By sheer coincidence, four of this year’s most poignant and effective horror stories are thematically connected by their exploration of familial mental illness and inherited trauma — the concept of traumatic experiences so deeply affecting that they are passed down from parents to children, whether by nature or nurture (or, in some cases, both). This idea is the driving force behind every terrifying moment in Hereditary, The Haunting of Hill House, Sharp Objects, and Halloween, all of which also happen to have another curious thing in common: Miniature houses.
After terrifying audiences with last year’s Gerald’s Game, filmmaker Mike Flanagan has returned to Netflix for another horror adaptation starring Carla Gugino. The first trailer for The Haunting of Hill House has arrived, teasing Flanagan’s new series based on the beloved Shirley Jackson story of the same name. In addition to looking spooky AF, the series looks like a real bummer — but like, in a good way.