Hilly Holbrook

"Hello, sir? Sir, let me in! Let me in! What the fuck is wrong with you!?! Open the fucking door!! Unlock the door, let me in! Hello?!"
—Hilly screaming for help at her neighbor.

William Holbrook (husband)
 Eye Color

**Hilly Holbrook** was the town's popular, mean and racist resident who framed Aibileen Clark for "stealing" silver 10 ½ years ago. She was also the Queen Bee and president of the *Junior League*. She is also best friends with childhood friend Elizabeth Leefolt.

Hilly is the second victim of Aibileen's killing spree.

## Prior

Hilly is a very snobby, rude, spoiled, selfish and racist white woman who is best friends with her childhood friends, Skeeter Phelan (later becomes enemies), and Elizabeth. Hilly is the Jackson Suburban Queen Bee of the town's women.

Hilly is a leading figure among the upper-class young women of Jackson, Mississippi in 1963. She is married to a future politician, William Holbrook and has two young children, and where she goes all of her lady friends go too. Her poise, beauty and outward cheeriness mask her vindictive and greedy personality. She was once a close friend of protagonist Skeeter, but they begin to grow apart when Skeeter starts to realize how twisted Hilly truly is. Though she gives a show of friendliness, she is deeply racist, and leads her friends in support of segregation.

When her mother begins showing signs of senility, Hilly invites her and her black maid, Minny Jackson to stay in her house, firing her own maid. Her real motive, it turns out, was to have Minny and her superior cooking for herself. One of Hilly's initiatives is to have every house build a separate bathroom for black maids, believing that African Americans carry different diseases and that every person who shares a bathroom with a colored person is doomed to become infected with the disease. Until she has one built, she orders Minny to relieve herself outside. When she orders Minny to do this during a violent thunderstorm, Minny sneaks upstairs to use the indoor bathroom. When she discovers this, Hilly fires her, and spreads rumors that she caught Minny stealing something , making it almost impossible for her to find a new job.

Minny has her revenge on Hilly when she shows up offering her own waste baked into a chocolate pie. Hilly eats two slices of the pie before Minny reveals the truth to her. Her mother, hearing this, bursts out laughing. Unable to take the humiliation, Hilly commits her aging mother to a nursing home for laughing at her. Minny, meanwhile, ends up working for Celia Foote, a girl from a poor family who has married Johnny Foote, an old flame of Hilly's. Hilly and her friends refuse to allow Celia to join their circle, partly out of prejudice against her poor background, partly in anger over Celia's marrying Johnny.

Hilly's new maid, Yule Mae Davis asks her for a loan so she can send her sons to college, offering to work for nothing until it is paid off. Hilly refuses, and stalks Yule Mae, attempting to catch her. Yule Mae finds a lost ring behind Hilly's sofa, and pawns it to raise more money. Discovering this, Hilly orders Yule Mae arrested.

Meanwhile, Skeeter, with the help of Minny and Aibileen Clark, has been writing a book about black maid's experiences. When they worry Hilly will discover that the book is partly about her, Minny tells Skeeter to include the story of the chocolate pie. As Minny planned, Hilly insistently denies that the book is about her or anyone else in Jackson, for fear of being exposed as the victim of Minny's prank.

She showes her true colors when she confronts Skeeter about the book being called 'The Help.' She arrives on Skeeter's porch drunk and threatening to sue. She rats on Skeeter's mother about the book, but Charlotte Phelanhas already guessed, and throws her off the property.

Hilly decides to take her revenge on Minny and Aibleen. She instructs her husband to get Minny's abusive husband fired. When the husband tries to beat Minny up for this, Minny takes her children and leaves him to work full time for Celia.

Hilly tries to take revenge on Abileen by telling her employer, Elizabeth, that Aibileen stole some of her silverware. When she threatens to have her arrested, Aibleen stands up to her and warns her that she has enough information to write a new book about her evil ways. Hilly backed down, humiliated and defeated for good. Aibleen leaves feeling good about herself, for finally being free from people like Hilly.

## Aibileen's Killing Spree (Part 2)

5 days after Mae Mobley's demise, Hilly finds out about it on the news. Horrified and scared that the killer will come after her, she panically runs out her front door and dashes to her closet neighbor's house. She arrives at the back of the neighbor's house and begins pounding the palm of her hands against the glass window as she sees her neighbor, sitting on the couch as very loud music blares from the inside speakers. "Hello, sir? Sir, let me in!" Hilly yells, banging on the glass door. The neighbor doesn't hear her and continues to lie still on the sofa. "Let me in! What the fuck is wrong with you!?! Open the fucking door!! Unlock the door, let me in! Hello?!" Hilly screams while continuing to bang harder on the glass. The neighbor still lies there. Hilly suddenly begins to hyperventilate with panic as she sees Aibileen in the reflection of the glass door, standing right behind her.

## Death

As she turns around, her eyes widen with horror while she gasps. Right after, Aibileen punches Hilly right in the nose, breaking it, and causing her to crash through the window in the process as glass explodes into the neighbor's living room. While lying on the ground, surrounded by millions of shattered glass, Hilly moans in pain. Her face is cut and bleeding. Injured, she slowly gets on her hands and knees and begins to dizzily crawl away while gasping in pain and horror. Hilly's hair is a mess. Aibileen walks inside, stepping on the shattered glass while carrying an axe in her left hand. Hilly continues crawling to the neighbor who is still sitting on the couch.

She looks up and is terrified. The neighbor has been axed on the side of his head, exposing his bloodied brain. Aibileen's hand wraps around Hilly's face which causes her to shriek as she is slammed against a glass coffee table, causing the glass to shatter. Her face is now bleeding even more. While coughing and gasping in pain, an injured Hilly lays on the ground, helpless and terrified. Aibileen walks over to Hilly, who is moaning in pain. Aibileen's foot rests against Hilly's neck. Hilly, now crying, slowly turns her head to the right and the axe is in front of her. Aibileen raises the axe behind her head in a position like almost about to hit a golfball. Hilly lets out a blood-curdling scream before Aibileen swings, slamming the axe into her head, instantly killing her.

## Coroner Report

Victim was found in neighbor's house after being killed with an axe. Traces of a shattered back glass door indicates the victim was either pushed or punched before crashing through the glass. The victim was most likely then thrown onto the glass coffee table. Victim then had her head axed which caused her death.

## Aftermath (Part 4)

Hilly's name comes up in Part 4. Aibileen listens to the radio about Hilly's and Mae Mobley's deaths. Nothing comes up.

A photo shows Hilly with the axe axed in her head is seen.

## Blackmail (Part 8)

A photo of Hilly's bloodied face is leaked to the internet. The background is taken at the morgue.

## Appearances

* Part 2 - Aibileen's Killing Spree
* Part 4 - Aftermath (mentioned)
* Part 8 - Blackmail (photo)