School Spirits sees ghost girl Maddie attempting to discover how she died and who was responsible. Well, at the end of Season 1, we finally got an answer. So, if you’re wondering who did it, here’s who killed Maddie in School Spirits, explained.
Who Killed Maddie in School Spirits, Explained
Before the credits rolled on the School Spirits Season 1 finale, we did indeed get an answer as to who killed Maddie. Maddie and the viewers had spent eight episodes trying to figure out, getting paranoid about who was to be trusted and who wasn’t. There were twists, red herrings, and more. Did Maddie’s boyfriend kill her? Or was it her mother? Aided by the spirits of the other dead students and a dead teacher, she discovered the truth. But before we get to the truth, just who were the suspects?
School Spirits Suspect Profiles
At times, it felt like literally anyone on School Spirits could have killed Maddie. The show was very quick to throw in red herrings and false leads. Here are some of the main suspects.
Xander: Xander was Maddie’s boyfriend at the time of her death, and the show gave us plenty of potential clues. We saw him grinning as he killed a rat with a concrete block, plus he had what appeared to be Maddie’s phone. He was also cheating on Maddie with cheerleader Claire.
Claire: Claire was seeing Xander behind Maddie’s back and even before that revelation, we were treated to several flashbacks of her just glaring at Maddie. Later, it was implied that Claire and Xander murdered her together, with Xander remarking that he was scared of the police finding Maddie’s body.
Mr. Anderson: Teacher Mr. Anderson seemed to be Maddie’s friend, but early on, we got a creepy scene of walking into the auto shop late at night, ordering Simon out but not explaining why he was there so late.
Maddie’s Mother: Sandra Nears, Maddie’s mother is an alcoholic, and we’ve seen that she’s done plenty of things under the influence. She crashed her car, for example, and Maddie ended up taking the blame. It’s a stretch, but it’s possible she killed Maddie in an alcohol-fuelled rage.
Mr. South: Janitor Mr, South was brought in for questioning by the police but, aside from appearing slightly sinister on the odd occasion, there’s not much of a motive here.
Mr Martin: Viewers suspected Mr Martin early on. He’s almost too nice, and as we discover later, the accident in his lab wasn’t actually an accident.
Who Had the Strongest Motive to Kill Maddie?
Speaking of motives, who actually did have the strongest motive to kill Maddie? Ultimately, it’s Xander and Claire, and the show tries to make us think, at least at first, that it was because she was an obstacle to their relationship. It’s said that killing animals is one potential sign of psychopathy, and having Xander off that rat was a definite attempt to make us think he was seriously unhinged.
Maddie’s Actual Killer in School Spirits, Explained
The person who “killed” Maddie in School Spirits was the ghost Janet, though Maddie isn’t truly dead. The spirits had been talking about Janet having crossed over to the other side, but that’s not what happened.
What actually occurred is that Janet, one of the school spirits, took possession of her body, turning Janet into a spirit. Janet then left in her body, and she could, essentially, be anywhere by the time School Spirits Season 2 begins. Mr Martin, the school’s deceased teacher, was also involved somehow. But this means that if Janet comes back to the school or is lured back, Maddie has a chance of getting her body back.
At least, that’s assuming there’s no time limit, no point at which Janet takes permanent control, and Maddie can never return. We still don’t know how Janet pulled that unsettling move off. But her motive appears to be that she wanted out of the afterlife, and now she’s running around in Maddie’s body, in the outside world.
So, you can think of Janet as Maddie’s killer, but Maddie isn’t actually dead, just displaced in spirit.
What Are the Hidden Clues About Maddie’s Death?
There were several clues that hint at Maddie’s real fate. Here are some of them:
- Maddie Does Not Remember Her Death: The other spirits are stunned by this revelation, as they absolutely all remember the circumstances of their passing. This alone suggests there’s something unusual about Maddie’s “death.”
- Maddie Sits in Janet’s Chair: Janet reluctantly attends one of the spirit group meetings and asks where she can sit. She is directed to Janet’s chair because Janet has crossed over, which we later discover isn’t true. So, while Janet has taken her place in the mortal world, she takes Janet’s place in the spirit world.
- Dawn’s Crossing Over Isn’t Like Janet’s: When Dawn does cross over, the other spirits see and feel the effects, remarking that they didn’t experience anything like that when Janet crossed over. We know now why – because she didn’t actually cross over.
- Simon Can See Maddie, But No Other Spirits: It seemed to be that Simon’s connection to Maddie let him into the spirit world. But now that we know she’s not really dead, that seems like less of a leap.
School Spirits Fan Theories and Predictions
Fans have come up with a variety of theories and predictions to explain what’s going on and what to expect from Season 2. Here are some of the theories that have been advanced over on the School Spirits Reddit group:
- Mr. Martin was possessing the student who was in the mascot costume in Episode 1.
- Rhonda is secretly evil.
- Mr. Martin was keeping the spirits from passing over to prevent more possessions like Janet.
- The high school itself is sentient and evil, sustaining itself with the spirits within it.
- Many of the spirits have someone who can see them, it’s just that those people treat them as a hallucinations and ignore them.
- Clare is possessed by a spirit.
- Only people who are dead inside can be possessed.
Some of these theories are daft, others seem possible, and the last one is bleak as hell. But we’ll have to wait until Season 2’s finale to find out if any of them are on the money.
Does School Spirits Season 2 Have a Release Date?
With that cliffhanger, a lot of fans were champing at the bit for the next season. The good news is that, via TV Line, Season 2 went into production in June 2024 and will air from January 30th, 2025.
So, on the subject of who killed Maddie in School Spirits, explained, the answer is that no one killed her. Maddie is a spirit, but she’s not dead and can get back into her body. And Season 2 should provide some answers.
School Spirits is streaming now on Netflix.
The above article was updated on 1/30/2025 by the original author to include more information about School Spirits.