The sixth episode of Netflix’s supernatural horror drama, The Haunting of Hill House features a series of long takes that were seamlessly combined into one. The third segment was hard to complete and, due to technical issues, the people involved had one last chance to get it right. Creator Mike Flannagan knew this but didn’t say anything to the cast. As they were ready to shoot the final take, he said: “I’ve got a good feeling about this one.” They got the take before the equipment broke beyond repair. Of the episode’s 53 minutes and 38 seconds, 51 minutes are long takes. The Haunting of Hill House is one of the best horror television shows of the past decades. The audience and critics reviced the episode “Two Storms” with widespread acclaim.
We live in a world where creators take fewer chances and stories like this one are rarer. The thing that drew me to cinema was the fact that it was the closest I could get to magic. As I got older, I grew more disenchanted with the medium. As technology advanced, it was easier for creators to use a green screen than to find creative solutions. Creating long takes is incredibly difficult, but whenever I encounter one of those scenes, it makes me feel like a child again. For the most part, The Haunting of Hill House was a solid show, but what made it stand out was “Two Storms”.
There are numerous examples of creators going above and beyond to entertain their audience. Tom Cruise made a career doing that. We overuse the word amazing, but I’m comfortable using that adjective to describe his stunts. Quentin Tarantino is a perfectionist and shoots the same take repeatedly until he gets it right. In the first season of the award-winning HBO show True Detective, the episode “Who Goes There” features a six-minute take where the main protagonist takes part in a raid. Director Cary Joji Fukunaga had to fight for it. I’m glad he did. While I barely remember details about the show, I think about that episode often. As soon as the episode was over, I read a couple of articles about how the people involved made that.
The fact that any movie gets made is a miracle. But when filmmakers go above and beyond to please their audience and do something that seems impossible, I have to stop and watch. There’s a lesson that goes beyond cinema here: working hard pays off. Even if someone contradicts you and tells you no one will notice, someone will and your work will make their day.