Nails (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Nails targets Dana because she was previously treated at Hopewell Rehabilitation Hospital as a child for meningitis. Eric Nilsson (Nails) was a former hospital worker who murdered children and took their fingernails. Since Dana survived a near-death experience (she was clinically dead for three minutes after her accident), she became able to perceive Eric's ghost, and he fixated on her as his next victim, continuing his pattern of targeting vulnerable patients.

Foreshadowing: Dana's childhood file from her previous hospitalization surfaces late in the film, revealing her connection to the hospital's dark history.

• nails ghost
• dana milgrom
• eric nilsson
• hospital haunting

Eric Nilsson was a former patient and staff member at Hopewell Rehabilitation Hospital who was suspected of murdering five children. He earned the nickname 'Nails' because he had a disturbing habit of collecting fingernails from the child patients he killed. After being blamed for the children's deaths, Eric committed suicide in the closet of Dana's current hospital room in 1984.

Foreshadowing: The film hints at Eric's history through Dana's online research and Dr. Stengel's explanations about the hospital's tragic past.

• eric nilsson
• nails nickname
• hospital murders
• child deaths

Dana's three-minute clinical death after her hit-and-run accident is significant because it grants her the ability to see Eric Nilsson's ghost. The near-death experience appears to have opened her perception to the supernatural, allowing her to perceive Nails when other patients and staff cannot.

Foreshadowing: This detail is introduced early by Dr. Stengel, who shows interest in Dana's claims specifically because of her brief death.

• near-death experience
• clinical death
• supernatural ability
• perception

Nails disables Dana's breathing machine during one of his nighttime visits as a direct attempt to kill her. This attack demonstrates that the ghost is not merely appearing to frighten Dana but is actively dangerous and capable of interacting with physical objects in the hospital room.

Foreshadowing: The breathing machine incident occurs shortly after Dana first sees Nails and describes him to Dr. Stengel, escalating the threat level.

• breathing machine
• attack
• suffocation
• ghost attack

Trevor Helms is killed by Nails in the hospital basement while investigating files related to Dana Breiman (Dana's childhood name). Eric targets Trevor because Trevor represents another person from the hospital connected to the child murders, and Nails eliminates anyone who gets too close to uncovering the truth about his crimes.

Foreshadowing: Trevor's death follows his decision to investigate the hospital's records and his growing belief that something supernatural is actually occurring in Dana's room.

• trevor helms death
• basement
• killed
• nails attack

Dana's childhood file reveals she was previously treated at Hopewell Rehabilitation Hospital as a child under the name Dana Breiman. This connects her directly to Eric Nilsson's reign of terror decades earlier. The discovery explains why Nails has singled her out, he has a twisted connection to her from her childhood hospitalization.

Foreshadowing: Trevor finds this file before his death, and Dana later discovers it in his possession, forcing her to confront her hidden past.

• childhood file
• dana breiman
• past connection
• hospital history

Ashley becomes possessed by Nails when Steve goes to find her during the hospital power outage. She attacks Steve, demonstrating that Nails can possess and control other people in addition to appearing as a ghost. This possession mirrors Eric's historical pattern of harming those connected to the hospital.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes Nails's ability to manipulate physical objects and space before showing he can also possess individuals.

• ashley possession
• steve affair
• attacked
• controlled

Dana ultimately succumbs to Nails's attack because Eric Nilsson is significantly more powerful than she anticipated. Despite detaching her medical tubes to escape and facing Nails alone in a final confrontation, Dana is overpowered, the ghost levitates and throws her around the room until she dies, mirroring how Eric killed the children decades earlier.

Foreshadowing: The ending vision shows adult Dana being injected with a needle by Eric's ghost, paralleling the children's fates.

• dana death
• final confrontation
• killed
• tragic ending

The scratch marks that appear on Dana's back are physical evidence of Nails's nighttime attacks. Unlike hallucinations, these marks are real injuries inflicted by Eric Nilsson's ghost as he visits her. The supernatural scratches even form the phrase 'I miss you' on her skin, demonstrating the ghost's disturbing connection to her.

Foreshadowing: This physical manifestation of the ghost's presence occurs after Dana learns more about Eric's history, escalating the horror.

• scratch marks
• physical evidence
• supernatural injury
• i miss you

Steve goes looking for Ashley when the hospital power fails because he suspects she may be in danger. However, his decision also reflects his ongoing infidelity, he rushes to find his mistress rather than staying to protect his wife and daughter, prioritizing his affair over his family's safety during the crisis.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes establish Steve's affair through Nails's video revelation and Dana's discovery during the Skype call.

• steve affair
• power outage
• ashley
• abandonment