The Haunting of Hill House: An Analysis

[@MertKayKay]

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[@regalseagull]

Cool hair colour!

[@gliscorpropagandaaccount1764]

Midnight Mass video? Midnight Mass video when queen? I am shoveling both Flanagan's portfolio and your analysis into my mouth.

[@magmagoon9852]

Are you gonna do a part 2 for your 13RW video

[@martymcflown3707]

The fact that people were trying to say "don't overthink a child's drawing" about the Luke drawing theory when there's an entire plotline in Theo's story that shows the importance of a child's perspective as shown through art.

[@baneoftechnology]

With regards to the ending: your theory was proved correct when LadyKnightTheBrave interviewed Flanagan for her video essay. During the interview, he said that the Bad Ending actually was what they were going for right until the very end, when he woke up one night and realized that he wanted these siblings to have that happy ending.

[@Just123Moi]

Pogino

[@justink8156]

​@@Just123MoiIs that Italian for pog?

[@duskripper6650]

I love that video essay!

[@icymoons]

I was just about to comment this when I got to that part of the video essay. It was intended to be a downer ending, but this really just reflected the state of everyone by the end of production. I'm glad they gave us that happiness.

[@AtomicBananaPress]

Finished this one, time to swap over!

[@stampede274]

I personally loved the car jumpscare because it was like Dead Nell had been sitting in the backseat listening to them bicker and couldn't take it anymore. I was on her side with that one.

[@motorcitymangababe]

Same! It happened right as I, the watcher was like "can y'all stfu?" It was great.

[@SpazzyAdult2]

HOOOLLLD ON In defense of Nell's car jumpscare: It was pretty called for. All Nell ever wanted was for her family to get along and be together. I see that moment as her trying to get her two big sisters to stop arguing and communicate. And, I mean, it works. Nell screaming at them is what causes Shirley to pull over and Theo to open up. Its similar to when her coffin fell; she wanted them to stop arguing.

[@MertKayKay]

Aaaaaa you (and the other Nell Car Jumpscare Defenders) are actually starting to really convince me here

[@pande1461]

@@MertKayKay That was 100% the intent behind the jumpscare, and it also works as a very effective way to release the tension that had been continuously built up during the sisters' argument. Something major had to happen to get them to just _listen_ to each other, and I'm personally glad it wasn't something trite like seeing Nell's ghost on the road and crashing the car into the bushes.

[@KayosHybrid]

​@MertKayKay the entire story has been Nell trying to bring her family together, and couldn't even acknowledge her at her FUNERAL because of all the layers of bakes in pain to the traumatised family that went unprocessed. She's been watching her family not be united by her death but continue to bad faith every interaction. She has done straight up visitations, pranks (buttons on eyes), time is fragmented, and she is carrying messages best she can. I think her jumpscare is the ONLY one in TV maybe ever that has been so well earned and so cathartic. it took 8 episodes of her family fighting before she finally said ENOUGH.

[@motorcitymangababe]

​@@KayosHybridI screamed, but also said "THANK YOU NELL" right after cause I was also ready to scream at those two lol

[@midgematic8659]

That was actually one of my favorite scenes of the series; maybe it was unintended humor but it solidified Nel's character for me and made me believe 100% that ghosts were real in the story and Nel has been with them all this time desperately trying to get though to them. Nel Hill House VIP we love her 👏

[@CesRaisons]

Haunting of hill house (TV) was the only TV show to make me cry, the confetti line made me tell my family I love them

[@diabolicalpotate]

The confetti dialogue and Hugh's "you were the best part of my...never been prouder of anything, ever. Take care of each other. And be kind to each other. If nothing else, be kind...I was so lucky to be your dad" line had me absolutely welling up. I'm also not someone who really cries at media in general. This series carried a lot of emotional weight in some parts.

[@MertKayKay]

Oh hell yeah I cry like a baby throughout the last 30 minutes

[@ChristopherSadlowski]

I'm at the point that I start crying right when I start to rewatch Hill House and Bly Manor. I also cry IMMEDIATELY when the music of Les Miserables starts. It's a reflex at this point.

[@melvv18]

The line "I love you completely and you love me the same" does it for me. Both for the acting and because Nell realizes that her family did truly love her, even through all the dysfunction and trauma.

[@frejahertz3675]

I always thought Hugh’s red room is actually… the red room. The red door, the promise of what lies beyond it, takes up so much of his time while his family is slowly getting devoured without him noticing. I think it’s the house’s biggest and worst misdirection. Hugh is there to support and protect his family, and because of the never-opening door, the people he loves the most… dies.

[@SamuraiMujuru]

It never even occurred to me that the lighting was often reminiscent of black mold. That alone proves that everyone who chastised the person for "overthinking" the drawing owes them an apology.

