Otto

Otto is a character in the thirty-seventh book in the Goosebumps series, The Headless Ghost, and an antagonist in the television adaptation.

Book
Otto and Edna are the tour guides of Hill House, the biggest attraction in Wheeler Falls. Otto tells the tour group the story of the old sea captain that built the house for his wife and went to sea, only to die. His ghost returned to the house, but his wife had left due to grief. The ghost of the captain would haunt the Craw family, tearing the head off of Andrew Craw. As Otto gives the tour, Stephanie Alpert and Duane Comack, also known as the "Twin Terrors", decide to leave the tour and search for Andrew's missing head. They eventually get caught by Otto and thrown out of the tour.

Duane and Stephanie then meet a boy named Seth who claims to have snuck into Hill House at night. The three sneak back into the house as Seth leads them into the pantry and locks them inside. He reveals himself to be Andrew Craw, the headless ghost, and threatens to steal Duane's head. Duane and Stephanie find a hidden passageway below the room and the three kids then find the head of the real Andrew Craw. Andrew's ghost shows up and takes his head, thanking the kids as he is now free to go into the afterlife. Otto arrives as Andrew vanishes and tells Duane and Stephanie that Seth is his nephew, and is known to tell ghost stories. When they try to tell him about Andrew, he doesn't believe them.

Several months later, during the winter, Duane and Stephanie return to Hill House for one more tour. They are greeted by Otto and Edna and take the tour. However, upon leaving, the kids are stopped by a pair of cops who tell them that Hill House has been abandoned for months. Duane and Stephanie look up to the house and see the ghosts of Otto and Edna peering down on them from a window.

Episode
Otto starts the episode similar to the book as the curator and historian of Hill House, while still having to deal with Duane and Stephanie. Similar to the book, he tells the story of the sea captain. Only in the episode, the captain did return alive, only for his wife to have still left him. The captain then haunted Hill House, taking revenge on anyone who lived there or anyone who mocked the ghosts within. Similar to the book, after Duane and Stephanie sneak from the tour, he kicks them both out, forbidding them from returning to Hill House. The kids meet Seth, who helps them sneak back inside after the tour ends to find the head of Andrew Craw. When they enter, they find a room with a dumbwaiter. Seth tells them the story of a boy who lived in the room who wanted ice cream, but when the dumbwaiter got stuck, he fell into the shaft and died.

Seth leads Duane and Stephanie to the attic, where the captain's art equipment is. He tells them that the captain would paint the portrait of his latest victim. Seth then claims to be Andrew Craw and threatens to steal the head of Duane. They then find the real Andrew Craw's head inside the dumbwaiter. Otto arrives and tells Duane and Stephanie that Seth is just a kid that works for him. Otto lets Duane leave, but keeps Stephanie in the attic. He then reveals himself to be the ghost of the sea captain with Seth being the ice cream boy. Otto begins to paint Stephanie's portrait, causing her to disappear before Duane returns to save her. Some time later, Otto shows off the now abandoned Hill House to a couple looking to purchase.

Appearance
Otto is described as a big, heavyset bald man with a large booming voice and a scary smile.

Personality
Otto comes off as particularly kindly, often very spirited in his telling of the history of Hill House. In the episode, he is revealed to be more sinister, reveling in torturing those who disrespect Hill House.