The Haunting Of Hill House: 9 Questions We Desperately Need Answers To
6. Is Poppy Hill Pure Evil?
When we eventually learn what happened that night Olivia died, we see that it wasn’t quite her own doing. Poppy Hill was beside her on the balcony, feeding her lies about how to protect her children.
A similar thing happened when Nell heads to the house as an adult and dies in the same way her mother did. Only this time it’s Olivia manipulating Nell just how Poppy did to her.
The House has so much power that we don’t know if Poppy’s evil stems from herself or the House feeding on her through the tragic loss of her own children.
After all, Poppy and Olivia shame the same desire to protect their children, and Olivia carried the desire to 'protect' her children right through to the end.