Dr. John Markway, an anthropologist with an interest in the supernatural, invites a small group to join him in exploring Hill House, a secluded and supposedly haunted mansion. Among the group are Eleanor Vance, a timid woman who has experienced poltergeist phenomena; Theodora, a bold and free-spirited artist; and Luke Sanderson, the future heir to the house who is mostly there to safeguard his inheritance. They arrive at Hill House, a place with a dark history of violent deaths and madness, and soon discover that its eerie atmosphere and mysterious occurrences are more than just rumors.

As they delve deeper into the history and structure of Hill House, strange and frightening events begin to unsettle the group, particularly Eleanor. The house seems to take a particular interest in her, which isolates her further from the others. Tensions rise as each member of the team experiences variations of supernatural phenomena, pushing their sanity to its limits. The group's dynamics shift drastically as Hill House reveals its sinister nature, testing their resolve and survival instincts in a series of harrowing encounters that blur the lines between reality and the supernatural.