Shirley Crain serves as one of the chief protagonists of Mike Flanagan's horror series The Haunting Of Hill House. The eldest sibling of the dysfunctional Crain family, Shirley owns a mortuary with her husband. She's often shown as having a moody personality as she tends to exert control over the people around her.
The sense of borderline superiority complex that she feels is justified to an extent as she has also helped her family by going to great lengths. She helped in financing Theo's rehab, emotionally supported Nell during her wedding, and later hosted her funeral. An overprotective character, Elizabeth Reaser's portrayal of Shirley drew immense praise.
She's Most Probably Named After Shirley Jackson
While the showrunners never officially confirmed this, a universal consensus amongst audiences in fan forums is that Shirley was most probably christened in the likeness of Shirley Jackson, the author of the original The Haunting of Hill House. The show borrowed inspiration from the novel but added several new storylines and characters, Shirley being one of them.
The American novelist is widely recognized for her mastery over psychological terror. She became the subject of popular fancy yet again last year, thanks to the semi-biopic Shirley (starring Elisabeth Moss in the titular role).
Shirley Represents A Stage Of Grief
One of the most interesting interpretations of the Crain siblings involves categorizing them under each of the five stages of grief. For instance, Steve represents Denial due to his continuous ignorance of the paranormal happenings at Hill House. Even Mike Flanagan has given his approval to this theory.
Someone like Shirley would represent the stage of Anger in this scenario. Obvious instances of her anger are represented when she critiques Steve's decision to adapt their family trauma into a series of best-selling novels. She also expresses anger over her late sister Nell, wishing that she never died by suicide. Along with her pent-up guilt over an affair, Shirley often takes out her anger on the others around her.
This Isn't Lulu Wilson & Elizabeth Reaser's First Project Together
In The Haunting of Hill House, Lulu Wilson plays a younger version of Shirley while Elizabeth Reaser plays the character as an adult. While Wilson has also had previous experience in the horror genre with movies like Deliver Us From Evil and Annabelle: Creation, she had joined forces with Reaser in Ouija: Origin of Evil.
Following up a critically-panned Ouija film, Origin of Evil turned out to be a successful venture for Hill House director Mike Flanagan. Reaser and Wilson starred in the film as a mother-daughter duo who encounters a paranormal influence triggered by an Ouija board.
James Flanagan Plays The Funeral Director
In the scene detailing Shirley's own hypothetical funeral, a friendly-looking man holds her hand and walks her down to the casket. The scene is one of many imaginary scenarios in which the Crain siblings are forced to confront their fears.
Credited as Funeral Director, the character was played by James Flanagan who happens to be Mike Flanagan's brother. James Flanagan also appeared in several films directed by his brother, including Gerald's Game and Doctor Sleep.
Twilight References
Elizabeth Reaser has been a familiar face in the Twilight franchise, having played the role of Esme Cullen, the leader of the Olympic coven and Edward Cullen's adoptive mother. Esme Cullen's husband Carlisle is subtly referenced in The Haunting of Hill House as Shirley's husband Kevin (Anthony Ruivivar) recommends sending Nell's body to a mortician named Carlisle.
Interestingly, in the flashback sequences, Shirley also adopts a few kittens, one of whom is named Jasper. In Twilight, Jasper Hale is one of Esme Cullen's adopted sons.
Shirley's Son As Daredevil
The Marvel character Daredevil is referenced in both timelines of the show. Earlier, Steve expresses his desire to dress up as the costumed superhero for Halloween. In the present-day, Shirley's son Jayden also dresses up as Daredevil for Halloween.
His costume of choice is the minimalistic black outfit (also dubbed as the 'ninja Daredevil' costume) that was popularized by the first season of the Netflix series Daredevil.
The Actresses Playing Shirley & Leigh Appeared In Grey's Anatomy
Lulu Wilson and Elizabeth Reaser weren't the only Hill House alumni to have had a previous on-screen connection. Even Samantha Sloyan, the actress portraying Leigh Crain, had a recurring role in Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Penelope Blake.
As for Reaser, she guest-starred in the same medical drama as Rebecca Pope for over 18 episodes. In fact, her stint at Grey's Anatomy landed her a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
Quote From The Original Film
Before the show, the novel served as an inspiration for a couple of films, the most prominent being The Haunting. The 1963 cult classic involves a scientist Dr. John Markway investigating the paranormal happenings of Hill House, as he invites a psychic called Eleanor and a past tenant Theodora (aka Theo). The haunted house happens to be inherited by a certain Mrs. Sanderson whose heir Luke accompanies the group of protagonists.
'It's taken 60 million years to create the carnivorous biped you see before you.' This is how Dr. Markway describes Luke to Theo and Eleanor. This quote has been repeated verbatim in the final episode of the series as a stranger in a bar makes conversation with Shirley. It turns out Shirley is recounting the night of her one-night stand while being in the Red Room.
Elizabeth Reaser's Mental Exhaustion As Shirley
Playing the part of Shirley required Elizabeth Reaser to step out of her comfort zone. As the character is often involved in embalming the dead, the actress had to get accustomed to a lot of dead bodies. She accompanied a mortician in Georgia and analyzed the everyday work required for such a profession.
Of course, Reaser succeeded at concealing her fears as she sank her teeth into the character of Shirley, but reaching that stage was a mentally exhausting process. As she told Bustle in an interview, shooting for the show felt like 'grieving for nine months'.
Foreshadowing The Red Room
Right in the opening scenes, Hugh Crain checks upon his children at night only to find young Shirley mumbling in her sleep. 'Dancing in the Red Room' might not have made sense for viewers initially but by the finale, the significance of the Red Room becomes quite evident.
Shirley foreshadows the presence of the Room even in the second episode as she gets up from her sleep all of a sudden, and says, 'Nellie's in the Red Room'.