Apparently I didn't do my homework, but I was expecting the series to be more of a "classic" ghost story and period piece, such as Sarah Walters' "Little Stranger" (I take it that Shirley Jackson's novel is). The house set design and the cinematography are amazing, but the back and forth between time periods, which character is which, was too much for me. If I want overly complex I will read a book. I found AMC's "The Terror" (based on Dan Simmons novel) to be a much more effective horror story and psychological thriller. I will say that watching the first episode of this series provided me further inspiration to read Shirley Jackson's original novel.