Here's The Haunting Of Hill House's Tall Man - AKA William Hill - explained. The Haunting Of Hill House is a loose adaptation of author Shirley Jackson's acclaimed horror novel, which concerned an investigation into the titular haunted mansion. It's received several notable adaptations, including 1963 classic The Haunting. This eerie black and white chiller plays more on psychological scares that ghosts jumping out at characters, and has a regular spot on lists of the best horror movies ever made.
The Haunting received a lamentable remake in 1999 from Speed director Jan de Bont. This version starred Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones but ditched the psychological approach of the 1963 version in favor of loud jump scares and an overdose of CGI. The most recent The Haunting Of Hill House adaptation came from Netflix and was directed by Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep), which reinvented the story as a literally haunting family drama. The series received praise for its fantastic performances and genuine scares, while the upcoming second season will focus on a new group of characters.
The Haunting Of Hill House is littered with creepy ghosts, including some that are well-hidden in the background of scenes. One of the most unnerving spirits haunting Hill House is the Tall Man, who is an incredibly lanky spirit who torments poor Luke Crain (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) throughout most of his life. This is because Luke stole the ghost's trademark bowler hat, and the spirit is later revealed to be William Hill.
The Haunting Of Hill House also reveals the actual house itself is a living thing, with the Red Room being its "stomach." The house was built by Jacob Hill, who apparently slipped and fell to his death from its roof. William's backstory is that his father Jacob sent him to an insane asylum when he was young, which is where he met future wife Poppy. His sister Hazel - who ran a bootlegging operation from the house's vast basement - despised both him and Poppy. The couple would bear two children who died under suspicious circumstances, while William - who was driven deeper into madness following their deaths - disappeared.
It's later discovered he committed suicide by walling himself up in the house, which may have also been shame from an alleged affair with a maid who became pregnant. Following the death of Hazel's own son, she and Poppy lived together in the house, causing it to swell with their boiling hatred for one another. William was later reborn in The Haunting Of Hill House as one of the many ghosts the house "swallowed," and proceeds to make Luke's life hell when he finds the bowler hat.