This blog is for all those Nancy Drew fans who loved the game Ghost of Thornton Hall, which reminds me; this blog actively includes spoilers for the whole game. Please play before you read, if you intend to play the game spoiler-free.
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Again, this is your last warning. Don't spoil a game for yourself if you don't have to. You can come back later.
Is everyone else ready to discuss Charlotte? Great! Let's get into it. The plot of this game is simple. A woman has gone missing while having her bachelorette party at a property haunted by Charlotte Thornton. The search for this woman is going differently than planned. Nancy is sent by a previous character (Savannah Woodham) to go check it out.
Today's post is about the ghost we repeatedly see in the game, Charlotte Thornton. She died in a fire the night of her 21st birthday ball. This takes place in the south. There are three theories as to what she is, all of which I'll explore in detail. The end game (I warned you!) claims Charlotte was the result of carbon monoxide gas (which messed with your mind post-seeing her picture). Most of us don't buy that entirely, but we'll see what the evidence says.
Theory one says Harper Thornton, the surviving younger sister of Charlotte, is tormenting Clara Thornton (cousin to Charlotte) because she did the crime (she did set the fire). The idea is that Harper is using the secret passages to scare her into a confession. Clara has also tormented Harper mentally to keep her secret, which explains some game events where Harper takes pleasure in messing with Clara in outright mean ways.
Theory two says it was carbon monoxide. Before you shout your opposing remarks, I'll be showing you real hauntings proven to be carbon monoxide poisonings, not hauntings. Let's look at the scientific evidence and what the game shows us, then we can talk about the possibility Nancy was hallucinating some of the time.
Theory three says she's real, a bonified ghost that has business to attend to. This is the popular theory since Charlotte does lead us to clues revealing the truth of her death. Some hauntings happen outside the house, which point to this theory being at least half true. The carbon monoxide theory follows the logic that the furnace Harper started caused the carbon monoxide and the end-game fire, but it won't explain the times our ghost shows up in the ruins - twice. Or the statue's head turning in the cemetery.
Harper Did It -Theory One
This one I don't entertain, mostly due to the reaction you get from Harper by merely suggesting it. Harper loved her sister. On top of that, most times the culprit wearing a costume stows the costume away somewhere. Herinteractive games love disproving ghosts and show you the costume if it exists. Could Harper throw on a dress from Charlotte's room? Sure, since she's in the passages, but the game won't show us a costume anywhere. I refuse to believe that the game developers who love disproving ghosts wouldn't show us a costume if Harper were to blame.
On the other hand, you do find a film with Charlotte in it, which could be projected anywhere. But the hangup lies in rigging the house. Did she have time? Yes, Harper would have, but again, you find no evidence of a rigged haunting. While Jessalyn could have put on that dress from Charlotte's room (Harper's hair is quite untamed), the see-through ghost would need to be rigged to be faked. These games all love disproving ghosts. They would show you how the house was set up to be faked if it was a faked haunting. Not one shot in the game reveals a rigged room or a costume.
The motive is real on this one. Clara set the fire and Harper saw her do it. Many events are proving how much Harper has been mentally abused through time. Ask Harper if she pushed Clara off the widow's walk and watch the reaction. She won't fess up to it. I don't believe she did. There is a theory going around suggesting that Clara attempted suicide and failed, then covered up her attempt by framing Harper. Harper maintains she went to a mental hospital and Clara says she didn't. The film in the ruins is planted by Harper, who wants Nancy to reenact Clara's reaction because she thought it'd be funny. It isn't, especially when you consider the guilt Clara is feeling over her past actions. Harper was mentally tormented and framed by Clara. She tells you to ask Clara who her daddy is, which is heartless given Clara begged to know and was never told. You tell Harper you upset Clara after that and she'll say "she's done worse to me". It breaks my heart what happened to Harper. The motive to torment her as a ghost is there, but the evidence says no.
