The Haunting of Hill House Trivia Quiz

Answer: Two

Dr. John Montague, an anthropologist, is set to investigate the allegedly paranormal occurrences at Hill House through methods celebrated in the Victorian era-- he and his assistants shall stay in the abode to analyze things first-hand. To do this, however he needs to gather assistants based on their propensity towards the supernatural.

He sends twelve invites; four respond; only two show up. One of these is Eleanor Vance, a woman working as a nurse for her invalid mother. At a young age, she and her sister may have been responsible for a hail of rocks raining down on their house.

She steals her sister's car (which is half her own) and drives out to Hillsdale for the event. Another is Theodora, a woman who only accepted the invite because she had a fight with her roommate.

A third person is sent along-- Luke Sanderson, who's set to inherit Hill House from his aunt.

Answer: Eleanor

Eleanor ends up being the first to arrive at Hill House, even before Dr. Montague, and she's greeted not-so-cordially by the housekeepers, Mr. and Mrs. Dudley, the former of which tries to impose his authority on her and the latter of whom does nothing to dispell the overbearing terror the house seems to emanate. Eleanor is shown to the Blue room shortly before Theodora arrives; she is led to the Green room, directly adjacent and connected by a bathroom.

The two decide to brighten their wardrobe to oppose the frightening decor and architecture of the Victorian house before exploring the grounds and getting to know each other. Both are afraid of what awaits them.

Answer: In a parlor of sorts

When Eleanor and Theodora arrive back at the house they're met by Luke, the heir of the house, who greets them in a friendly manner. All three are then taken inside by Dr. Montague who quickly brings them all together for martinis in an off-to-the-side parlor furnished with oak wood and maroon furniture.

They decide that this shall be as good a room as any to use for a home base (provided they add more furniture). They lighten the mood considerably by engaging in friendly banter before making their way (with a bit of trouble) to the dining room across the house. Mrs. Dudley, it turned out, made a feast.

The others pressure Dr. Montague into explaining why he brought them to Hill House; he waits until after dinner to elaborate.

Answer: Crain

Sitting in front of the fire, the three assistants are given a brief history of the house by Dr. Montague, who begins by saying that the house is over eighty years old. First owned by a man named Hugh Crain, the residence saw a fair share of death; his wife died when she first laid eyes on it, and two subsequent wives died as well.

The house was left to one of his daughters; she passed away in the house and it was inherited by a friend of hers-- not her younger sister. The friend hanged herself a few years later after endless persecution from the youngest Crain and the building was passed to the Sanderson family who, though they upgraded the house for modern conveniences, did not stay longer than a few days before passing it along to several lessees.

The story ends there, and after a bit of time getting to know one another, the four head to bed.

Answer: From the top of the library tower

The next day, Eleanor wakes up having had the best sleep she's had in years. All four head down for breakfast in the dining room and, unsurprisingly, Theodore and Eleanor get lost along the way. Although Dr. Montague and Luke opened the doors for them earlier, they shut on their own.

This problem recurs during their subsequent exploration of Hill House which includes the tower from which Ms. Crain's helper hanged herself (which Eleanor does not enter), the kitchen, and a large hall containing an impossible statue. Dr. Montague says that Crain had the house built in such odd angles so as to skew all of the dimensions, so what seems impossible is simply the way the house was built. One inexplicable thing happens when they enter the nursery on the second floor-- they find a spot of penetrating cold near the doorway, and can't figure out why it's there.

Answer: Outside

Things become more frightening on the second night. After the four head to bed, Eleanor and Theodora are awakened by the sound of banging down the hall, almost as though metal is being used to bash the wooden doors. As it nears, Eleanor heads to Theodora's room where both of them, cold and afraid, listen as the banging comes to their door and crashes down on the frame, shaking it in its hinges and terrifying them to their cores.

