The Haunting of Hill House
TV review
As of Aug 18, 2026, The Haunting of Hill House is rated 8.1/10 on TMDB (2,794 votes).
Is The Haunting of Hill House worth it in 2026?
An 8.1/10 on TMDB from nearly 2,800 votes signals genuine audience approval, but that score masks a show that earns it unevenly. The creepy atmosphere, dread-soaked episodes, and satisfying twists are real strengths, yet the same reviewers who praise those twists flag that the plot tips into convolution and the dialogue meanders badly enough to make the pacing feel genuinely tedious, two structural complaints, not occasional quirks. The horror credentials are flatly contested: one reviewer calls it not scary and overrated relative to its score, while others find it oozing with dread, which means the 8.1 may be driven largely by viewers who came for character drama and psychological tension rather than horror, a real trap if you're clicking based on the number alone.
Viewers who want psychological tension and family drama over consistent scares, and who can absorb slow, dialogue-heavy episodes without resenting the time investment.
The slow pacing and meandering dialogue are recurring structural complaints across multiple reviewers, not isolated gripes, and if you want tight, propulsive storytelling or traditional horror jolts, this show has two good reasons to frustrate you, not one.
ReviewPond's conclusion, drawn only from the verified scores and review themes on this page. Not a paid or editorial opinion.
Pros
- creepy atmosphere and scares2
see reviews +-
- Overall, it's a worthy effort. There are many creepy moments and nifty ghosts. Some episodes are oozing with dread and horror. It's twisty, as all new shows seem to be and the twis...
- Is the house really haunted or is everyone slowly just losing their minds? Not a stereotypical horror. In fact the scares could be quite few and far between but the characters cont...
- satisfying plot twists2
see reviews +-
- Overall, it's a worthy effort. There are many creepy moments and nifty ghosts. Some episodes are oozing with dread and horror. It's twisty, as all new shows seem to be and the twis...
- Is the house really haunted or is everyone slowly just losing their minds? Not a stereotypical horror. In fact the scares could be quite few and far between but the characters cont...
- character-driven narrative1
see reviews +-
- Is the house really haunted or is everyone slowly just losing their minds? Not a stereotypical horror. In fact the scares could be quite few and far between but the characters cont...
Cons
- excessive meandering dialogue2
see reviews +-
- Overall, it's a worthy effort. There are many creepy moments and nifty ghosts. Some episodes are oozing with dread and horror. It's twisty, as all new shows seem to be and the twis...
- Is the house really haunted or is everyone slowly just losing their minds? Not a stereotypical horror. In fact the scares could be quite few and far between but the characters cont...
- slow pacing2
see reviews +-
- Overall, it's a worthy effort. There are many creepy moments and nifty ghosts. Some episodes are oozing with dread and horror. It's twisty, as all new shows seem to be and the twis...
- This is probably most overrated TV-show. For 8.2% I was expecting something almost masterpiece, Godlike good TV-show, but it's not even close. First of all it's not scary, secondly...
- not scary1
see reviews +-
- This is probably most overrated TV-show. For 8.2% I was expecting something almost masterpiece, Godlike good TV-show, but it's not even close. First of all it's not scary, secondly...
Themes and quotes are drawn from 3 sampled reviews with text; the scores above reflect all 2.8K ratings. Counts are how many of the sampled reviews mention each point.