[@jennys1983]

It did to me, but that’s only because my house has a lot of black mould 😕

[@liviayoung7578]

@@jennys1983 Get help, please

[@thatmack]

I’m not too far in, but through Nell’s entire death sequence the thing that haunts me is Olivia. She’s the one running this operation, she’s working *with* the beast, feeding her family to it on purpose. It’s not out of malice, but love. And you can see the whole time that as she’s luring Nell in, gifting her a beautiful dress, all the way to the end… with the same necklace she promised her as a baby. Carla Gugino did a truly phenomenal job at portraying every microcosm of her character, the fear, the hesitation, the fact that Olivia knows exactly what she’s putting around her daughter’s neck. I find it fascinating how more so than any of the other ghosts, Olivia seems to have a symbiotic relationship with the house. She wants her family, it wants revenge and to feed. She’s not just a pawn of the house like when she was alive, but actively collaborating with it in a mutually beneficial exchange. No one can say for how long either of them will let this go, but by the end at least their appetites are partially sated. Edit: Upon completing the video, I offer a competing interpretation of why Olivia is so cold in the end. It’s for the reasons explained above. I think she died in a state of arrested development, still as fragile and broken as she was during her breakdown, even if she had her final moments in lucidity. Contrasted with Nell, who eventually finds resolution in death, Olivia never gets what she wants. She never accepts that her children will move on without her. Her and the house take Hugh, but it’s not enough. I believe that’s why she is so predatorily staring at Steven in her closing shot, because neither her nor the house are done. Because I like having happy endings I’m going to choose to believe the kids escaped the house for good, but Olivia never can. The house is bitter and angry, but whatever is the force behind the possession is obviously ancient and unknowable. While the house will get over it, Olivia is trapped in a purgatory of knowing her children are alone and unsafe and she can never protect them again. The house will have more victims to sate its appetite, but Oliva will never, ever have her family again.

[@pande1461]

It could be that Olivia's spirit was also broken by the house after seeing that she had killed Abigail and understanding the full scope of her actions. This mirrors Nell's final moments, when she wakes up from the reverie and finds that the long-desired necklace was actually a noose, and that her mother had completely different intentions. Plus, the house is an entity that exploits victims' deepest fears, and seems to almost delight in showing victims what they most want to see _right_ before taking it away from them. I do think that the children escaped the house, but you never know. Like MKK said, the house waits, rots, feeds...but never dies. It could be sitting there, biding its time until the descendants of the children finds their way back to it, maybe even bringing their parents along like Hugh came after Luke. And then it would have the last word.

[@motorcitymangababe]

To me this is also a natural process of the house. In my understanding of ghosts (that hill house Falls right in line with) the way I see it houses don't haunt people, they collect the people who haunt them with their trauma. Overtime as all the ghosts pile in and leave their layers on the place it becomes like a bit of a hive mind. That being said- I think the last of "Olivia" made a sacrifice similar to Hugh- them for their kids. Hugh joins the house in death, but Olivia integrates with it. Not a pawn, but fully a part of the hive mind that has formed in the house. Compared to Nell, who seems very much a separate entity not tethered to the house by trauma because her siblings let her go and healed. ETA That predatory nature you see before the door closes isn't Olivia- it's the house wearing her thoughts and memories like an elaborate lure. Note that she wears a red dress, just like the red door. (As does Nell in her funeral episode, when her death is luring her family back to the house)

[@gustavedore1073]

Haunting of Hill House, Haunting of Bly Manor, and Fall of the House of Usher are the best horror-productions I have seen in years. I love these beautifully tragic stories with characters who you can relate to and who have actual motives for their actions. I love old school slashers, too, but they are completely different kind of entertainment.

[@gliscorpropagandaaccount1764]

You gotta watch Midnight Mass if you haven't already

[@davismorgan99]

Midnight Mass is his best show I think. Just absolute perfection from beginning to end. Flanagan doesn’t miss.

[@clorby22]

I think Bly Manor will always be my favourite, but Midnight Mass absolutely wrecked me. It’s a must watch

[@mal3diction]

Just throwing this out for whomever needs to hear it: Mike Flanagan released his synopsis for the second season of The Midnight Club on his tumblr. I almost missed it when it first came out and it's obviously not the same as getting the whole season, but it's an option if you'd prefer it to not knowing anything.

[@clorby22]

@@mal3diction OMG THANK YOU

[@brittanylikesmemes_]

“the house scattered them like confetti” *screaming.*

[@exuviast]

I always felt that Hugh's Olivia was a sort of protective thought form he created to cope with what the house had done to his mental image of his wife. Something calm and gentle to oppose his memories of what she'd been warped into by Hill House.

[@cursedcontent4207]

I forgot how much Steven looks like Shane Madej. Impeccable casting.

[@chunellemariavictoriaespan8752]

😂😂

[@R.T.-lo9fn]

You are so right! 😂😂 I couldn't put my finger on it until I saw this comment 😂

[@Scarecr0wn]

The moment Steven saw Nellie in his flat and she started screaming, that was the moment i realized this is one of the very rare shows that will actually make me scared. Not jump scared, simply scared af. By that time I has no idea what kind of emotional damage Hill House had in store for me. Absolutely love both Hill House and Bly Manor. Edit. Major + for Outer Wilds soundtrack.

[@kragary]

Every hair in my body was standing on end when that happened. Best feeling in the world!

[@thomastrinkle2294]

I’m surprised you didn’t mention the look of abject horror on Nell’s face when she’s sees her father is going to be trapped in the house forever.

[@MertKayKay]

I didn't notice it! Time to rewatch the whole thing

[@thomastrinkle2294]

@@MertKayKay it happens right when he turns and starts walking towards the Red Room, before they hug. She looks absolutely horrified at what he’s doing before she quickly seems to decide to embrace eternity with him.

