From his debut novel Carrie to more recent short story collections, Stephen King‘s storytelling is rarely anything but impressive. Whether he’s scaring us or making us feel heavy emotions, it’s hard not to get caught up in each tale. Recent adaptations like Carrie only prove how relevant his stories still are, whether they’re examining bullying or how people cope with unexpected challenges.
Given the author’s influence, it’s no wonder that other books, movies, and TV shows are often compared to his style, voice, and storytelling decisions. For instance, the six-episode Netflix thriller Below has been compared to Jaws and King’s work. But while a variety of stories are reminiscent of the masterful writer, Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House feels like a King story and is just as compelling.
‘The Haunting of Hill House’ Repeats Stephen King’s Perfect Formula
When thinking of Stephen King’s recurring themes and storylines, a few come to mind. He often writes about the experiences of child characters, contrasting the painful struggles of youth with the trauma that remains present when people grow up.
One thing that stands out about The Haunting of Hill House is its dual timeline. We see the Crains as kids and adults, and even after they no longer live in the mansion, they feel the horrifying effects. Like Stephen King’s famous story It — which has a 1990s miniseries adaptation and two movies from the 2010s — Hill House examines how childhood tragedies can seep into adulthood.
Mike Flanagan’s first Netflix thriller series goes even further, incorporating an emotional premise with the supernatural in a way that we can find even more compelling than King’s work. Pennywise is a terrifying threat in the past and present, and it’s unsettling to watch the adult Losers Club cope with awful memories and harsh present-day realities.
However, no adaptation of It can compete with the best part of Hill House: the Bent-Neck Lady storyline. Through the surprising reveal that Nell Crain (Victoria Pedretti) is this frightening figure and has been haunting herself, The Haunting of Hill House succeeds at asking weighty questions that King has been pondering in his work for decades.
Those include how some people can move forward while others struggle, how past mistakes and anxieties always inform the present, and how everyone just wants to be loved and appreciated. Carrie White and the Losers Club want people to care about them and see them for who they really are, and the Creed family in Pet Sematary doesn’t want to say goodbye to each other or lose their family unit.
Hill House also touches on how there’s more to this world than meets the eye and how ordinary people who face evil can attempt to win. When reaching the end of this 10-episode miniseries, it’s impossible not to feel moved.
Other Mike Flanagan TV Series Remind Us of Stephen King’s Work
Flanagan is a fan of King and has adapted some of his work. One of the most impressive examples is the Prime Video series Carrie. It’s unsurprising that King’s themes often show up in Flanagan’s series.
The Haunting of Hill House may be a solid example of a riveting thriller series that rivals Stephen King’s storytelling, but it’s not the only one. Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass has often been compared to the author’s books and adaptations, as it spotlights a creepy small town and has a lot to say about religion, family, and love.
The Midnight Club and The Fall of the House of Usher also feel King-esque, from dying teenagers in hospice care to a corrupt family coming to terms with the end of their lives.
The premises may be different from King’s beloved novels about a high schooler with telekinetic powers and Roland Deschain’s epic journey in the Dark Tower series. Still, Flanagan’s series explore big ideas like love, compassion, and what connects us, along with the unfair truth that sometimes, people suffer, as King’s work often shows.
Watch this if
- You love jump scares that are well-executed.
- You appreciate when a miniseries has a satisfying ending.
Skip this if
- You don’t want to watch a devastating series.
- You don’t like genuinely scary shows.
Will you watch this?
- Release Date
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2018 – 2018
- Network
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Netflix
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
