One section of The Haunting of Hill House that particularly caught my attention was the scene where Eleanor and Theodora find themselves (briefly) in a garden with a family having a picnic. This passage is both more surreal and more mysterious than almost anything else in the book; the nature of the illusion is never explained, nor do we ever find out what exactly Theo saw when she looked back. On a simple level, it's common for horror stories to rely on mystery to enhance creepiness; however, this trope does not account for the bizarre choice of illusions Eleanor and Theo are presented with.
Essentially, the two women are presented with a cheerful, safe family scene; it seems implied that whatever was chasing them created this illusion in order to lull them into a false sense of security. I think this could be read as yet another Gothic commentary on family: the family in this case appears calm and inviting, but in fact conceals a terrible, sinister evil of some sort. This would fit in with the portrayals in the rest of the book of (literal) families being ultimately dysfunctional and generally creepy.
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