In a interview with Kevin McCarthy from FOX 5, from the cast of A Haunting of Hill House, Michiel Huisman, Elizabeth Reasar and Oliver Jackson-Cohen were asked if they had any real life experiences, whether ghost encounters or any nightmares. Michiel spoke first saying that he always had night terrors about being kidnapped by a witch and that they would always be reoccurring, and Elizabeth spoke up and said that she also had night terrors about being kidnapped, just not specifically by a witch. Oliver had a fear about being possessed. From what we know, these nightmares come from a fear of the unknown and that fear of the unknown is what sparks curiosity inside of us. These fears of nightmares, unconsciously, drew these actors after all these years to take on the role of the Crains and even other roles in horror series and movies. Ultimately, partaking in these works fuel actors or actresses’ curiosities of the unknown, just as experienced in their dreams. As written in the article, 5 Reasons We Enjoy Being Scared,”Our world is easier to engage with when things make sense to us; and so, some may choose to engage further with ‘the unknown’ in order to better make sense of the situation”(Psychology Today). That being said, the cast experienced something that they can not make a meaning out of and although they may not consciously state that they would like to gain more of an understanding, unconsciously they would like to understand and thats why a series like this one and horror films help fill that void.

Citation:
Dwyer, Christopher. “5 Reasons We Enjoy Being Scared”.Psychology Today, 19 Oct. 2018, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/thoughts-thinking/201810/5-reasons-we-enjoy-being-scared