How Many Hidden Ghosts Are in The Haunting of Hill House?
The Haunting of Hill House is one of the most popular new shows on Netflix. Its deft storytelling and fully fleshed-out characters have made it a smash hit. But did you know there are hidden ghosts lurking in the background of every episode?
Showrunner Mike Flanagan infused dozens of subtle ghosts into the series to make it even more creepy. This video reveals how many you can spot.
1. The Staircase Weirdo
The Haunting of Hill House is filled with hidden ghosts and ghouls that can be hard to spot unless you’re really looking for them. According to showrunner Mike Flanagan, dozens of ghosts are hiding in plain sight throughout the series.
One of the most obvious is a pair of twins lurking by the stairs when Hugh and Steven are fleeing the house. This happens around the 35 minute mark.
2. The Tall Woman
When the caretaker scolds Luke for messing with the dumbwaiter in the flashback around the 22-minute mark, you can clearly see a tall figure hiding behind her. If you pause the scene, you can also see a blonde ghost perving on Theo and Hugh in the doorway.
This is likely the same apparition who haunted Nell throughout her life as the Bent-Neck Lady. The ethereal figure shows up again as a spectral shadowy figure in the funeral home scene.
3. The Man Under the Ladder
If you’ve been keeping up with Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, then you already know that the show is filled with terrifying ghosts. But if you look closely enough, there are also some hidden ghosts that you might have missed.
According to Vulture, showrunner Mike Flanagan hid dozens of ghostly figures throughout the series. He did this to create a prolonged sense of unease for the viewers. Plus, it’s a great way to make you question the old superstition that says walking under a ladder is bad luck.
4. The Clock Repairman
In one of the show’s more subtle hidden ghosts, a sinister figure watches Shirley and her mother from behind what looks like a pantry window. The apparition appears to be a clock repairman, and is played by Twilight’s Peter Facinelli (who also plays Edward Cullen’s father).
Wide shots throughout the series hide other creepy figures lurking in plain sight. For example, if you look carefully at a flashback around the 22-minute mark while Liv is lecturing Nell about drawing on the walls, you can see a crouching musician hiding behind the piano.
5. The Bent-Neck Lady
The Bent-Neck Lady is a terrifying apparition that haunts Nell, the Crain family’s youngest daughter. She first appears looming over a bed when she’s a child. After losing her husband, Nell begins seeing the BNL more frequently and spirals into depression.
Eventually, she follows her ghost mom up a staircase and gets strangled with a noose. In a blink and you’ll miss it moment the specter can be seen lurking behind Olivia when she says “Nell, I won’t get you.” The cameo is a nod to Gerald’s Game, director Mike Flanagan’s other Netflix horror film.
6. The Old Sick Woman
You probably thought you saw all the ghosts lurking around in The Haunting of Hill House, but there are even more hiding in the background. Thankfully, a few internet sleuths braver than us spotted a few extra creepy entities that most people likely missed.
Series creator Mike Flanagan told Variety he hid between 70 and 80 ghosts in the edges of frames and background scenes to create a more unsettling atmosphere. You’ll have to really squint to spot some of them.
7. The Funeral Home Ghost
The Haunting of Hill House has plenty of creepy specters lurking in plain sight. From a bent neck lady to a ghoulish man, the Netflix original is full of hidden ghosts that will give you chills.
The most obvious example is the thing hiding behind Theo as she descends the ladder in the basement. But it’s also worth looking at the wide shots to spot more ghosts. Some are more subtle than others but all of them will haunt your dreams.
8. The Old Man in the Basement
The Haunting of Hill House is one of the scariest shows on Netflix. But even if you think you’ve seen every ghost in the ten-episode series, creator Mike Flanagan might have some more hidden ones up his sleeve.
In an interview with Vulture, Flanagan revealed that he hid dozens of ghosts “in plain sight” throughout the show. So grab your favorite drink and keep scrolling to spot the spooky background figures in this heart-pounding drama.
9. The Crain Family
The Haunting of Hill House has been a hit with audiences since it dropped on Netflix this month. Showrunner Mike Flanagan has created a terrifying masterpiece that is both rich in family drama and scary supernatural horror.
The show’s dueling timelines offer a meditation on the distinct ways grief and trauma maim the living. Seeing the Crain family through these two frames of reference heightens the story’s nuance and meaning.