Jimmy Hall

"It's me doing it actually, comedy. I do this comedy character called Hugo Punch, he's sort of this comedic sociopath, says things that you're not supposed to say and that sort of thing."

- Jimmy

"You're always going to do it, Jimmy. I'm in charge. Not you... I'm in charge."

- Hugo Jimmy Hall (born James Alexander Hall), also known by his alter-ego as Hugo Punch, is the main antagonist of At Dead Of Night, trying to hide his secret and holding Maya and her friends hostage in the Sea View Hotel. Jimmy is a psychotic man who has kidnapped, harmed and even murdered previous guests who have stayed at the Sea View Hotel.

Appearance
Jimmy Hall has unkempt, balding brown hair mostly sticking out at the sides and a large bald patch on top, pale skin, and brown eyes.

He wears a patterned red waistcoat, a white shirt, a black bowler hat, black trousers, and a black bowtie.

Hugo Punch looks similar, but lacks the waistcoat and bowler hat. Hugo also wears red suspenders, though normal Jimmy most likely wears these red suspenders under his waistcoat.

He might be 45 years old.

Personality
Though Jimmy Hall is a socially awkward individual who has difficulty making normal conversation with strangers, he is a comedian who has won multiple trophies. Jimmy, as revealed throughout the game, is sympathetic and even suicidal.

Hugo, on the other hand, is a violent, evil, sick man who controls Jimmy throughout the whole game, chasing Maya with an intent to kill. Onstage, he also insults his audience, as stated by Rose in the ballroom: "Jimmy wasn't in control anymore; it was Hugo Punch."

It's explicitly stated in the menu that Jimmy is not meant to have Dissociative Identity Disorder (or DID). This reveals that his fragile mentality was fully under influenced by his father's vengeful spirit, where he was now able to control his body completely.

Behavior
Jimmy roams the halls of Floor One, Floor Two and Floor Three, scouting rooms in search of Maya. It takes some time for him to switch floors, but it is not known how he does so; presumably the broken elevator or stairs, or perhaps a hidden passage built into the hotel. While Jimmy is on the same floor, he will occasionally call out to and taunt Maya, often chanting her name or threatening her.

Jimmy can sneak up on Maya from behind or hide behind a corner (where he or his shadow will be visible for a brief moment), until she turns around or approaches said corner, respectively. Jimmy will only go to floors he can 'hide' in, so he will never hunt for Maya on the Ground Floor or Lower Level. If Jimmy sees Maya enter a room, or suspects she is inside, he will take a moment to pull out a key and unlock the door.

If he fails to find Maya, he will leave. Otherwise, he will bust open the door and bat her over the head, knocking her out. When Maya is knocked out, Jimmy will drag her off and take the spirit box from her, and possibly her keys, compass, or scrying mirror, all of which can be recovered. If Maya is fast enough to leave a room while Jimmy is inside, he can be locked in, buying Maya time to get away (usually around 38 seconds).

Story *Spoiler Warning*
' 'By reading this, you accept the fact that you will see spoilers of the game (e.g., names of ghosts, how they died). If you wish to get the definitive experience of At Dead of Night, please play through the game before reading forward. Thank you.

As the notable ghosts of the hotel reveal, Jimmy is shown to have caused many deaths at his hotel, both directly (Harvey's) and indirectly (Amy's and Dr. Bose's) in different, yet cruel ways.

Amy, a young child, reveals Young Jimmy tormented her, set her toys on fire, stole her purse, and forced her to drink whiskey. Amy died from a fall down five flights of stairs (Floor 3 to the basement) while inebriated.

Dr. Bose, Jimmy's psychiatrist, tried to treat Young Jimmy's perceived mental illness. However, it only revealed how twisted Jimmy truly is; Jimmy made Dr. Bose a sandwich with glass shards in it as a "prank", lied to his mother Rose that Dr. Bose assaulted him with a paddle, and accused Dr. Bose of molesting him, causing him to lose his medical license, and destroying his reputation. Feeling his life had been ruined, he committed suicide after sneaking into the hotel one night while on bail by hanging himself from the elevator as it ascended.

Harvey, the previous hotel manager, got into a violent "prank" war with young Jimmy; Jimmy set a crossbow trap for him, rigged a broken heater to electrocute him, and set other various pranks. However, Harvey, in turn, destroyed his TV and game consoles and locked him in the basement. After he'd had enough, Harvey went to confront him with a World War II era Colt M1911A1 (allegedly his father's), intending to threaten him into leaving the hotel. But Jimmy killed him with a dagger fashioned from a sharpened letter opener, stabbing Harvey in the neck; according to Rose, it was in self-defense.

Rosemary (a.k.a Rose) was Jimmy's mother, and the only person to take his side; she knows that Jimmy became the way he is because of his father, Hugo Hall. Rose reveals how Hugo used to beat Jimmy as a baby, tormenting him for two years, before Rose killed Hugo with a bat and buried him under a layer of concrete in the basement; she'd never told Jimmy about his father. After Jimmy's suicide attempt, Rose decided to tell him the truth, which worsened things. While Jimmy was in the basement looking for his father's body, Rose committed suicide through self-immolation, unable to live with herself, knowing she had changed her son for the worse.

After learning of Hugo, Maya talks to Jimmy as he's calling out to him from a distance behind her. The crazed Jimmy tells her she can come meet Hugo, leading her down to the basement, to a room with a concrete floor. In the corner is a mound, where Hugo's body is buried. Jimmy details how Hugo has cursed the Hall family for centuries; even in death, he torments the Halls. Jimmy thinks he and Maya are meant for each other, which Maya denies before locking him in the room and runs off to search for her friends. Jimmy begins picking the lock and quickly gives chase. After rescuing her friends and escaping, it is unknown what happens to Jimmy. It can be presumed Maya called the police.

Bugs

 * (FIXED 3/4/2021) Sometimes during the final level in which you rescue your friends, Jimmy will repeatedly enter, leave, and re-enter the room you're hiding in, over and over. Calling out to him in an attempt to lure him in the opposite direction you need to go will simply make him barge in faster, and the only way to end the cycle is to either die on purpose or time it just right so he does go into the bathroom (which is harder and less consistent at this point in the game, Jimmy is much smarter now) and lock him in. Upon testing, this can happen with any room, but it's particularly bad near (not at) dead ends.

Trivia

 * Jimmy can lure the player out if they are hiding in the bathroom, by walking out, not closing the door and then running back in and catching them.
 * If the player hides in the wardrobe, Jimmy can hide in the bathroom and catch the player when they leave.
 * If Jimmy hides in the bathroom while the player is in the wardrobe, the player can quickly run out of the room. If the player has the deadbolt key, they can lock Jimmy inside the room.
 * Jimmy can also hide under the door, and jumpscare the player through the door's spyglass.
 * Jimmy can't hide in G, LG and the stairwell; these are considered safe areas.
 * Jimmy named his comedic persona "Hugo Punch" without knowing "Hugo" was actually his father's name.
 * "Hugo Punch" acts as the antagonist of the game; Rose herself states that "Hugo" often takes complete control over Jimmy.
 * Jimmy's whole name is "James Alexander Hall", per his Birth Certificate.
 * Jimmy was a child when most of the incidents at the hotel took place, most likely around Amy's age.
 * Even though Jimmy is unable to roam G, the ground floor / lobby, the game's opening cutscene features both Jimmy Hall and his alter-ego in the lobby during the transition.