I have a false memory of aHaunting of Hill Housescene in my head, and many others have experienced something similar with theMike Flanagan show. Most viewers were first exposed to Mike Flanagan’s ability to create compelling horror TV shows through Netflix’sThe Haunting of Hill House. However, I missed the early hype train surrounding the series and did not watch it until 2021. Only when I saw Flanagan’sMidnight Massdid I realize I had to watch everything else he had created.
Over the years, I have loved everyNetflix show and movie Mike Flanagan has helmed, includingThe Midnight Club. WhileMidnight Massis easily my favorite Mike Flanagan show, it does not beatThe Haunting of Hill House’s rewatch value because I notice something new every time I revisit theShirley Jackson adaptation. A few months ago, during my annualHill Houserevisit, I realized I had been imagining the existence of one major scene. I initially brushed off this Mandela effect event, but I recently realized I was not alone.
I Remember Seeing A Haunting Of Hill House Scene That Does Not Exist
I Was Surprised When I Discovered I Imagined One Scene From The Show
In one ofThe Haunting of Hill House’s opening arcs, Michiel Huisman’s Steven visits Saidah Arrika Ekulona’s Mrs. Walker to look for a new story for his upcoming novel. Walker delivers a chilling but emotional monologue about how, after her husband’s death, she once saw his ghost on her bedroom’s ceiling. She recalls that her husband, Carl, drove into a ravine after losing control of his car during a storm. Reflecting the circumstances under which he died, his ghost was hanging upside down the ceiling, with water and blood dripping down his hair.
Quentin Tarantino once called (viaJPost)The Haunting Hill of Househis favorite Netflix series “with no competition.”
Walker also mentions that the ghost’s mouth had dropped open. However, instead of screaming, he let out the sound of a car horn because Carl was unable to blow his car’s horn during his accident. Although skeptical, Steven chooses to stay in Carl’s room for the night.
The 9 Most Touching Scenes In The Haunting Of Hill House
Many scenes in The Haunting Of Hill House are absolutely terrifying. Yet the Netflix series also featured a lot of sweet moments.
The last time I watchedThe Haunting of Hill House, I was almost sure Steven saw the ghost when he stayed at Mrs. Walker’s home. I kept waiting for the scene where the ghost appeared on the bedroom’s ceiling because I remembered seeing it before. However, to my surprise, the ghost never shows up, proving I had a false memory of the scene. All this while, my mind was merely filling in gaps with imagined details.
The Hill House Scene Has Instilled A Similar Mandela Effect In Many Viewers
Many Viewers Have Wondered If Mike Flanagan Ever Filmed The Scene
I recently discovered that, like me, many viewers firmly believed that the ceiling ghost had appeared in the show. A viewer opened up (viaReddit) about how they were shocked when that scene never showed up in The Haunting Hill House, and many others agreed they, too, recalled seeing it. This led many to wonder whether Mike Flanagan had ever filmed the scene and featured it in a promo for the series before removing it from the final cut. Out of sheer curiosity, another viewer (viaflanaganfilm) reached out to Mike Flanagan and even asked him about it.
Just like the projections of Mrs. Walker’s grief made her create her husband’s ghost, the emotional depth of her story made viewers see the ghost through her eyes.
Mike Flanagan confirmed that he never filmed the scene and that it was only meant to be a monologue.“No, none of that was ever filmed - it’s just a monologue. Sounds like Mandela effect for sure,“he said. The show’s creator’s confirmation makes theHill Housescene even more fascinating because it highlights how powerful storytelling can sometimes create vivid memories of things that may not even be real. Just like the projections of Mrs. Walker’s grief made her create her husband’s ghost, the emotional depth of her story made viewers see the ghost through her eyes.
How Mike Flanagan’s Brilliant Writing Has Made Viewers Conjure A Scene That Does Not Exist
Some Brilliant Storytelling Tricks Have Made Viewers Visualize The Non-Existent Scene
One of the biggest reasons many viewers have conjured the non-existent scene is that Saidah Arrika Ekulona does an incredible job of delivering Mrs. Walker’s monologue. While Mike Flanagan’s brilliant writing makes the ghost’s description both explicit and chilling,Saidah Arrika Ekulona brings an emotional heft to it with her acting forte that forces viewers to imagine the actual ghost. Much later in the opening episode, Steven notices water dripping down the bedroom ceiling and hears loud car horns from outside, which serve as solid reminders of the ghost’s description.
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These reminders again prompt viewers to recall Mrs. Walker’s monologue and everything she said about her husband’s ghost. BeforeThe Haunting of Hill Housereveals the bent-neck lady twistin episode 5, it also features a scene in which Nell sees Luke’s ghost stuck to her hotel room’s ceiling. In many ways, Luke seems similar to how Mrs. Walker had described her husband’s ghost. Owing to the visual parallels between the two sequences from Mike Flanagan’sThe Haunting of Hill House, viewers might have jumbled the memories of the Luke scene and the description of Carl Walker’s ghost.
The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House is a 2018 horror drama series that interweaves the past and present narrative of a family grappling with traumatic occurrences from their former residence. The story explores the psychological and supernatural elements of their experiences as they contend with haunting memories and events.
