The Haunting Of Hill House: 7 Most Chilling Fan Theories
4. The Ghosts Luke And Nell See As Adults Aren’t Real
Fans have theorised that the ghosts of Hill House are real, but they cannot leave the House. This means that the ghosts the Crain family see outside of Hill House are pure imagination and, as Steven often says, a side effect of mental illness.
When Nell sees the Bent Neck Lady and Luke sees the Tall Bowler Hat Man as adults, it’s actually due to their psychological problems (depression and addiction), a result of their traumatic childhood experiences inside Hill House.
This theory means that the ghosts of Olivia and Nell seen during Nell’s wake can be interpreted as either real or imaginary. Real because they are part of the Crain family and probably aren’t tied to the House in the same way the original ghosts are, which would explain how the buttons appeared on Nell’s eyes.
But imaginary, because they still died at Hill House and are contained there too. This means that Nell’s casket falling was just a well-timed accident.