This year saw a ton of great television shows, as well as performances that made viewers return week after week, or marathon a whole new show in a day or two. One of those much-talked about series is The Haunting of Hill House, a new Netflix drama that focused on a large family terrorized by the supernatural in their home, resulting in trauma that would last a lifetime. While many viewers might have wanted to see it win a ton of awards this year, The Haunting of Hill House was snubbed by the 2019 Golden Globes, failing to receive a single nomination.
On Dec. 6, the nominations for the 2019 Golden Globes were announced live, a month before the January ceremony. And when it came time to announce the television nominees, Hill House was not among those names called. These egregious Hill House snubs might have been expected by anyone familiar with award shows like these. The show, though a drama, is also heavily considered "genre TV" thanks to its horror (and supernatural) element. And genre TV, outside of drama and comedy, of course, is rarely recognized by the Golden Globes. However, given the stellar performances by the show's main cast, along with the amazing quality of filmmaking, it's still a huge disappointment.
The Haunting of Hill House was inspired by the 1950s book of the same name, by Shirley Jackson. It traced the harrowing effects a house had on a young family, and how the ghosts of the house followed some of them to their deaths. Again, it is horror due to its many jump scares and ghosts, meant to elicit temporary terror in the viewer, but despite its identity as a "genre" show, it's so much more than the scares.
Of course, being horror doesn't automatically make something bad or unworthy of awards love, and neither does an awards snub. Still, what's disappointing about this isn't that all of a sudden Hill House isn't considered good, it's that the show really did have the potential to break that barrier that typically arrises between genre TV and prestigious award shows.
There are many times that Hill House shows its award-worthy acting and storytelling, but Episode 6, "Two Storms," might be one of the best, for both that and also camera-work. Audiences might find themselves already attached to the family at this point, but it truly takes a turn when all five remaining Crain family members, and Shirley's husband Kevin, have a serious deadlocked argument in front of Nell's open casket. Not only are you mesmerized in the drama of it all, but it also highlights some of the best dramatic portrayals in TV this year. Not to mention that Carla Gugino wasn't even in that scene, and her role in Hill House just screamed "nomination," as well.
"Two Storms" also has a later scene just as enthralling, but this time because of the house. In a scene when the family was younger and still living in the house, Nell goes missing during a very nasty thunderstorm. The family has to go through the maze-like house trying to find her as it gets more and more intense and almost suffocating in its urgency. That feeling is achieved through the fact that it's an incredible one-take, real-time scene, and it must've involved a ton of set-switching, mark-hitting, and expert directing.
The rest of the season doesn't falter from that level of expertise. So really, the show should have received at least one nomination. But instead it was egregiously looked over and not included among the likes of Pose, The Americans, and Killing Eve. And to say The Haunting of Hill House fans are angry is an understatement.
Again, it's not odd that a horror TV show wasn't nominated for a major award, and it also doesn't mean that Hill House will never get a nod. If the filmmakers decide to make more seasons, then fans still have a chance to see it receive at least some award show love in the future. In the meantime, to take your mind off of the snub, go and rewatch Episode 6 immediately.
