The Haunting Of Hill House: 10 Scariest Moments

Episode: 1x1- Steven Sees A Ghost

At this point, we aren't too familiar with the Crain family so don't care for them as much as we come to, but the show still manages to quicken our pulse despite that. It does so by tapping into one of man's greatest fears: the unknown.

The scene begins with dad Hugh waking up eldest son Steven in the middle of the night. Warning bells already: a child witnessing an adult in such a state of fear is powerful enough, regardless of any supernatural phenomena. Parents are meant to be fearless. What would scare your dad?

Hugh picks his son up, stressing that he should keep eyes shut. The viewer's mind spirals: what on earth warrants such fear to simply see it is a bad idea?

What follows, after a tense moment in which something on the other side of the door tries to get into the bedroom, is a mad dash for safety. Not too long to become boring, not too short to leave the audience underwhelmed, it's a masterclass in tension in the dreamlike environment of Hill House. It all passes with just enough time to hold your breath and let it out.

Father and son escape just in time. In a nice bit of symmetry, the final episode would feature Hugh leading Steven into the house, rather than away from it.