Photo: Tina Rowden/Netflix
Kate Siegel has become a horror movie staple, starring in films likeHushandOuija: Origin of Evil. Now, she’s hitting the small screen inThe Haunting of Hill Houseon Netflix.
“I identify with what it’s like to have things in my childhood that I still carry with me as an adult,” Siegel tells PEOPLE. “I think we can all agree that there are weeks and months in our childhood years that help form who we are as adults. I think that’s what makes Theo so relatable to me and to the audience.”
While many of the book’s characters remain, Siegel says the Netflix version is a modern interpretation of the book.
“The writers took the source material and they threw it up in the air and smashed it and then picked up all these pieces and put it back together to give you a new insight to the haunted house genre,” she says.
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The book was adapted into a movie twice before. Starring heavyweights Julie Harris and Claire Bloom, the original film, titledThe Haunting, was released in 1963. Siegel says she took inspiration from Bloom, 87, who played Theo in the original film.
“[She] is just an icon. I felt like I had huge shoes to fill,” Siegel explains. “When I got lost in Theo, I would ask myself, ‘What would Claire Bloom do?’ And inevitably it was the right choice.”
Siegel described the show as one made for people who don’t like horror. She described it as a “family drama wrapped in the skin of a thriller.”
And while she continues getting scared on screen, the actress says she has never seen a ghost in real life.
“I really want to, so if you know any, send them my way,” she says with a laugh.
The Haunting of Hill Housebegins streaming Oct. 12 on Netflix.
source: people.com
