The Haunting of Hill House’s creator is here to shut down the show’s biggest rumor — that the Crain family is still stuck within Hill House…
The Haunting of Hill House is a compelling show for many reasons. The actors gave amazing performances as the Crain family and the cinematography was stunning. Above all, what make s the show so appealing to many fans is how many layers there are to the story.
So many metaphors about loss and trauma, so many little connections that come together to paint a dismally fascinating portrait of a family forever mourning. With all of this rich storytelling, it’s easy to come up with different theories and interpretations of the show — not just by fans but those who participated in the show as well.
Recently, one fan theory was supported by Oliver Jackson-Cohen, the actor who plays Luke. In an interview with TheWrap, Jackson-Cohen talked about a possible Easter egg that could mean the Crain children never escaped the Red Room and died there instead.
If you’ve been stressed out wondering if the series was meant to end on an ambiguous note or not, you can rest a little easier. The creator and director of the series, Mike Flanagan, is here to set the record straight. In reference to the theory that the Crains didn’t make it out alive, Flanagan tells TVLine:
"I’ve said a lot about the ending, and I’m reluctant to say more. I like that people are able to put their own spin on things, so I’m not eager to take that away from them. In this case, though, the ending can be read at face value."
He went on to explain that the ending was important to him because of the sacrifice that the Hugh Crain made.
"If they’re still in the Red Room, it robs Hugh’s sacrifice [and the show itself] of any meaning. For me, it ends exactly as it appears to."
So fear not about the Crain family — they are apparently fine and really did get those happy endings. Flanagan himself says he wanted to give the family some peace even though Nell, Hugh, and Olivia still died.
"I always looked at it as just having a hint of peace, just a glimpse into the fact that life goes on, and there’s some acceptance for the surviving characters. Acceptance, peace and a little forgiveness doesn’t lessen the loss they experience in that episode; it only shows that life has a way of going on, and that these characters are finally accepting of that."
While Flanagan says he loves that fans can still interpret things in their own way, we are pretty glad to get a straight answer about Hill House‘s ending.