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Out of all of the Netflix series to have emerged recently, The Haunting of Hill House quickly became a favorite. The series is based on the 1959 Shirley Jackson book of the same name. Shirley Jackson was inspired by real-life paranormal investigators when she was writing the book.
The series follows the book well, centering around the five siblings who fled their haunted childhood home at a young age. But the house still continues to haunt them in adulthood.
The show is ideal for those who aren’t major horror fans; while it does focus heavily on the paranormal, it also shows the family’s dynamics and how they cope with their childhood nightmares. But there are still a decent amount of jump scares.
If you’re sensitive to jump scares, here are the ones you can expect to see in The Haunting of Hill House.
Episode 1
Woman’s Scream
At around the half-hour mark, we see Hugh lying in bed. An unknown arm wraps around him and you see a hand touching his face. Hugh slowly turns over and finds a mysterious woman lying next to him. Suddenly, she screams a high-pitched, inhuman scream.
Shirley Wakes Up
At around 38 minutes into the film, we can see Shirley sleeping. The camera slowly pans over to the alarm clock, which reads 3:02 AM. When the clock changes to 3:03, Shirley suddenly jolts up, gasps, and grabs her own throat.
Car Brakes
Only a couple of minutes after the previous scene, Steven is focused on a dark patch on the ceiling. Suddenly, you hear car brakes and horns honking. The sound also startles Steven, which makes the scene even more intense.
Nell
Toward the end of the episode, Steven receives a call saying Nell is dead. But as he’s on the phone, you can see a figure standing behind him. Steven turns around, and suddenly Nell appears behind him. She starts crying as her eyes lose color, scaring Steven.
Episode 2
Banging on the Walls
During a flashback 20 minutes into the episode, we see Theo storming into Shirley’s room, accusing her of banging on her wall. However, Shirley is sleeping and tells Theo that she isn’t banging on the wall. Suddenly, we hear the banging. It occurs for the next 30 seconds or so.
Kitten Opens Its Eyes
Earlier in the episode, Shirley finds a box of kittens. However, they all die a little before 35 minutes in. When Shirley notices one is still alive, she picks it up. Two jump scares occur: 1. The kitten opens its eyes to reveal they’re milky white and bloody, 2. Shirley screams.
Box
In this scene 48 minutes into the episode, we see Shirley is finished cremating Nell’s body. She goes to leave but turns back to see a second corpse. It’s her mom’s corpse. She sits up and presents a box. You suddenly hear a cat’s growl and the box chattering.
Episode 3
Door Handle
At about 14 minutes in, we see a flashback of a young Theo. The door handle starts moving as if someone is trying to open it. “Hello?” She asks. She walks toward the door and grabs the door handle. Suddenly, there’s a loud bang on the other side of the door.
Rotting Corpse
While not a traditional jump scare, this scene is creepy. We see a flashback of a young Luke trapped in an old elevator. As Theo tries to get him out, we see movement on the other side of the room. At 19:26, that figure reveals himself to be a rotting corpse, making his way toward Luke.
Strange Figure Visits Theo
As Theo is sleeping, we see the blanket slip off of her. She wakes up, confused. At 21 minutes in, she looks up and sees a scary figure with a distorted face grabbing her blanket. She screams and turns on her light.
Bloody Mom
During a flashback 38 minutes in, Theo is having a loving moment with her mom. That is until she looks down at her mom’s hand and sees blood. Theo looks back up at her mom’s face, only to see a chunk of skin missing and blood running down her face.
Episode 4
Woman’s Reflection
This is a flashback 14 minutes into the episode. Luke is talking to Nell in a speaking tube. As Luke looks at the reflection in the tube, we see some movement. A strange old woman’s reflection becomes evident. She makes a strange noise as Luke gasps.
Barking Dog
Luke is at the courtyard in rehab at 18:23, looking out at the Tall Man in the distance. Suddenly, we hear a loud bark. It startles Luke as he turns around and sees a white dog barking at him.
Episode 5
Meeting the Bent-Neck Lady
The Bent-Neck Lady is a spirit that appears regularly. We see her in a flashback 2 minutes into the fifth episode.
Nell is sleeping but she wakes up. While she’s laying in her bed when she sees the Bent-Neck Lady’s silhouette. The Bent-Neck Lady starts screaming, which causes Nell to scream.
Bent-Neck Lady and the Car
Nell is sitting in her car with Luke at 29:29. As Luke is talking to her, Nell sees the Bent-Neck Lady in front of the car. While this isn’t a jump scare, it’s a creepy scene and affects Nell.
Bent-Neck Lady in the Hallway
Almost 53 minutes into the episode, Nell is in the hallway of what looks like her apartment complex getting a water bottle from the vending machine. The lights go out, and Nell gets scared. Suddenly, the Bent-Neck Lady shoots down in front of Nell, which makes her scream.