[@thedevilgoose2482]

The “ancient roots to hell” directly into “line the walls like SpongeBob nappies” 💀

[@Broeckchen]

Okay but I have to nitpick your nitpicking of "Two Storms". I feel like there is a very clear intention in that episode to drag and blur. To create this... weird detachment from time that can come with grief. It's basically where the time element of the bent neck lady fully blossoms into something that not just affects ghosts, but can bleed into the world of the living. Flanagan definitely has a way to get a bit wordy, but the weird dialogue choices and shots in that episode, I feel, are among the most transparent allegories in the show. Btw I love your take on Olivia. And again, the blue dress! Argh, I wanna know what it iiiiis!

[@legendswarble2845]

About the monologs, for me, they are why I like Flannagan's work. I'm not a big horror guy. I actually usually dislike it, but his feels so soft, beautiful, and genuine that the fear I usually hate only engances the other parts for me. I get for most people the scares are the main event, but for me, they're the icing that adds extra flavor to the monologs I came for. I also have to say, Nell in the car was the only jumpscare in the show I liked for it's emotional value. It's deeply in character for Nell as we knew her to take the frustration over her sisters' petty fight and manifest herself physically to get them to stop.

[@korvapuustit]

his insufferably cringe monologues are the single worst thing about his works.

[@PR0MAN01]

There's that monolog in Midnight Mass where Erin and Riley talk about what happens after you die that remains my favorite scene in any horror media. Its so beautiful and poignant.

[@legendswarble2845]

@@PR0MAN01 I absolutely love that scene.

[@gayidek]

@@korvapuustit skill issue

[@StrawberryOverlord]

how oblivious i am: i did not notice a single background ghost you pointed out in my FOUR watch throughs

[@MertKayKay]

:o you have to go back and check now! They're everywhere!

[@brokengirlsrus]

Maaan this show did a number on me. I binge watched it over a weekend a year after I lost my brother to an OD- he was only 23. He had been battling substance abuse and depression since he was a teenager. I myself was just getting and staying sober. I had such a fondness for Nellie and Luke, since I saw so much of myself and my brother in them. We had heaps of childhood trauma and the show really portrayed how much those issues affected the character as adults. The analogy of the haunted house can be projected onto other family issues (trauma, abuse, etc.) So looking forward to watching your analysis!

[@MertKayKay]

It's really interesting: the media we consume when we're grieving. Not the same, but I sat in silence on my bed and played Dantes Inferno three times straight on the day my grandma passed :s I'm really sorry for your loss. Luke and Nell are so sweet and pure, I can't imagine how hard that was

[@brokengirlsrus]

@@MertKayKay Omgggggg my fav creator replied 👉👈 Seriously you're the coolest. I love your content. I have 0 interest in playing video games but your reviews and analysis videos on games are so fascinating to me. I put them on when I work solo to keep myself sane. But yeah, it's funny what kind of stimuli our brains go to when we're going through it. The whole week after I lost my brother I watched Dead Meat horror movie kill count videos over and over. Thank you for your kind words, they mean more than you know. He was my first friend and I miss him sorely even after over 4 years now and I think of him every day.

[@pande1461]

In mild defense of jumpscares: THOHH is a true love letter to haunted house stories, and horror films in general. Jumpscares are fairly common in haunting movies, and I didn't mind them here because they made sense.

[@lothwicke]

I always cite this series as the proper use of jumpscares. Each one has a cohesive purpose in the scene. They fit. They don't feel cheap and gratuitous.

[@cyanmanta]

One thing I love about this series is how Flanagan’s team effectively builds tension and horror with what they DON’T show. The scene where little Nell has her first sleep paralysis, for example, has that shot where the camera is overhead and close up on her. She looks up toward the camera and suddenly, she’s horrified. Her eyes go wide, her breathing becomes panicked and erratic, but she can’t do anything but stare at the thing we can’t see behind the camera. For about five seconds, we have to imagine what is scaring her so badly. Then, of course, in the next shot, the camera pivots and tracks backward to reveal the bent-neck lady.

[@jaduspeaks4754]

It's a testament to your skill as a video essayist that I can watch a video of this length about a show I knew about only in passing (and in a genre I'm not too familiar with) and be engrossed from beginning to end. You've quickly become one of my favorite essayists on this platform. Well done!

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you Jadus, that is an enormous compliment

[@trudelulu]

I thought Hugh's red room was the office space he goes into to get the house plans. The structure of the door frame is the same as the red room's but we never get to see the window in his leaving a certain ambiguity, which is in line with his character's arc throughout. Heavy disagree on episode 6 and Nell's monologue. Episode 6 is one of my favorite and Nell's monologue breaks me every time.

[@Alexander_Nafait]

The tension of Two Storms is so strong that I didn't even realize how many long takes there were in it (or any small details really) until I watched a "making of" video on it. It wasn't made of long takes so they could boast about it or claim a record, bur rather to capture this incredibly tense emotion, truly brilliant filmmaking in my opinion

[@pande1461]

@@Alexander_Nafait Absolutely. Even if the viewer doesn't register the long takes, they subconsciously feel the tension because of the lack of cutaways - just like in writing we use commas to pause for breath, film can use cuts to allow the viewer a moment to "breathe". The lack of cuts also makes the viewer feel like they have to retain more information and keep paying attention, because there is no cut to signal "pause this idea here, begin the next", which in turn can lead to a bit of mental fatigue.

