The Haunting of Bly Manor
The Haunting of Bly Manor is an American gothic romance supernatural horror drama television miniseries created by Mike Flanagan, and released on October 9, 2020 by Netflix. The second entry in Flanagan's The Haunting anthology series, it mostly acts as an adaptation of the 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, but also includes other elements either based on James' other works or created for the show. It features much of Hill House's crew and some of the same cast, such as Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Amelia Eve, T'Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli, Tahirah Sharif, Amelie Bea Smith, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, and Henry Thomas. Although Pedretti, Jackson-Cohen and Thomas returned from Hill House as different characters, as did Kate Siegel, Carla Gugino, and Catherine Parker in recurring roles, the two series' narratives are not connected.
The Haunting of Bly Manor
United States
English
9
- Darryl Frank
- Justin Falvey
- Trevor Macy
- Mike Flanagan
- Diane Ademu-John
- Kathy Gilroy
- Leah Fong
- James Kniest
- Maxime Alexandre
- Brian Jeremiah Smith
- Mike Flanagan
46–66 minutes
October 9, 2020
Following a nonlinear narrative, The Haunting of Bly Manor follows the events occurring in the eponymous countryside manor in the United Kingdom, mostly upon the arrival of a young American hired as an au pair for the two children living at Bly, and who is unaware that the manor is haunted. It was released on October 9, 2020, and like its predecessor received positive reviews from critics, who particularly praised the performances of Pedretti and Miller. At the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards, the series was nominated for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series. At the 1st Critics' Choice Super Awards, it received nominations for Best Horror Series and Best Actress in a Horror Series (Pedretti and Miller). At the 2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards, Pedretti won the award for Most Frightened Performance.
Synopsis[edit]
"The story tells of a young au pair hired by a man to look after his niece and nephew at the family country house after they fall into his care. Arriving at the Bly estate, she begins to see apparitions that proceed to haunt the premises."[2]
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in October 2018, on the topic of The Haunting of Hill House, Flanagan said, "I don't want to speculate too much about season two until Netflix, Paramount and Amblin let us know if they want one. What I will say, though, is that as far as I've ever been concerned with this, the story of the Crain family is told. It's done."[12]
On February 21, 2019, Netflix announced a follow-up series to Hill House. Titled The Haunting of Bly Manor, it is based on The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.[13] Though it would serve as a follow-up series to The Haunting of Hill House, it is a standalone story, indicating that there would be "no dramatic link between The Haunting of Bly Manor and its predecessor."[14][15][16] Although the prominent source for the adaptation is The Turn of the Screw, the season also adapts (some more loosely) multiple James works,[17][18] including "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes" and "The Jolly Corner".[19][20]
Casting[edit]
Victoria Pedretti and Oliver Jackson-Cohen return as new characters: Pedretti in the role of Dani, "a governess who takes care of two very unusual children", and Jackson-Cohen portrays Peter, "a charming fellow".[21][22] Henry Thomas, Carla Gugino, Kate Siegel, and Catherine Parker also returned for Bly Manor.[23][10]
Reception[edit]
Reviews[edit]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 104 critics positively reviewed The Haunting of Bly Manor, and the average rating is 7.4/10. The critical consensus reads, "It may not be as scary as its predecessor, but with plenty of spooky tricks inside its haunted halls and a strong sense of heart, The Haunting of Bly Manor is another solid entry into Mike Flanagan's growing horrorography."[28] At Metacritic, the series received a weighted average score of 63 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[29]