes at the perfect time of year.

Based on Shirley Jackson's novel of the same name, "The Haunting of Hill House" was introduced in 2018 and includes 10 terrifying episodes. It takes a lot to scare this viewer (after years of watching numerous horror tales), and "Hill House' doesn't disappoint.

The premiere episode, with its movie-like structure and buildup for the rest of the season, takes the structure of the novel and runs with it. Seen in flashbacks, we go back to the childhood of five siblings who grew up in the most famous haunted house in America. They also fled the same house and escaped ghosts that are both visible and psychological.

The series is set in present day also, with the characters dealing with the past and struggling with problems of the present. It's when one of the siblings commits suicide at the still haunted Hill House when the family members get together to resolve long-dormant incidents.

Wisely, Netflix is bringing back the series but reportedly in an anthology format for the future.

For now, Paramount includes four extended episodes and they become like mini-movies. Multiple audio commentaries with director Mike Flanagan are included, and on four episodes he describes the filming process and casting of the actors.

"The Haunting of Hill House"
Blu-ray
$39.99
www.paramount.com