[@Veiled_Lepidoptera]

The only reason Stephen was 'right' about Joey is because he was awful in front of her. In that delicate state all it takes is a little push, a little refusal of belief, a little cruelty to force a drug addict back to whatever makes them most comfortable. They start to feel like it's pointless "They don't believe I can do this so maybe I can't. They think I'm an awful piece of human garbage so maybe I am... what if I am? Why would it matter if I keep using if I'm just trash?" etc. I'm more keen on feeling Stephen is entirely the reason Joey started using again so quickly, at the very least.

[@MertKayKay]

Damn, I didn't consider that Steven contributed to that. That's a really good point, thank you!

[@drakenfist]

Agreed. Self fulfilling prophecy in action.

[@kbuttons19]

This show is one of the reasons I cannot bring myself to cancel Netflix (along with Midnight Mass), I love it so much that I have Nell’s final statement about death tattooed on my arm. It’s so masterfully written and makes me cry every time. I’m so happy to see you love it as much as I do, this video is such a love letter to the show. Thank you ❤

[@theycallmejodamo]

I watched this series and Bly Manor immediately after my own mum died and they both absolutely wrecked me. Nell deserved better. I’ve only watched them twice, but they’re both such powerhouse pieces that they stick with you. And I appreciate any form of media that can do that.

[@blondebomber-qo2uy]

Ladyknightthebrave does another excellent essay on this show. I've kept hers permanently downloaded as my comfort watch and now I have two permanently downloaded. I can't get enough analysis and discussion of this masterpiece and I appreciate this video so, so much. It's my favorite video you've ever done. Thank you so much! ❤❤❤❤

[@MertKayKay]

A few people have mentioned the same! I don't like to watch other people's videos while I am writing in case it sways my script too much, but I'll definitely have to go check it out now

[@bubblegumnnebula]

As someone who lost my father when I was a teenager, I cannot quite explain how much THOHH means to me. It deals with grief in such a way that made me feel so seen. It made me realize that hole that my father left when he passed away was never going to be filled, and it helped me realize that I don't want it to. Because there is something so beautiful about being so impacted by someone when they leave, a part of you leaves too. Also I hear that use of The Crones Theme from The Witcher 3. I see you.

[@FTZPLTC]

"The curtains may be red, but the cream pie is the acceptance of trauma" ... OK, I didn't finish watching this series, so I just need to know: would this less gross than it sounds if I had?

[@chunellemariavictoriaespan8752]

If you had what?

[@MertKayKay]

Don't worry, there are no cream pies in the show B)

[@SebiHemke]

finished the show ​@@chunellemariavictoriaespan8752

[@SebiHemke]

"would this be less gross than it sounds if i had finished watching the series"

[@madamproducer2102]

As the oldest of five siblings nearly exactly matching the Craine siblings in terms of M/FM layout and personality quirks, this series fucked me and my sisters up for WEEKS. It was literally our roman empire. My brothers enjoyed the show but had less of a "I see all of us in this" connection. Sidenote: I always assumed that red dress Olivia was the physical manifestation of the red room. Its been too long since I've rewatched this series so I'm not sure this explaination totally works.

[@carmens9968]

Thank you for acknowledging the gifts and how some of them are not helpful.💕 People always think of gifts as a super power that always helps, when that isn’t always the case for characters or gifted people in real life (if you believe it). 💕

[@mariesueme8807]

"The classic lesbian move: moving in with someone after a week" the way I snorted

[@MertKayKay]

My friend put her girlfriend on the lease after THREE DAYS and they broke up a month later

[@midgematic8659]

@@MertKayKayNOOOO WHY IS IT A CANON EVENT 😭😭

[@Broeckchen]

I love that show. I'm still trying to puzzle out what the color blue signals in it. Red was the color of the house and its poison. But there are some scenes where blue is an incredibly noticeable color choice, like during Mrs Dudley's speech. Is blue the color of comfort? Connection? Acceptance? Btw almost everytime a piece of dialogue or motif seems out of place, it's because Flanagan did his best to weave in elements of the original book. The adaptation has very little in common with it, but after reading the book those scenes start making way more sense thematically. For example, the mug of stars is something Nell's counterpart in the book yearns for as a symbol of freedom and happiness, a symbol of Finally Getting Better. So when Mrs Dudley stresses that Nell deserves it... she is driving home how much Nell deserves to be okay. I also always felt like there were implied parallels between the mug of stars and her husband somehow.

[@MertKayKay]

YES! Mrs Dudley's blue dress is also identical to the dress that Abigail spawns in when she becomes a ghost. It's like they have a little uniform. I really couldn't figure it out either

[@Broeckchen]

@@MertKayKay I just realized that Hughe's Olivia also wears a blue dress! Like... it has to mean something, right?

[@pande1461]

It could also tie into "grounding" - signaling what is real in the sense of it not being deception or illusion. Hugh's Olivia tells him the truth. Abigail is truly dead. Red, by contrast as a warm color among all this blue, is deceptively inviting and comforting.

[@Broeckchen]

@@pande1461 Ohhhhh yeah I like that idea. There may also be an element of anchoring there, perhaps. Blue Olivia grounds and anchors Hughe emotionally. Blue Mrs Dudley creates the anchor that will later tie Olivia to the House. When Nell wears blue, she is anchored to the House but also grounds her siblings out of their red rooms. I also wonder if it ties into this idea of "waking up"... Mrs Dudley's speech snaps Olivia to attention, Abigail dying shakes everyone out of the trance in the red room, Nell snaps her siblings out of their nightmares...

