If you’re looking for something spooky to build up anticipation for Halloween, Netflix’s new documentary series “True Haunting” might be the perfect binge — just maybe not the “truest” one.
The five-episode docuseries, executive produced by horror legend James Wan (whose previous projects include “The Conjuring” and “Insidious”), dives into two real-life paranormal cases that supposedly defy explanation. The first three episodes, titled “Eerie Hall,” follow a group of students who move into an old building with a sinister backstory. The final two, “This House Murdered Me,” track a family who believes their home is literally trying to kill them.
The stories themselves sound like something you’d hear whispered at 2 a.m. — creepy, mysterious and just believable enough to drive home the fear. But what makes “True Haunting” stand out from the flood of ghost-hunting shows online is the cinematic quality. This isn’t shaky camera footage and grainy night vision. Every shot feels carefully composed, featuring soft lighting, ominous sound design and slow, deliberate pacing that keeps you on edge.
Each shot is intentional and meant to provoke a reaction. The camera lingers in the doorways a little too long, shadows move when they shouldn’t and the score knows exactly when to make your heart jump. The result is a documentary that feels like a horror movie — which I feel is a strength but also serves as a weakness in the documentary.
On one hand, “True Haunting” is gorgeous to look at. The reenactments are hauntingly well done, with actors and sets that could easily fit into any high-budget ghost film. The interviews are emotional and intimate, giving the people behind the stories space to talk about the trauma of being haunted, doubted and disbelieved. You get a real sense of how these experiences — real or imagined — affected their mental health and relationships. There’s empathy here, not exploitation.
But the “true” part of “True Haunting” starts to get blurry pretty fast. The series walks a fine line between documentary and dramatization. I felt that it leaned too far into the cinematic side and makes you forget you’re supposed to be watching a factual retelling. The reenactments are so visually rich that they almost overshadow the actual witnesses’ voices. It’s easy to lose track of where testimony ends and storytelling begins.
If you’re someone who likes hard evidence — including audio recordings, camera footage and scientific analysis — you might find yourself a little disappointed. The series offers fragments of proof but leans more heavily on atmosphere than documentation. It’s less about proving ghosts exist and more about showing what it feels like to believe they do. And for viewers who love ambiguity, that’s actually pretty effective.
The pacing is another mixed bag. The first case, “Eerie Hall,” feels well-developed and gave time to get to know the people involved and feel the dread build up slowly. But the second, “This House Murdered Me,” is wrapped up in two episodes, leaving it feeling a bit rushed by comparison. The tension and emotional payoff don’t land quite as hard.
Still, there’s something powerful about the way the series centers human belief and fear. It’s not trying to convert you into a ghost believer; it’s exploring what happens when people experience something beyond their understanding. Whether the hauntings are supernatural or psychological almost doesn’t matter — the show treats its subjects with care and curiosity instead of mockery.
So, should you stream it? If you’re into the kind of horror that crawls under your skin and stays there, absolutely. “True Haunting” is beautifully made, eerie without being gory and grounded. But don’t watch it expecting smoking-gun pieces of evidence.
“True Haunting” is less a documentary about ghosts and more a story about people haunted by the need to be believed. It may not make you a believer, but it’ll definitely make you keep the lights on for a little longer than usual.
Rating: (4/5)