Episode 6
Chandelier
Hugh is at the funeral home at 15:38. As he walks around, he walks into a room and is transported back to the old house. As he’s walking around, a chandelier suddenly falls next to him.
Episode 7
Fan
Almost 37 minutes into the episode, we see a flashback. Hugh is looking at a weird shape on the wall. He moves his hand toward the fan in front of him, that’s on without him knowing. He gets his hand caught in the fan, causing a loud noise and Hugh screams.
Graveyard
Luke is in the graveyard at Nell’s grave almost 40 minutes into the episode. He sees the corpse of his mom with a bent neck hovering over the grave. Suddenly, Nell grabs Luke’s hand and tries to pull him down into the grave. She starts begging him to stay.
Episode 8
Nell in the Car
Shirley and Theo are arguing in the car. Suddenly, Nell’s ghost emerges from the backseat and screams at them. They get into a car accident as a result.
Ghost Grabs Luke
Luke drives back to the childhood home and attempts to burn it down at 40 minutes in. At the top of the steps, his mom appears. He sees his mom reaching out to him. As he’s staring at her, we see a ghostly lady behind him. She grabs Luke.
Episode 9
The Flapper Girl
During a flashback almost 15 minutes in, Olivia walks into the bedroom and sees a woman bending over Hugh. But rather than a scary figure, she’s a beautiful woman dressed as a flapper girl. She walks past Olivia and leaves the room. We later learn she is Poppy Hill.
Ghosts
At 47 minutes, we see a flashback of Hugh in the house. He’s running around, but stops and turns around. Ghosts are surrounding him.
Ghosts in the Window
While not a jump scare in a traditional sense, this scene is creepy. About 30 seconds after the previous jump scare, we see Olivia walking around the house. She walks past a window where ghosts are staring at her.
Episode 10
Poppy Hill
Surprisingly, there’s only one major jump scare in the final episode of The Haunting of Hill House. Theo discovers Hugh’s body at 19:32. She turns around and calls for Shirley. But when Theo turns around again, Poppy Hill appears in front of her. She touches Theo’s face, causing her to stumble.
FAQs
Question: What Is the Scariest Episode of Haunting of Hill House?
Answer: Everyone will likely have different answers to this question, but many say the scariest episode is the first one, “Steven Sees a Ghost.” We’re introduced to the family, their spooky childhood home, and some of the crazy ghosts that still haunt the family.
Question: Why Is Haunting of Hill House Scary?
Answer: Haunting of Hill House isn’t scary in the typical sense. Rather, the show conveys a mood that makes viewers feel creeped out. Many of the siblings live in solitude, and that loneliness is creepy. The scenes have a stillness to them, even when there is action going on. The show also constantly has a sense of dread so you know something is going to happen.
Question: Who’s the Tall Man in Haunting of Hill House?
Answer: As stated previously, the same ghosts appear throughout the show. One is a man nicknamed Tall Man. He’s actually William Hill. As you can tell by the name, William Hill was the previous inhabitant of the house. He’s a creepy lanky spirit who floats above the ground. He especially haunts Luke — that’s because Luke stole his bowler hat.
Question: Does Luke Die?
Answer: Technically, Luke does die. He injects himself with rat poison. However, he ends up surviving. There are a few reasons as to why. One theory is he was resuscitated. Another theory is that he walked out of the red room, where his life was spared.
Question: Is Haunting of Hill House Scarier Than American Horror Story?
Answer: Everyone has different opinions on this. First, AHS has a new story every season, so it’s difficult to truly compare the two shows. But many fans think Haunting of Hill House has better scare scenes than AHS.
Question: Is the Haunting of Bly Manor Scarier Than Hill House?
Answer: Since The Haunting of Hill House was based on one book, the show couldn’t come back for a second season. However, the makers created a new series called The Haunting of Bly Manor, based on Henry James’ 1989 novella “Turn of the Screw.”
Many fans agree that Hill House is scarier than Bly Manor. However, fans are also enjoying Bly Manor. They think the story is good and the overall series is well-done.
Question: Does the Bent-Neck Lady Kill Arthur?
Answer: Arthur was Nell’s husband, who ended up dying. Many fans theorize if the Bent-Neck Lady killed Arthur. However, Arthur truly died of an aneurysm.
The Bent-Neck Lady is actually Nell. Her spirit drops through time and haunts Nell throughout her entire life. Because the Bent-Neck Lady only haunted Nell, it’s believed that Arthur truly died of natural causes and not from the haunting.
Are You Ready For These Jump Scares?
You may be interested in watching The Haunting of Hill House because of the superb reviews it has. But what if you’re sensitive to jump scares? While Hill House has plenty of them, we organized all of the jump scares in this list so you can be better prepared.
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