[@pande1461]

@@Broeckchen Yes, "anchoring" is an even better word for it!

[@KayosHybrid]

one of the best horror tv series ever made. not a line wasted, insanely talented cast, poignant, aching, heartbreakingly real. begins a horror, it ends a tragedy. a house goes from a monster to an anamoly without any malicious intent but humanly terrifying effects.

[@oliviabees]

I absolutely jumped when I saw this notification! Haunting of Hill House is some of my favorite TV ever, and you're one of my favorite youtubers, so it's a match made in heaven! Any possibility of a Midnight Mass review? That takes the cake as the most important TV show of all time for me, and I'd love to see your thoughts on it!

[@rkrokberg]

Midnight Mass is a midnight masterpiece

[@EosFunk]

Yes plz to a Midnight Mass review!!

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you Olivia!! I've never even considered Midnight Mass before but I think it's probably my most recommended series ever after today. I'll have a look B)

[@zarabee2880]

“The rest is confetti” makes me burst out crying every time 😢

[@jenh101]

This is the only channel that no matter the subject, whether I already care about it or have never even heard of it, I know I’m going to enjoy any video they put out. And I’ll probably keep coming back to it. The way this lass speaks, her turn of phrase is super entertaining in itself. All success is well deserved.

[@MertKayKay]

Omg Jenh thank you ; - ; welcome back as always

[@jenh101]

@@MertKayKayyou’re so welcome. The metaphor (similie?) at 35:22 is a work of art. Made me do one of those weird little snort laugh noises and wake the dog 😂

[@legendofayda]

I think Steven set up the apparatus to make the lady feel like he’s “investigating” so when he reveals that nothing happened that he can show her that he really did “try to”. I can imagine that Mrs. Walker would have felt a little gaslit if he didn’t make a little show.

[@jamwrightiam]

seeing more love for Shirley Jackson from modern generations always makes me so happy, her work has been a rather important part of my life and i'm glad she's not ignored

[@thomastrinkle2294]

The best jump scare in my experience: seeing the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre in the theater and the jump scare where R Lee Ermey’s sheriff character suddenly pokes his head in the car window after the hitchhiker dies. The entire theater screamed, followed immediately by hysterical laughter.

[@thixiemattel]

I can’t fucking believe hugh says “she was the kite and I was the line” i’ve been saying that to describe my relationship with my partner for the last 19 years. I say string but oh my god i’ve never heard anyone on earth say this before

[@Shaixira]

I figured what Theo felt when she touched Nell's corpse was her anguish and emptiness which finally lead her to Hill House. I didn't even consider it might be the coldness of death.

[@khalakrean6890]

Not death but rather absence i'd say, she can see people's memories by touching them or their belongings through what i assume is a connection to their spirits, either directly when touching them or indirectly through the traces of it left on things they cared about, she feels nothing because her sister's spirits is completly detached from her body, possibly because it now belongs completly to the house, it's weird that she would feel cold nothing when so much happens to her sister after her death if its death that she's feeling

[@morganleanderblake678]

The way they used an adult acting and experiencing to show what happened to a child was smart; no kid should be put in a position to act that out, ever. I'm really glad productions keep the kids separate from those story elements now. I remember when Hound Dog came out and I was horrified. It's a child r@pe, we shouldn't see it even simulated.

[@MertKayKay]

Massively agree. Served a great narrative purpose by demonstrating empathy powers, also saved a child actor from a very uncomfortable situation. Everyone wins

[@pande1461]

Olivia bringing down large stones from the sky is also a reference to Stephen King's _Carrie_ , another girl with psychic powers who does the same when she's young. And in _Rose Red_ , there is another girl who brings down stones from the sky when emotionally distressed. THOHH is wonderful about including homages without making them overbearing.

[@itsadomino]

Haunting of Hill House & Haunting of Bly Manor both absolutely devastated me. I was lured in with the idea of a spooky ghost story and by the end of both I was a sobbing mess. The child actors in Hill House especially were so welcoming and adorable and to pair that with the morbid environment and how, just, depressing everything was while they were adults? Awful, cruel - I loved it. Almost as much as I loved the Spongebob nappies reference 😂💀

[@ChristopherSadlowski]

I can barely sit and watch a 45 minute children's movie. I watched the ENTIRETY of Hill House in one sitting. I did the same for Bly Manor. I even go back and rewatch these two series every so often. I love how they're more family dramas than ooohhh spooky story. The ghosts are so...human. They're tragic and complex and they carry baggage and sometimes they're allowed to let it go. Everything is also handled so gently; yes the themes are dark as shit, but there's a sense of tenderness and understanding as an undercurrent. It's hard to explain, but if you've gone through trauma and watch this show you'll immediately get what I'm trying to say. I could cry just thinking about these characters. I especially vibed with Nell. Hard. I saw too much of myself in her character and I'll leave it at that. Really looking forward to your thoughts on this. This is a series with so much to dig into and anyone who wants to talk about it in any capacity I will sit and listen to them. I'm practically obsessed and I won't apologize for that! 😂

[@sunfI0wer]

Plz do The Haunting of Bly Manor too

[@beeplk7290]

I really liked your analysis. You said a lot of things I felt but didn't often hear from people who spoke about the show. I will say that I remember hearing that the "eaten by the house" end was originally intended. But the writer loved the Crane kids so much that they wanted a good ending for them so they removed the thin, narrow, Red Room window from Luke's 2 year sober shot to make it look like it's real. So the red cake was intended. I think the dead in the house ending is stronger. I always felt like the ending we got was a really random tonal shift that made no sense. The happy ending didn't track with what we were given before.

