Created by Mike Flanagan, the Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House has been capturing the attention of audiences and critics everywhere since its release in 2018. Based on the novel The Haunting of Hill House, written by Shirley Jackson and published in 1959, this series follows the Crain family and their disturbing and tragic time at Hill House. The Crain children Steven, Shirley, Theo, Luke, and Nellie are all grown up now with their own jobs and families, but are still suffering from the traumas of Hill House on a daily basis. We see them living their lives in the current time, in addition to flashbacks from their childhood, and witness first-hand how the horrific events that took place in their childhood home have charted the course of their adult lives.
Aside from the incredible story and screenplay, one of the most impressive aspects of The Haunting of Hill House is how cinematic the entire project feels. From the color grading to the camera work, Flanagan and his creative team did a remarkable job with this series, bringing to life a world within Hill House that has left a lasting impression. The second installment in the Haunting series is The Haunting of Bly Manor starring Victoria Pedretti, who played Nelly Crain in The Haunting of Hill House and also starred as Love in the Netflix original series You. Flanagan is also credited for creating Netflix’s Midnight Mass and The Midnight Club. As we await what else the horror director has in store for us at Netflix, here are all main characters in The Haunting of Hill House, ranked.
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7 Steven Crain
Netflix
Steven is the oldest of the Crain children and the sibling who believes the least in the supernatural. Steven is convinced that a mental illness that runs in their family is the reason why his mother Olivia and youngest sister Nellie committed suicide. His resentment words his father Hugh comes from not wanting to believe what he says about Hill House being haunted. Although Steven profits off of his family’s time at Hill House, writing best-selling books that have earned him plenty of money, he still finds everything in him to deny haunted houses and paranormal experiences — that is, until the truth is staring him in the face, and he is forced to confront what he knew deep down all along.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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6 Hugh Crain
Hugh Crain is the husband of Olivia and the father of Steven, Shirley, Theo, Luke, and Nellie. His family means the world to him, and keeping his children safe is his number one priority even if that means distancing himself and withholding the truth to protect them. He is used to fixing and rebuilding things, but when the damage that Hill House has done to his family becomes irreversible, he spirals. In his later years, Hugh does his best to explain his choices to his children and help them understand what really happened during their childhood.
5 Shirley Crain
Shirley, played by Elizabeth Reaser, is the second-oldest Crain child and probably the most persistent. She is very type-A, hands-on, and a bit of a control freak. Shirley’s time at Hill House made her confront death on more than one occasion. When the stray kittens she decides to take care of all die in mysterious ways, this heartbreaking and confusing brush with death scars her for life. She becomes a mortician in her adult life and owns a funeral home with her husband, where she does all she can to make death as easy and comforting as it can be for other families, even if that means giving services away for free. Despite how perfect her siblings think she may be, Shirley is hiding dark secrets that are haunting her on a daily basis. As outlined by Nerdist, Reaser has worked with Flanagan on a number of projects before The Haunting of Hill House including Ouija: Origin of Evil.
4 Theo Crain
What makes Theo Crain such an interesting and beloved character is how sensitive she is. Even though she puts on a cold and distant exterior, she is actually an extremely emotional and vulnerable person. Theo has a gift similar to her mother in that she is able to feel what a person or thing is feeling based on a single touch. She uses her gift for good throughout her work as a child psychologist, but it can also be a curse. Theo has a breakdown when she touches her sister Nellie’s dead body and feels the most absent, cold, nothing feeling she’s ever experienced. This nothingness scares her so much that Theo does terrible things in an attempt to feel something again. Actress Kate Siegel does an incredible job in this role, and plays Theo with such power and quiet strength throughout The Haunting of Hill House.
3 Luke Crain
Luke’s story is one of the saddest out of all the Crain children in The Haunting of Hill House. His traumas and experiences with ghosts in Hill House lead him to drugs in his adult life. Luke becomes an addict and struggles to stay sober after not knowing how to process all the loss, pain, and confusion that he went through growing up. He is a gentle and kind soul who fell off the track and fights every day to stay clean. Luke’s twin sister Nellie is his rock, and the two of them share a special bond that allows them to feel what the other is feeling. Their relationship is one of the purest in the show and their love for one another is so special.
2 Olivia Crain
Liv Crain, played by Carla Gugino, is everything a mother should be. She loves her children unconditionally, she would do anything to protect them, and their happiness and safety are her number one priority. When the ghosts and spirits that haunt Hill House get it in her head that her children are in danger and need to be woken up from their bad dreams, Olivia starts to unravel. She begins to believe that in order to wake her children up and keep them safe from the horrors of the world, she must kill them. Once that has been done, they can stay safe in Hill House forever. She has no idea what she is doing in the end and is completely blinded by the fact that her children might be in danger.
1 Nellie Crain
Victoria Pedretti gives one of her best performances yet as the sweet, gentle, and beautiful youngest Chain child, Nellie. Her whole life, Nellie has been experiencing the presence of a shadow-like woman lurking in the dark with a bent neck. This woman, whom she refers to as “The Bent-Neck Lady,” first appeared at Hill House and has followed her through her adult life, showing up at her darkest moments. Nellie is paralyzed with fear when this haunting occurs, and the instances begin to affect her ability to live life. It isn’t until she meets Arthur, a man who loves her and cares for her, that The Bent-Neck Lady goes away. Nellie’s happiness is short-lived, though, due to Arthur’s unexpected death from a brain aneurysm. Just as Arthur disappears from her life, The Bent-Neck Lady returns and Nellie has no way to go on anymore.
