Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House was a true viral sensation when it was released in 2018. The horror anthology series chronicled the experiences of the central Crain family during their ill-fated summer spent at the titular Hill House, and how their stay at the haunted home affected their lives for decades thereafter. Try as they might, the Crains never could move on from their time at Hill House, and each member of the family was utterly changed, whether physically, emotionally, or intellectually.
In the world of The Haunting of Hill House, it’s hard to qualify exactly what intelligence means for the Crain family. Is it awareness of the supernatural? Acceptance of the role the demons of Hill House played in their lives? The difference between overcoming or succumbing? Or is it a combination of all of these things?
Those who walked at Hill House may have once walked alone, but through their journey across the series, the Crain family learned that their strength was most definitely found in numbers — and their intelligence, emotional or supernatural or otherwise, absolutely benefited from their union.
Steven Crain
It’s easy to make the case that Steven Crain is the most successful member of the Crain family, but by no means does that make him anywhere remotely close to the most intelligent of them. Though Steve goes on to write multiple haunting novels, including one profiting off his own family’s experience at Hill House, he is never able to believe in the reality of what happened until it is almost too late.
Willfully ignoring all that he witnessed during the Crain family’s stay at Hill House, Steven in effect stunted his own emotional growth, forever remaining the petulant teenaged older brother who was willing to accept responsibility only ever in words, not deeds — until the series’ final act.
Shirley Crain
Shirley is only marginally better off than Steven, in more ways than one, but she is at least open to the possibility of things not being right in the world of Hill House, even in her youth.
In the present, however, Shirley is perhaps just as stubborn and unwilling as Steven, with many of her actions dedicated to keeping up appearances and not disturbing the peace. Rather than connect with her family members, Shirley often withdraws into herself, heightening unnecessary conflicts and closing off potential connections that could have further aided the entire family in their decades-long journey.
Luke Crain
As one of the hyper-sensitive Crain twins, Luke is more attuned to the true nature of Hill House than some of his older siblings are, but years of substance abuse have dulled his senses and caused him to struggle with the knowledge he was so unwillingly given as a child.
Luke has his own unique supernatural traumas associated with Hill House, due to being haunted by William Hill, attacked by the burnt ghost, and befriending and losing poor little Abigail Dudley. He is all too aware of how wrong things are at Hill House, but as he has grown older, he has tried in vain to tamp that knowledge down. But he is also one of the first Crains to try (and fail) to tackle the beast that is Hill House on his own, which puts him well above some of his other siblings.
Theo Crain
Theo Crain might have the most edge and walls built up of any member of the Crain family, due to her hyper-empathic supernatural abilities. But her unique understanding of human emotions, traumas, and experiences makes her likewise uniquely qualified for her work as a child psychologist.
Theo endures more than one traumatic episode during the family’s stay at Hill House, as a result of those same empathic powers developing there. Her experiences with the supernatural continue into her adulthood, as she goes through more than one haunting episode during the present-day timeline in the series. She is able to see through all of her siblings’ behaviors and lies, which makes her best suited at taking them all to task and bringing the family together in the most unexpected of ways, even when she fails to meet their standards or expectations.
Olivia Crain
As the first Crain target of Hill House’s evil ways, Olivia Crain perfectly encapsulates just how powerful an entity the house truly is. Prior to her haunting, Olivia is a brilliant woman, gifted home renovator, and blueprint artist. She is open about her own sensitivities with her children, prone to migraines and emotional outbursts. She is well-versed in the arts and world religions and is regularly shown to be an incredible mother.
It is this last fact in particular that makes Olivia’s loss all the more tragic. Targeted through the love of her children, Olivia quickly falls prey to the sway of Poppy Hill in particular. But even in death, Olivia is all too keenly aware of the ways of the world, no matter how wrong her ill-conceived actions prior to her demist may have been.
Nell Crain
Olivia may have been the first Crain to die at Hill House, but she sadly wasn’t the last. Though poor Nell Crain would escape (at least physically) from Hill House in her youth, she would go on to be haunted by the house in so many ways all throughout her adolescence and adulthood. But for over two decades, Nell remained strong.
She dealt with night terrors and sleep paralysis, facing off with the Bent-Neck Lady and enduring trauma over and over again. She found love with Arthur, dealt with her pain and mental health issues in therapy and other religious avenues, and always wished the best for her family, even those who didn’t keep in contact with her. She saw through Hill House’s facade until her final moments, when she finally stopped fighting and allowed herself to be swayed. But even in the afterlife, Nell is all too understanding of the world, just as her mother before her, saving all of her siblings in the process.
Hugh Crain
As the only adult alive to tell the tale of what happened at Hill House the first time around, Hugh Crain was a man profoundly shaped by trauma and grief. He may have grown distant from his children and recused himself from his parental duties by leaving them in the care of their Aunt Janet, but in doing so, he devoted his life to the keeping of the secret of Hill House so that no other lives would be lost there.
He bore the brunt of the blame for all that happened at Hill House, blame from the world, the media, and his own family. He loved his children fiercely and loved his wife even in her darkest moments. He ensured no other family would be ruined by the hungry cavernous monster that was Hill House, even sacrificing his own life in the end to further sate the beast and keep his family — and so many others — safe.