[@Mokai]

I love how nearly everything you say to describe "Pastel Olivia" could be also be used to portray Morticia Addams

[@aria5614]

I actually think Mrs. Walker had PTSD, and is surrounded by active triggers for it. Whiiiich is probably dragging her husband's ghost over to her. Not that she needs to move on but grieve him properly. [And move away from that intersection/fix that leaky pipe]

[@IrrationalNash]

This is my favorite horror show. I rewatch it too much if I'm being honest, and I didn't even catch half of these. Thank you for making me love this show even more! Edit: Now that I fully finished the video and heard why you didn't love it as much, I can agree with you cause it does feel a little humbled at the end but I always saw it as how chaotic that specific day was to a point that very few people know exactly how the day went down. It's like unraveling a ball of yarn. Anyways, I'd love to see you do a video on The Haunting of Blair Manor. I also love it, not as much as Hill House, but I feel that maybe the things Hill House didn't fully nail down gets better in this one. Also, have you noticed how everything Mike makes the episode 5 feel like the catalyst of everything? I've watched plenty of his works (except Midnight Mass, not my cup of tea tbh) and EP5 is always the most explosive imo.

[@Littlestraincloud]

I usually dislike watching Hill House essays because it's such a personal show and fascination of mine. I've seen the whole thing 10+ times, putting it on when I can't sleep (I switched to Bly however, because it has no loud jumpscares). I watched your whole essay, nodding in approval at your explanation and analysis. Thank you for covering both their gifts, and the house being a venus fly trap ala the internet horror story: The Dionaea House. I think that the house "ate" the real Poppy and used her as a puppet and did the same thing to Olivia. Poppy was mentally ill, yes, and I could see the spirits of her dead children lingering causing a further mental degradation and seeing the fixed state of undeath as positive--but I don't think the real Poppy would have tried to kill children. She is the light on the end of the angler fish's antennae. Disagree about the confetti speech though. It decimates me every time.

[@nortys7753]

Episode 6 is hands down the best episode of all TV shows history.

[@Alexander_Nafait]

One of my favorite creators making an almost 2 hour long video on possibly my favorite series of all time has me giddy as hell, thank you.

[@FashionableCrow]

I live for your long-form analysis vids for basically everything, but the branch to horror shows/books has been awesome

[@GregoireChevalier-i5r]

The 6th episode is probably the best episode of the history of TV shows.

[@blondebomber-qo2uy]

@GregoireChevalier-i5r Depending in the day I always say episode 6 of hill house or battle of the bastards from thrones. Just masterpieces, both of them!!

[@Irrlichtwinter]

I have complicated feelings about The Haunting of Hill House. It is an amazing piece of cinematography, and it has so many deeply resonant scenes. But I can't help but notice that a story written by a woman about a woman's experience was reframed to focus on two men (Steven and Hugh). Also, and this is personal preference, I would have liked more thematic coherence between the ghosts and the Crane family. Especially Poppy Hill feels so out of left field to me, she disrupted my immersion into the story on first watch. That said, the acting performances are so good, and the cinematography so skilled, that I feel overall fondly of The Hounting of Hill House, even if it isn't a favourite for me the way it seems to be for many other people. Interestingly, I prefered some of the episodes and scenes that were too slow for Mert (the beginning of Two Storms, Nel's monologue...).

[@pande1461]

Odd, because I felt that there was slightly more focus on the female characters, but all in all it was pretty balanced. We essentially start off from Stephen's book and our perspective broadens as we see more and more of the other siblings' sides. Poppy stands out quite a bit (she's pretty flashy and in-your-face), but I actually prefer the vagueness of not delving into the ghosts too much; it helps create a more unsettling atmosphere when you can't grasp everything you see.

[@docsaico]

The funeral home episode is my favorite, but also one of my favorite episodes of TV of all time. Reminded me of the Fly episode of Breaking Bad. And the continuous shot throughout was so breathtaking to me, it stuck with me for so long.

[@flutterg1035]

"The house mocked him and then killed his wife." This is such a perfect quote.

[@nekograce7914]

I was describing this to my friend who doesn’t like ghost stories. I told her at its core it’s not a ghost story it’s a story about family and grief. That said the bowler hat man terrifies me. I don’t believe in ghosts but that one, he got me. I, as a grown adult, ran to my dad. I found my second watch about a year later was so much more heartbreaking because the realization of what certain moments mean, certain comments…. I cried in places the second time I didn’t while watching initially. I adored Stephen so much more.