Carbon Monoxide - Theory Two
I'm going to shock you. This is possible. First, look at the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Symptoms: dull headache, weakness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, shortness of breath, confusion, blurred vision, passing out, drowsiness
Do these sound like Nancy during the game? Yes, they do. She passes out at least three times and talks to her friends in a less-than-normal conversation style. They get worried about her. Her vision does blur at times. Carbon monoxide is odorless, tasteless, and colorless, and is produced by burning things found in an old furnace. When improperly ventilated in a small space it accumulates to highly dangerous levels. Harper put everyone in danger the entire game. It is dangerous if you sleep in this environment, which Nancy does. Oops. It stays in your bloodstream and builds up, which may explain the outside hauntings. Did Nancy hallucinate the entire game? Maybe she did. Nancy only sees Charlotte as the picture in the book, and only after you read the book do you see her.
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Do you want proof of hauntings proven to be carbon monoxide? I've got it. There are documented hauntings that have been explained by hallucinations in toxic houses. This American Life Podcast explored one where a woman saw people at the foot of her bed, her bedcovers were pulled off of her, she felt followed and there were footsteps from unknown sources. Her brother then got checked for carbon monoxide poisoning. A faulty furnace - yep, the same source as this game- was to blame. You can see all kinds of things when you are slowly being poisoned. Hallucinations? Yep, it fits. And check my sources for even more stories about hauntings caused by carbon monoxide on the brain.
On top of all this, the house burns down because of the furnace. It kind of explains why Harper is so ill and erratic, as if she wasn't thrown off balance by life already.
She's Real - Theory Three
The proof that this may be a real ghost lies in Savannah sending Nancy instead of going herself. The witness accounts didn't all include the house. Odd. Not everyone lit the furnace. Not everyone explored the house. So, this leads to the conclusion that maybe not all ghost sightings are toxin fueled.
Another thing that bothers me is the way Charlotte leads you to the crypt key. A hallucination wouldn't do that. She wanted Nancy to find the truth. Then there is a second chance ending that really freaks me out. If you refuse to cooperate with Jessalyn she actually sics the ghost on you. What?! And Charlotte comes when she's called! I call that proof of a real ghost.
The shadows you see and the sightings in the house that lead to nothing (but Nancy passing out) may be hallucinations, but the instances that lead you to clues I am sure are not. What could be an egging on for Nancy to check out the bedroom was the door opening and closing.
Another sign it could be a real ghost is the end of the game fire. Say it wasn't just the furnace and the ghost wanted Clara to die. It's possible. Now that Nancy had the will Charlotte could take everything from her, including her life. At any rate, it caused a confession to fall from Clara's lips in a desperate plea of "I'm sorry" and "I sat at your grave for a year". Post-fire the island's gloom lifts, which indicates the ghost may have finished her business on earth. Wade tells you that on the brightest summer day the island is just as gloomy. Post-fire you see the sunshine on the island. I think that speaks volumes.
Conclusions
I believe that two theories are the answer. I think Nancy is seeing the real ghost and the hallucinated one in the same mystery. She exhibits symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning that many others have. Everyone was seeing things, remember that. Clara would know what she'd done and expect a confrontation from the ghost, so it stands to reason she'd hallucinate one. It didn't help that Harper was leaving little nuggets for Nancy to find and show Clara. It would only feed that.
What do you think? Leave your comments below and tell me what you think about Charlotte Thornton's haunting.
I always thought the hauntings were a combination of carbon monoxide poisoning along with Charlotte being a real ghost. It is similiar to Message in a Haunted Mansion where you can prove some of the hauntings are faked by Abby, but there are others like the one I specifically rememeber is the swan carving moving in the parlor, and there is no way Abby could do that. As you mentioned, there are some hauntings in GTH that can't be passed off as a hallucination such as the door to Charlotte's room opening and Nancy seeing inside the bedroom before she has even been in there. So I like to think that GTH took inspiration from MHM and did a combination of both real hauntings and hallucinations.
I always thought the hauntings were a combination of carbon monoxide poisoning along with Charlotte being a real ghost. It is similiar to Message in a Haunted Mansion where you can prove some of the hauntings are faked by Abby, but there are others like the one I specifically rememeber is the swan carving moving in the parlor, and there is no way Abby could do that. As you mentioned, there are some hauntings in GTH that can't be passed off as a hallucination such as the door to Charlotte's room opening and Nancy seeing inside the bedroom before she has even been in there. So I like to think that GTH took inspiration from MHM and did a combination of both real hauntings and hallucinations.
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