The Uncanny and The Haunting of Hill House

One example of the uncanny which is popular today is the Netflix adaptation of Shirley Jackson's gothic horror tale The Haunting of Hill House. The show follows the Crane family as they reflect on their time spent as children in Hill House and how it still affects them as adults. Some examples of the uncanny in the series are the double, as well as the idea of an inanimate object, the house, becoming animate, and childhood repressed memories appearing in adulthood.

The double appears throughout the show as Nelly Crane is plagued with the sighting of 'the bent neck lady' from childhood and again when she is an adult. Nelly struggles with these visions and even attributes them to the cause of adverse events in her life. Freud's idea that the double becomes a 'harbinger of death' becomes clear when viewers learn that bent neck lady is, in fact, Nelly herself.

The most uncanny character throughout the series is the house itself. Throughout the show each episode slowly reveals that the house somehow has a motive of its own for its residents and manipulates them into acting out its plans. We learn toward the end that the house wants to keep the Crane family, essentially absorbing their essence or soul in some way so that they reside within its walls forever. The house relates to Freud's idea of being fearful of something which is usually familiar, and also the notion that an inanimate object like a house can become alive.

The most obvious theme throughout the series is how childhood memories resurface in adulthood and cause fear and uneasiness among the siblings. The Crane's have spent most of their lives trying to forget Hill House and how it affected them as children causing them to lose their mother. After Nelly dies in the house, the sibling's memories and fears of the house begin to return to them, and they have to face fears that they have spent their lives trying to avoid.

There are many examples of the Uncanny in Shirley Jackson's Haunting of Hill House. However, these examples are the most obvious to viewers throughout the series. The house itself is probably the most creepy aspect of the show knowing that something that is not living and represents stability, togetherness, and safety could become a sinister character is a disturbing thought.