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What to Expect in the World of Horror in 2019

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On the first day of this glorious new year, I thought I’d do my best impression of The Legendary Criswell and make some horror predictions for 2019. These aren’t necessarily wild ideas I’ve pulled out of thin air… they’re simply my expectations based on the trends I’ve observed developing over the course of 2018. I’ll document my thoughts now, and then revisit my premonitions in December to see how I did! So, without further ado, let’s peer into the wonderful world of tomorrow!

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Mckenna Grace Among Those to Join Cast of ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’

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Deadline is reporting that Mckenna Grace, one of the young stars in the Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House will play a young Sabrina Spellman in the upcoming holiday episode of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina titled A Midwinter’s Tale. Back in September we passed along the news that Grace was also added to the Untitled Annabelle film which will be released on July 3, 2019. The horror flicks listed above only add to the actress’ solid horror resume which includes Amityville: The Awakening, The Bad Seed, Independence Day: Resurgence and 2015’s Frankenstein. read more

Mike Flanagan Details Production of Extended Shots in Episode Six of ‘The Haunting of Hill House’

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Between his eye for ornate detail, his unconventional and well-earned scares, and his penchant for character-driven storytelling, Mike Flanagan is easily one of the most important horror directors working today. So when he takes the time to detail his process, horror fans and aspiring auteurs better take notice! Lucky for us, he spent some time on Twitter this morning breaking down the incredible extended shots in Episode Six of The Haunting of Hill House!

There are tons of reasons to be impressed by The Haunting of Hill House, but one episode in particular takes place in a funeral parlor with very few cuts for an hour-long program. The circling camera is bound to evoke a feeling of dread and claustrophobia in even the most hardened viewer as the events and circumstances of the characters spiral out of control; and Flanagan’s knack for supernatural surprises means it’s never safe to rest one’s eyes until the credits roll. According to this morning’s revelations, the daunting extended scenes were a part of Flanagan’s initial pitch for the series. He then walks readers through the ins and outs of production, including a series of time codes within the episode for each of the five shots. read more

Crain’s Story Likely Complete on ‘The Haunting of Hill House’

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Unless you are living under a rock you must now know that Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House is taking the world by storm. Directed by Mike Flanagan (Hush, Oculus) Hill House follows the Crain family as they move into an old home hoping to fix it up and flip it for a profit.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly (warning major spoilers at EW), Flanagan spoke on many different topics including the Shirley Jackson novel which inspired the series, the Bent-Neck Lady, spotting ghosts in the series, and much more. Perhaps the most interesting thing of note mentioned was that the director felt that the Crain’s story was finished even if the series gets a second season. read more

Why ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ is the Year’s Best Series

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Over the last decade there have been many very successful genre TV shows like Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, and Bates Motel, just to name a few.  The latest series to scare up fans is The Haunting of Hill House from Netflix.  Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard the show is just incredible and prompting friends and family to hold up in their homes binge watching it.  What make this series such a standout? In a word, everything. 

The show, adapted from Shirley Jackson’s novel of the same name, seems to have captured elements needed for film to perfection.  Front and center is the meaty storyline. Fans have seen cases where books don’t always translate to the screen. The Haunting of Hill House, however, delivers a story which transcends the horror or paranormal genre.  The plotline more than drives the series, it sucks the viewer in with weighty emotional family dynamics.  Not just telling the terrifying experiences of the Crain family, but really displaying the deep wounds and trauma left by those experiences. Yes, it delivers all the creepiness horror fans want, but also showcases the humanity that many genre shows and films tend to lack. read more

Official Trailer Debuts for ‘The Haunting of Hill House’

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Netflix has debuted the highly anticipated trailer for The Haunting of Hill House. The two-and-a-half-minute preview features an intense gothic setting and follows a family that lives in the haunted “Hill House.”

The series is both written and directed by Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Hush, Before I Wake, Ouija: Origin of Evil) and stars Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, Timothy Hutton, Kate Siegel, and Elizabeth Reaser.

Reimagining the 1959 novel by Shirley Jackson, this is not the first time this classic has been adapted for film.  The novel was brought to the screen once in 1963 and again in 1999, both times under the title The Haunting. read more

Netflix’s “The Haunting of Hill House” Adds to Their Already Impressive Cast

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A good deal of thirty-somethings would list Stephen King’s The Shining as possibly the greatest haunted house book ever written. Well, Stephen King would disagree; he’d tell you that Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House takes the cake.

The story of the group of folks who decide to stay in Hill House to prove the existence of the supernatural has been brought to the screen twice: first was legendary directory Robert Wise’s The Haunting in 1963 (very good) and then was director Jan de Bont’s film of the same name in 1999 (very bad). read more

Oculus Director Mike Flanagan Working on The Haunting of Hill House Series for Netflix

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Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel, The Haunting of Hill House, inspired both a 1963 film adaptation by director Robert Wise and a 1999 CGI spectacle starring Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Now, Variety reports that writer-director Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Ouija: Origin of Evil) is in the early stages of creating a 10-episode series for Netflix which will be based upon the world of Jackson’s novel.

The original novel all but established the “mysterious strangers in a haunted house” concept which would later be popularized by a variety of imitations. The new series is being described as a “modern re-imagining” of the novel. Flanagan will executive produce the series along with longtime collaborator Trevor Macy, Justin Falvey, and Darryl Frank. Amblin TV and Paramount TV will produce the series. read more