[@HailSaiytan_]

My favorite analyst KZbinr & my current favorite show while I’m having one of the worst endometriosis flare ups to date 😭 this video while I’m bedridden & bored is literally all I could ask for. Thank you so much once again for an amazing video 🥹💕

[@MertKayKay]

I hope you feel better soon Saiytan :( you poor thing

[@themanwiththeaxe._.136]

Mert your videos are the best “video essay” type content on KZbin keep up the AMAZING work💗💗

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you so much, got me crying in bed lmfao (just woke up)

[@josephine-rt6jw]

Gugino and Thomas both being in Geralds Game is kind of relevant actually! Geralds Game was also directed by Flannagan, he likes to work with the same actors a lot I think - there's even easter eggs in geralds game about Midnight Mass (one of Flannagans other shows)

[@MertKayKay]

Wow! I didn't know that

[@Solsev]

The Crones of Crookback Bog was a nice touch, I had an unsettling feeling during the "Parents" section, and it took a moment to figure out why.

[@smolinarifilms2851]

I’ve watched the show so many times and consumed any media I could find on it and this is the most perceptive and intelligent analysis I’ve ever watched. I always love hearing your takes 😊

[@moxiemaxie3543]

I loved Bly Manor. As a mother I connected with the lady in the lake. Dealt with DA and connected with Jessica. Then theres the themes of spirits getting dementia

[@TitanHellmouth]

A comment about Two Storms' dialogue between the family being slow; I would argue that it isn't about Nell at all, but actually about how the family as a whole is fractured and seperate that these stories have such different perspectives. It's to show how these family members are, at this point, so physically close but so emotionally separate from one another. That and it portrays how each character percieves the past, giving us a better understanding of their individual characters. All in all I believe Nell in this episode, and throughout the whole series really, is just a catalyst to showcase the other characters c:

[@abbypierce4196]

SO looking forward to binging this video later. This show absolutely floored me when I first watched it, and it hit much harder after my mom unexpectedly passed away. It’s dark and tragic but also has moments of love and beauty.

[@aria5614]

"She is aware it is changing according her whims To keep her quiet for its consumption" is such a messed up line. Aaaaaahahaha I love how much I hate it. Good writing.

[@MicroSeraphim]

I think you are wrong about episode 6. Having gone to so many funerals of close loved ones, this episode has some raw realism to all the supernatural things going on. At many a loved ones funeral we talked about them as kids, little stories about them, etc. It has a realistic feel to it. It hurts. I can feel the sorrow as I have BEEN there.

[@brianamitchell5475]

Mike Flanagan said that he initially meant to have the red room window behind Luke in the at ending scene at his sobriety party. But he changed his mind in the end. I think the red cake was a call back/hint to that original sad ending. This review is amazing.

[@michaelandrews117]

Midnight Mass is my favorite, and probably technically the best of his shows, but Hill House has a special place in my heart and is a masterpiece in its own right.

[@GlitterFlame89]

I LOVED this series. I rarely get through anything these days, and this had me absolutely enthralled. Great video on it.

[@anamartin5471]

"don't overanalyze a child's drawing"?? Ahh yes, they keep thinking that as if child psychologists haven't been using them as an analysis tool for ages lmao Btw love your videos!❤ Spanish audience here:)

[@jackalopexjackalope9870]

This show was just so heartbreaking and almost physically painful to watch and yet I couldn’t stop. An incredible masterwork in storytelling. I never noticed the red cake and I am so glad, I blithely believed in the happy ending and didn’t doubt it 😅 Thank you for yet another wonderful in depth analysis!

[@shiraya318]

I cannot describe the absolute excitement I felt seeing that you posted a video about haunting of hill house

[@R.T.-lo9fn]

I enjoyed The Haunting of Bly Manor significantly more on the first watch, but listening to your commentary made me want to re-watch Hill House. Thank you for a great, well thought through episode. I really enjoyed finding out several things I didn't notice during my first watch ❤

[@Kyliefer]

YESSS I’ve been wanting more hill house video essays & ur one of my fav video essayists LETS GOOO

[@PinnePon]

I appreciate you shouting out the redditor. Im sure they'd really appreciate that

[@rajaryan-fe1oy]

Really excited for this, perhaps the only horror story that has stuck with me this hard apart from Shinning and IT, it has a certain amount of heart to it that many of not just horrors lack but stories lack in general, and for that I'll always appreciate it

[@katc3234]

I'm sorry that the Funeral episode didn't work for you. Personally, as someone who has experienced sudden funerals of people about Nell's age, I feel the episode is a masterclass in creating that off-kilter feeling that happens in that kind of funeral, especially when you're family standing around trying to figure out what to do with yourself while you wait for the events to begin. It's absolutely a place where some of the stories are stupid and boring and feel like they just go on and on, but there's also this heightened tension and sense that time has just stopped altogether and you might never leave this purgatory of mourning. That episode is so good at capturing that specific feeling that it unnerves me every time. I think it's beautifully done.

[@ngrey651]

Gotta say I found it total bullshit that the house could just put out a GASOLINE FIRE like it’s no big deal. That came off as a total cop out, even Room 1408 could be burned up.

[@pande1461]

Or maybe Luke never actually lit the fire to begin with, and the house just let him _think_ he did, like it showed Nell the vision of her family and husband. Maybe he just stood there with the canisters and matches, seeing himself lighting the fire until finally snapping out of it and realizing that he hadn't actually done anything at all.

[@Melissa-tw2gp]

This is a wonderful analysis. Thank you for your hard work! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have trouble rewatching this excellent series because it’s so emotionally challenging. Luke’s actor in particular tears me to pieces with his facial expressions alone.

