The end-of-year holiday season may be upon us, but fans haven't stopped talking about or thinking about Netflix's horror masterpiece The Haunting of Hill House. The family-oriented fright fest has amassed universal praise for its dense storytelling and visual flair, and nearly everyone is hoping that creator Mike Flanagan and Netflix will reteam for Season 2. It turns out the filmmaker does have some ideas about a second season, but fans might not like what he had to say when asked about bringing the Crain family back.
I don't think so. I think we tied up all of those threads exactly how they should be. I don't really see a need to revisit those characters, even in cameos. I want to remember them the way we left them, and leave them to their lives.
That's the kind of quote that could easily inspire mini-revolts from fans who only want to learn more about the Crain family's complicated history and strained relationships. Mike Flanagan almost cursed himself by doing such a good job in structuring the events and characters within The Haunting of Hill House. He made the Crain siblings' dysfunctions as palpable as can be, even if viewers couldn't wholly sympathize with the ghost-tinged family. To leave them behind wouldn't be ideal, to say the least.
Of course, it's understandable why Mike Flanagan would feel that way about possibly returning to The Haunting of Hill House for Season 2. Not many stones were left unturned by the time the finale ended, and the Crain's ties to the house's mythology were fully laid out and seemingly severed, although one major theory points to a far darker ending.
Hill House star Paxton Singleton told CinemaBlend his hopes for Season 2 centered on the writing career of Steven Crain. His pitch was for the show to follow Steven for one or more of the supernatural incidents that were covered in his books. Now that he can legitimately believe in ghosts and evil spirits, perhaps he could stumble upon another severely haunted abode in his travels. But that would be a project for another filmmaker, I guess, since Mike Flanagan would presumably pass.
Of course, any and all fretting might be for naught, since Netflix hasn't actually put in an order for The Haunting of Hill House Season 2 yet. And according to Mike Flanagan, a decision on that front may not come for a while.
Mike Flanagan is currently filming Doctor Sleep, the Stephen King-penned sequel to the seminal classic The Shining. That highly anticipated project went into production relatively recently, and Flanagan told TVLine that conversations with Netflix about The Haunting of Hill House's future will likely be postponed until he's finished with Doctor Sleep. The horror sequel is set for a 2020 release, but fans hopefully won't have to wait that long to hear something more about where Hill House could go next.
Personally, I would love to see more from the Crain family in Season 2, although that's largely because of how well the characters were written, and how at home the actors felt within the roles. If Mike Flanagan and his creative team are able to craft an equally engaging and heartbreaking storyline for an equally talented acting ensemble, though, I already have popcorn waiting to pop in the Red Room.
Season 1 of The Haunting of Hill House is available to stream now on Netflix. To see what else is coming to the service and beyond in the future, head to our fall schedule and our midseason TV guide.
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