The sound goes away when Dr. Montague and Luke come upstairs. Apparently, two hours earlier, they'd had to chase a creature out of the house, presumably a dog, as it had gotten inside (although the doors were closed). Dr. Montague is worried that perhaps the house is trying to get them separated. The next morning, everyone awakens gleefully, as though the events of the previous night were nothing to worry about.

They plan to explore more of the grounds, but they're taken aback by a message scrawled in chalk on one of the walls of a hallway: 'HELP ELEANOR COME HOME'.

This is revealed to be a prank, though it frustrates the high spirits out of Eleanor.

Answer: The green room

The four become almost worried when no new supernatural occurrences present themselves. In fact, Dr. Montague prepares for a visit from his wife in two days time. Shortly after this announcement though, Theodora heads to her room to find it covered in blood, all of her clothes destroyed. Eleanor, calmer than usual, is able to take the scene in and read a message on the wall reading 'HELP ELEANOR, COME HOME ELEANOR'.

She takes this in with a level head and it is suggested that Theodora stay in her room with her. For some reason, Eleanor can't bear the thought of this. That night, the two of them head to bed and more supernatural occurrences begin to arise. Eleanor hears mumbling and laughing in the other room before the sound of a baby crying. Scared, she reaches over and clutches Theodora's hand but, when the lights brighten she realizes that Theodora did not experience the same activity. Scared, she can't help but wonder whose hand she held.

Answer: Planchette

One night, Eleanor and Theodora, against all sense of judgment, headed out into the forest at night, following a path and talking to each other, straddling the lines of carelessness in the conversation. As the woods got darker they found themselves at the end of the path, peering into a garden, to find rich sunlight and, to their shock, a picnic with children and a mother. Realizing the ghostly circumstance, they screamed and fled for the house, lucky to find their way back. On Saturday evening, Mrs. Montague finally arrives having been driven to Hill House by Arthur, a friend and headmaster of a boys school who has ventured out to investigate the paranormal. Both are insistent that the place is likely haunted, but there's no reason to be afraid.

After dinner they insist on using a planchette in the library to get a reading, but all they can seem to come up with are cryptic responses, many of which involve 'Nell' or 'Eleanor', the word 'Lost', and the word 'Mother'.

Answer: Yes

Mrs. Montague takes the 'most haunted room' as her chambers-- the nursery-- while Arthur decides to stay up all night, on watch, with a revolver. The other four, meanwhile, knowing that something terrible must intend to happen while Mrs. Montague is in the house, get together in the doctor's room and, sure enough, the banging comes back full-force, perhaps even worse.

The room quakes and new sounds are heard outside. When Eleanor nearly concedes, she wakes up to sunlight. Everyone seems exhausted but the night and the sounds are over. Mrs. Montague and Arthur claim to have heard nothing all night to warrant suspicion and plan to try their methods again the next night. Eleanor, venturing out with Luke and Theodora, hopes to live with her new friend after the events at Hill House, but Theodora won't have it. Eleanor feels like she belongs, but gathers that the others are talking about her behind her back.

Answer: Eleanor

When Mrs. Montague and Arthur try to use the planchette once more they find that they are unable to get anything from the house and this infuriates the former who blames the others for such misfortune (although she and Arthur proved to be nuisances all day). While she argues with her husband, Eleanor hears a child chanting a rhyme in the room though no one else does.
That night, while everyone is asleep, Eleanor heads into the hallways on her own, calling for her mother. Voices urge her upstairs and she giddily slams on on the doors to the bedrooms. When the others realize she's missing, they search the house for her but she ends up hiding in and around the building, finally making her way up the iron staircase in the library. As she climbs up, Luke slowly advances to bring her down, despite how unsafe it is. Luckily, he's able to save her.
The next morning, Dr. Montague has her things packed and she is asked to leave, driving back the same way she came so that she may forget the place entirely and be free of Hill House's spell. As the others wish her safe travels and say what really will be their final goodbyes, Eleanor decides to trick them all, knowing that the house will let her go when it's ready, and she crashes her vehicle into a tree.