[@ARaccoonplays]

I love your writing so much! This show brought some memories, so I'm really attached to it. It was such a pleasure to hear you talking about it with such care and detail 🖤

[@icymoons]

I rewatched the confetti speech the day after I found out my cousin committed s*icide. I always loved it before but it was the first time it actually made me cry. This show just carries a different weight when you're going through grief. I'm glad I had this show then.

[@Sleepvertical]

Omg bestie is back with another longform video analysis of another horror series I love. I agree with the ending sentiment, that it is one of the best re-watch shows once you know what is happening. I think horror depending - gets cast off as "not rewatchable" once you know the scares. But certain series / movies IE Hereditary and The Haunting of Hill House get recontextualized with a rewatch in a really positive way.

[@MareaRayneOleander]

Love the teal hair! The color looks great on you💛🤍💜🖤

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you so much!!

[@pumpkinbisque3196]

i finished watching midnight mass last night and feel like i have a hole in my chest, so this video coming up now feels serendipitous. mike flanagan has a tendency to monologue that can be annoying, sure (it got to me in certain points of midnight mass even though i absolutely adored the whole show) but i think it works for me because i also have a tendency to monologue. i love how grounded his works are even when they're absolutely terrifying; each one of his netflix series's i've seen (which is all of them except the midnight club) has made me cry like a little baby multiple times. i LOVE this video so very much and i appreciate your incredibly nuanced and very funny takes on media that i've seen and never interacted with alike. cheers, mert!

[@zebreezie]

So I'm currently rewatching the series, and to back you up on your point about Mr. Dudley being Mr. Hill's illegitimate heir - you're definitely right. In episode 7, he mentions to Hugh that his mother was kitchen staff in the house and he was born on the property. Thank you for such a great video that highlighted a lot of details about the show that I'd never noticed before. I'd love to see you maybe do one on Bly one day as well.

[@dcrossman]

Funny how things work out. I just started reading this two days ago. I'll be back to watch the video once I've finished the book.

[@DarkwaveMistress]

I personally interpret the red cake as trauma. It never really leaves you, even in the best times. But it becomes more and more harmless with time.

[@lanoraphillips4298]

This video is fantastic! Your character analysis was so thorough! as a long time fan of this show you reminded me all of the reasons that i love it/need to rewatch!! Hahaha

[@luce9988]

The cup of stars speech is actually from Shirley Jackson's book! Although the book is quite different, I think it means the same: the demand for a cup of stars might be a childish thing, but Nell (in the book) wishes she could hold onto that sense of whimsy and wonder without shame like a child would. Likewise, in the show Olivia wants her children to stay innocent and hold onto their cup of stars.

[@chel3062]

Really, really great analysis. I had never thought about the use of red and what that might mean about Luke's 2 year anniversary cake at the end. What a heartbreaking realization. Lol Quickly, I just want to shout out what is for me a major highlight of the series, and that is Mr. Dudley's monologue to Hugh. I usually cringe at monolgues on tv. They often feel unnecessary and a little too preachy. But I completely credit the actor and his incredibly natural delivery for making that speech so different from what I'm used to. There's nothing preachy about it. He's so humble, and his concern feels so genuine. It's absolutely a scene I look forward to.

[@emamartinjak3754]

This is by far my favourite of your videos so far! I have watched and rewatched so many of your gaming analyses and I just know I'm going to come back to this one when I sit down to crochet next. My love of this video might have something to do with my own obsession with Haunting of Hill House, but your understanding of the story is so brilliant that I can't just chalk it up to my own special interests. I really hope you sit down to make videos like this about Bly Manor and House of Usher sometime! :>

[@MetalMew2]

As a genre Haunted or cosmic places are a kind of tabula rasa that we can project our inner-fears or conscious dislikes and revulsions around taboo subjects like death, mental illness, morality, amorality, causality, probability, etc. The ghost are Traumas which we can feel and suspect lay dormant inside Genes, DNA, Between spaces we traverse, think of anxiety and impatience along what people consider to be "Just a long tunnel" could explain the changes to a vulnerable character, or someone with low tolerance/high stress situation for claustrophobic persons.

[@yukitty_writes]

i havent stopped watching you but i havent been commenting on your recent posts but this was such a good analysis of this tv show ive never heard of with well balanced criticism while using overwhelming praise. i think that the decision to focus on the ghosts being real was very interesting, because even from your analysis i found there was a lot of basis in the idea that the ghosts are figments of the famiy's issues (and evidently, black mould....thatll do it) but the ability to pick a position and still show aspects of the opposing one is a skill that not many people have. i also loved how you acknowledged that some of the ghosts had more symbolism as opposed to other ghosts. i loved the indepth analysis of each of the characters and thought it was well stuctured too. i think that the truth rests somewhere in between but you do have to pick a position, of course, unless you want to do a three part series analysing each position (which tbf, i would definitely watch, but is undeniably too much work) anyway, all this to say, great video!!

[@aimeedinov7029]

I remember being perplexed that they had Henry Thomas as Hugh wear those crazy blue contacts. Having the older actor Timothy Hutton wear dark brown ones would’ve kept up the continuity in a less distracting way. Really enjoyed the video and loved Hill House when it first came out.

[@egress8445]

LOVED this video, I'm a huge fan of all the Mike Flanagan shows and I really liked the way you broke it down. I would be delighted to see similar videos for Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, etc. in the future.