As we flit between the present and 26 years ago, the Crain family have to face a tragedy and reflect on harbingers from their past.

After the excellent series opener, things understandably slow down a little to build up the back story… and frankly that’s a relief, because you couldn’t spend ten hours at that initial pace. In a trend that carries forwards we get the opportunity to spend time with the individual family members, both in the now and the past, with the spotlight here on Shirley, who’s a mortician. She’s revealed to be very sympathetic to the plight of her clients (living and dead) and indeed is being a little too generous with some.

There’s a real heartbreak behind Elizabeth Reaser’s eyes as Shirley has the horrible task of preparing her younger dead sister for the funeral. But seeing as this is The Haunting of Hill House, the dead have a habit of not staying down… to shocking effect. Fans of the Shirley Jackson novel will appreciate the use of the loud banging on the walls… the rest of us just sit there behind our fingers as the children are terrified.

Verdict: With a greater focus on the people than the ghouls, Hill House’s second episode may not sustain the terror in the way that the premiere did, but there’s still plenty of frights to unnerve you. 7/10

Nick Joy