We finally find out what pushed Nelly to the brink, and the family gathers for her funeral.

These poor kids. Even before the credits have rolled, young Nelly is paralysed in fear as the ghost of a bent-necked phantom hovers over her head. Nelly, like brother Luke, was only six when they suffered their ordeal, and it’s no surprise that she’s in therapy. She still suffers from sleep paralysis, but her relationship with Arthur is a bright light in the darkness. Can she find happiness, or are all Crains destined for misery?

Victoria Pedretti has a role in Tarantino’s upcoming Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and she cuts a tragic figure as Nell. Like brother Luke, she had such a traumatic childhood that tragedy seemed the inevitable outcome and we watch in slow motion at the car crash of her last few days leading up to her return to Hill House. When she arrives it’s not quite what she (or we) expected, and there’s a shocking twist that brings things full circle.

As the family return to attend Nell’s funeral, parallels with Stephen King’s IT might strike you – a bunch of kids temporarily escape an insidious evil, only to return in adulthood to confront it following a death of of one of their own. The difference here being that they are related, and it’s an explosive reunion. Grudges, recriminations, guilt and secrets all surface as the family try to deal with their loss. As Theo knocks back the drink, it’s clear that this isn’t the only spirit in the parlour. Family gatherings can be fractious at the best of times, but this traumatised family all have skeletons in their closet, and something needs to happen to galvanise them to collectively confront the horrors that they previously ran away from.

Verdict: More secrets are revealed as ‘The World’s Unluckiest Family’ converge for a funeral in this addictive and thrilling horror serial. After 6 episodes of misery it feels like they’re due a lift, but I’ve no doubt that there’s more terror to come. 8/10

Nick Joy