The Haunting of Hill House cast: Who is who in the new Netflix horror series?

The Haunting of Hill House is the latest Netflix original series, this one based on the classic horror novel by Shirley Jackson.

However, while the new Netflix series is based on that seminal horror book, the story has changed, although the themes of the story remain the same.

With the new Netflix series getting rave reviews as a terrifying addition to this Halloween’s must-watch list, here is a look at all the characters you need to know from the next Netflix series.

Steven, the Big Brother

While he is supposed to be the one who protects the others, Steven is not someone who has been able to take care of himself. He is a horror author and writes true-life tales of the supernatural.

More from Netflix

However, as he admits, he embellishes much of it because he has never seen a ghost in real life, despite the events that occurred the night his father grabbed him and swept him out of Hill House.

Steven wrote the novel The Haunting of Hill House in the fictional world of the Netflix series.

Michiel Huisman plays an adult Steven while Paxton Singleton plays him as a child. Fans of television will recognize Huisman as Daario Naharis from Game of Thrones or as Cal Morrison in Orphan Black.

On a side note, he is possibly named after Stephen King, who named Haunting of Hill House the greatest haunted house novel he ever read.

Shirley, the Big Sister

Shirley is the big sister and is the one who seemed to step up to take care of the family. She was there for Nell on her wedding day, was there for Theo when she needed a place to live and was there for Luke when he needed to go to rehab. However, she quickly turned on Steven when he wrote his novel.

Shirley grew up to take on the role of a mortician, running her own funeral home. She has a big heart but seems the one strongest coming out of Hill House.

With that said, looks are deceiving and she has a lot to hide.

Elizabeth Reaser plays an adult Shirley and Lulu Wilson plays her as a child. Reaser is best known for playing Esme Cullen in the Twilight Saga.

Shirley is almost definitely named after Shirley Jackson, the author of The Haunting of Hill House.

Theo, the Middle Sister

Theo is the middle sister and the one who has shut her off the most from those around her. She has built up walls to keep the “crazy” out when it comes to her siblings, although she remains close to Shirley.

She wears gloves because she is not interested in physical contact.

Kate Siegel plays an adult Theo while Mckenna Grace plays her as a child. Siegel also worked with director Mike Flanagan on his Stephen King adaptation Gerald’s Game, which also starred Carla Gugino (who plays the mom in this Netflix series).

Theo is named after the character of Theodora from the novel, a possibly lesbian artist who was invited to the house to learn if it was really haunted.

Nell, the Younger Sister

Nell is the tragic younger sister who sees the Bent-Necked Woman in the Hill House when they were all kids. As the only one who really saw this scary woman, she carried those horrors in her memory to adulthood.

While it looked like she was going to turn out alright, it was Nell whose death in the first episode set the family on their journey back to Hill House.

Victoria Pedretti played an adult Nell and Violet McGraw played her as a child. Pedretti is a new actress, with her only work before The Haunting of Hill House in short films.

Nell is likely named after Eleanor, a young woman who spent her life caring for her invalid mother and is invited to Hill House to see if it is haunted.

Luke, the Younger Brother

Luke is the youngest brother and shared a room with Nell. He was always there when Nell would have her visions, although he never claimed to see anything.

However, Luke did see “imaginary friends,” specifically a girl he would see in the woods on the outskirts of Hill House. Over time, he eventually replaced these friends with heroin and became an addict that always relapsed no matter what his family did to help him.

Oliver Jackson-Cohen portrayed an adult Luke and Julian Hilliard played him as a child. Jackson-Cohen played Jonathan Harker in the 2014 TV series Dracula.

Luke was the young heir to Hill House in the novel.

Hugh, the Dad

Hugh is the father, a man who bought Hill House to restore it and flip it so that his family could finally build their dream house. He is a good father who is very protective of his children.

However, thanks to the events that happened at Hill House years in the past, he can’t live with what happened and became estranged from his kids in the years that followed the tragedy.

Timothy Hutton plays Hugh in the present day and Henry Thomas plays him in the past. Fans know Henry Thomas the young Eliott in E.T. and Hutton is an Academy Award-winning actor who later starred in Leverage.

In the novel, Hugh built the house for his wife and she died before they could move in, causing him to board it up, refuse to sell it, and wanted it kept empty.

Olivia, the Mom

Olivia is a loving mother who takes care of her children and helps Hugh when it comes to planning on the renovation of the home and the design of their future dream home, which she called the Forever House.

Olivia also has medical problems and when she gets stressed, she develops a migraine and starts to either blackout or see flashes of color.

Carla Gugino plays Olivia in the past. She is the only family member who is not there in the present day, as it is her death that drove the family from Hill House and haunts them all to this day.

In the novel, she died before ever stepping foot in the house.

The Dudleys

The Dudleys are the groundskeepers for Hill House. They were there before the Crain’s moved in and were kept there when they fled. They know there are bad things that happen there in the dark and always watch with a wary eye when the new tenants arrived.

Next. The Haunting of Hill House season 1 premiere recap. dark

That is the main characters for the Haunting of Hill House on Netflix. Did you watch the series? What were your thoughts? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook & Twitter for more on your favorite shows!

Make sure to stream The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix now.

Home/Netflix