1. The Two Timelines
The show takes place in two different timelines, one from the Crain children's time spent in Hill House, and then one 20 years later, in present time.
These differing timelines help develop the story in a unique way, where we actually get to see the backstory of what happened to them at Hill House, and how much they've changed since then. And more importantly, how their experience there still haunts them.
2. The Character Episodes
In the first half of the season, each episode focuses on a different Crain child.
Though the episodes aren't entirely just about them, the main focus is on telling a specific moment or experience from Hill House in each's character's childhood, and then showing how it affected each of them differently 20 years later.
This is such a unique way to tell a story, because this gave the writers a chance to make viewers connect and feel for each character separately, instead of trying to cram 5 different backstories and the present day conflicts into just 10 episodes.
Developing these characters separately gave the writers a chance to then focus on plot and reveal for the other 5 episodes of the season, at which point the viewers would have already grown to know and care for each character.
3. The Casting
The fact that the casting director seemed to find the perfect cast for this show amazes me.
Although it's easy to tell who is who in the past vs. the present simply by calling characters by their names, this show makes it even better by choosing child actors who look so much like their older counterparts.
This is just another cool element because it makes it easier to differentiate each character and their stories, both past and present ones.
4. The Acting
Speaking of the acting, you've can't have a show that's a "masterpiece" without amazing actors. The chemistry between all of the Crain siblings and their parents is so real and emotional that it makes it way easier to believe they are related.
There are so many dramatic, angry, sad scenes throughout the season, and these actors, both older and younger, portray those emotions and reactions so well, which further helps viewers connect with the characters and the storyline in general.
5. The Suspense
No good horror show is made simply out of things jumping out and people dying. Suspense is something that tends to scare people more than the actual thing they should be scared of.
The anxiety of what is going to happen or what could pop out at any moment had me clutching my blanket and hiding my face throughout each episode. The best thing is, this suspense is kept throughout the whole season, mainly because the rate of reveal is so deliberately thought out.
You spend multiple episodes wondering what happened to a character, or mainly, what truly happened to the Crain family back at Hill House. But one of the most suspenseful and mysterious questions is: what exactly is in the Red Room?
6. Episode 6
I was just going to do the cinematography in general, but I was going to mainly end up talking about this episode anyway, because...wow.
This episode, being kind of a segway from the character-driven episodes to the more plot-driven episodes might be my favorite of the season.
This is mainly because this episode contains 2 long one-take scenes. Basically, these two scenes went on for almost 20 minutes with no cutting, no giving the actors chances to recover or remember their lines, they had to do it all in one take.
With the help of sets being connected and camera angles and panning tricks, this episode is a masterpiece in itself, especially since the whole episode is only composed of 5 different shots.
7. The Ghosts
Saved the best for last. One of the scariest thing to me in this show isn't the stuff that jumps out, it's the stuff that stays hidden.
In almost every scene at Hill House, if you pause the TV or look closely enough, you will find hidden ghosts lurking in hallways or in the shadows, in windows and doorways.
This just adds to the suspense element, because the viewer is seeing something that the Crain family doesn't even know is there. What's more terrifying, however, is the fact that for most of these ghosts, they even remained hidden to the viewers.
Many people can't even see the background ghosts unless they are deliberately looking for them, and even then, some go unnoticed. That scares me the most because it had me wondering...what if there are things around me that I simply can't see?
So yes, everyone should watch this show. To be completely honest, I cried more than I screamed. That's what I call quality TV, when you can get viewers crying at the end of a horror series.