The Haunting of Hill House appeared out of left-field on Netflix to rave reviews. This horror-drama focused on the lives of the five Crain children grown up. Despite being in different places across the US, they find themselves drawn back to a haunted mansion after parting ways many years before. Director/Writer Mike Flanagan pulls our heartstrings one moment and then has a reeled back and terrified without skipping a beat.
With the second season of the horror anthology, named The Haunting of Bly Manor, we're in for another horrific treat. In celebration of Flanagan's show being renewed, let's dive into The Haunting of Hill House: 10 Scariest Scenes from Season 1 That Still Give Us Nightmares
Warning: Some of the images might be disturbing and tread on topics such as suicide and animal deaths.
Nell Visits Steven
One of the first horrific encounters we find is a subtle one; Nell repeatedly calls Steven and the rest of her siblings as she feels something is wrong. But doesn't she always call them? They think she's a worrywart. But she's right to think something is up.
Before she heads back to Hill House, drawn in by something sinister, she stops by Steven, her brother who cares not for the supernatural yet makes his profit off selling supernatural books. As Nell and Steven chat, something feels off. Steven then receives a call; Nell already headed to Hill House and they found her body. And Steven has officially seen a ghost.
Luke Hides From The Tall Man
Luke has always been perturbed that no one would stop for a second and actually believe him or his past. They always assumed that Nell was lying, too. All of those ghosts? Those things in the night? We suppose he could have been seeing things. Until we saw them for ourselves. While hiding in bed one night, young Luke hears knocking down the dilapidated halls of Hill House.
Being the curious fella he was, he peers outside of his door. Don't worry Luke it just happens to be a tall floating ominous man with a cane. The ghost of William Hill torments Luke and follows him under the bed as Luke tries to find a safe space. Spoiler alert: nothing is safe in Hill House.
Luke At Nell's Funeral
It's been a rough time for Luke. And he's on this list so much because he takes the brunt of the supernatural targeting. Perhaps it was because he was the youngest alongside Nell? While coping at Nell's funeral, Luke approaches the grave.
Bereaved, we see Luke bow down by the open grave of his twin. He felt what she felt, often bonding without even being around each other. In this touching moment, his mother's dead hand reaches from the grave to pull him in. It's another moment of seeing the ghosts take advantage of Luke's vulnerability and instability, and it hurts to see.
Shirley and the Kittens
While the title may sound like a lovely 80's girl-power band, sadly it is not. Instead, we get a profound moment with Shirley as a child. One day as a child at Hill House, Shirley finds a box of kittens. In an attempt to save them, she takes them in. But what she doesn't know if the steps required to keep animals alive.
The horrific moment when she reopens the box to find a few stiff kittens lifeless is heartbreaking. It goes one step too far when we see a kitten move, only for it to be an insect possibly feasting on it.
Smile, Theo
Theo helps many young patients through traumatic experiences. From the start of the show, we see Theo's warm heart amidst her cold exterior. Part of the reason for her cold behavior is her past, and the other part seems to be her gift. With the touch of a hand, she can see things about you. And since there are so many awful things and people in the world, a simple touch could send her in a spiraling depression.
When worried that a kid might be abused by her foster father, she goes into their basement to see what snoop around. The couch down there tells a story too grim to tell, and Theo sadly had to relive it. This horror was real and felt dirty to the touch, showing that not all evil is supernatural.
She's Not Fully Here, Sir
Sometimes environments change people - make them snap. It turns out that Olivia, in her stay at Hill House, was heavily molded by these haunted surroundings. With a knack for seeing the ghosts and ghouls of the world, we can understand the unusually shaky framework of her mind. But her tipping point could have been the countless visions and sights alluding to Nell's death and the demise of her family. She even tried to stab her husband in her sleep, so clearly something went awry.
When we notice that the forever home Olivia has planned has been remade over and over, we start to worry about her sanity. What's even worse is when we see the final version: a horrific mess and shapes and lines that parallel Olivia's dwindling sanity.
Nell Says Hi Again
From the grave, you'd think Nell would chill. While Theo and Shirly are heading back to Hill House later in the season, they are slowly coming to with the events surrounding them. They might not understand the 'who' or 'what' but it's a step.
It can be hard to believe in ghosts. So why not have ghost Nell scream in between both of you while on the road? Yeah, that'll work. This scene from episode 8 horrified audiences with its abrupt and downright loud nature. Thanks, Nell, really bring the family back together, huh?
Don't Look Back
The culmination of events that led to their leaving Hill House has to be one of the most horrific if not downright frightening scenes. Not because we see things, but because we know something is wrong. There are things amidst this household that haunt and eek in the night.
As we learn of Olivia's fractured mental state, Hugh does what he has to: leaves his wife behind to be consumed by the house and save his family. In doing so, he grabs his young children and sprints out, begging young Luke to close his eyes. The things we hear are worthy of a spot on this list, especially once we learn how many horrific ghosts and acts were committed in this house.
Luke and the Dumbwaiter
While playing games in Hill House, Luke ends up stuck in a dumbwaiter. This waiter leads to an unmapped cellar, where we hear rustling sounds. Luke's spotty flashlight (why is there always a flashlight that doesn't stay on?!) poorly lights the way towards something moving... a torso crawls from the shadows amidst the dusty basement, eyes up Luke, and moves at ungodly speeds towards the poor boy.
If that wasn't enough, the ghost then attacks him before he can be pulled back up to safety. And we wonder why Luke ended up on the rough end of life - no one believed him!
The Bent-Neck Lady
"Wait a minute, this isn't a specific scene!" You are correct. This is every scene with the Bent-Neck Lady. From Nell's first days in Hill House, she had something ominous following her. A lady with a bent neck. And while sometimes she stayed in the shadows, other times she was a bit more... lively.
Her long hair and horrific face painted with anguish caused Nell to scream time and time again. But the twisty twist of a twist is what made this haunt our dreams: this was Nell, in the moments of her suicide, haunting her past self. If that is horrifying, we don't know what is.