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Stephen King calls new Netflix horror The Haunting of Hill House 'close to a work of genius'

The new series updates and adapts Shirley Jackson's 1959 novel of the same name 

Clarisse Loughrey
Sunday 21 October 2018 10:00 BST
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The Haunting of Hill House trailer

A new Netflix show has received one of the highest compliments that could possibly be paid to a horror series.

The Haunting of Hill House, created by Mike Flanagan, is a modern reimagining of Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel of the same name. Flashing between the past and the present, the series follows five siblings who grew up in the most famous haunted house in America.

As adults, they’re reunited once more after the death of their youngest sister, which forces them to finally confront the ghosts of their pasts – some metaphorical, some perhaps literal.

Legendary horror author Stephen King took to Twitter to heap praise on the series, writing: “I don’t usually care for this kind of revisionism, but this is great. Close to a work of genius, really. I think Shirley Jackson would approve, but who knows for sure.”

He’s not alone, with The Haunting of Hill House receiving a warm critical reception. Variety‘s Daniel D’Addario called it “an effective scare-fest that is at its best when the tale does more than jolt the viewer.”


The series stars Michael Huisman, Carla Gugino, Timothy Hutton, Elizabeth Reaser, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel, and Victoria Pedretti.

The Haunting of Hill House is out on Netflix now

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