This post includes a list of the top 12 exciting and amazing things to know about the hyped horror series the Haunting of Bly Manor.
For those who haven’t watched The Haunting of Bly Manor yet, this is the right time for you to go through this post, know everything you need to know about The Haunting of Bly Manor and watch the show.
The Haunting of Bly Manor series premiered on Netflix almost a year ago on Oct. 9, 2020. Yet, the hype of the series is still there. The series came up as a follow-up for the hit horror show The Haunting of Hill House. The Haunting series on Netflix first premiered back in the summer of 2018, with its first installment, a major hit for the streamer.
And after two years, writer, director, and creator Mike Flanagan kick-started the second installment, loosely based on a gothic novella, The Turn of the Screw from the 1980s, written by Henry James. The Haunting of Bly Manor’s story revolves around the fictional truth; dead doesn’t mean gone.
Mike Flanagan unravels a beautiful tragedy faced by an au pair (young governess) as she plunges into an abyss of darkening secrets as she watches over a pair of orphaned siblings at the Bly Manor (the family country house) in Essex, England. The series takes an 80’s setting and explores various human emotions, notably love, loss, and soul-wrenching grief.
Is Haunting of Bly Manor connected to the first season “Hill House”?
The Haunting of Bly Manor is the second installment to The Haunting series, but these are not actually connected. Both of the series have entirely different stories and characters, even tho Bly Manor debuted as a follow-up series. The narratives of the two series are nowhere connected. However, much of the same cast and creative team has made a comeback.
So, even if you haven’t watched the first season, there’s nothing to worry about, as you can straight jump into the second entry-Bly Manor.
How scary is Bly Manor?
If you have watched Hill House, you must be preparing yourselves for some intense jump scares; however, Bly Manor is a bit more into the disturbingly creepy imaginary scene rather than “holy shit” jump scares. But, one thing is for sure that if someone is not into the horror genre much, Bly Manor still could be a hard pass for them.
So, even though Bly Manor might not be as scary as Hill House, the terror of Bly Manor lingers upon the viewers for a long time as the series explores the horror we bring upon ourselves throughout life.
So brace yourselves for some intense love-horror drama, and devour upon these behind-the-scene details and top things you need to know before you watch Bly Manor that is listed below.
Disclaimer: Spoilers of The Haunting of Bly Manor might be ahead. Read on at your own risk.
12 Things You Must Know Before Watching The Haunting of Bly Manor
1. The story: all about ghosts, past, and haunted houses
The Haunting of Bly Manor’s story tells about a young au pair, Dani Clayton (played by Victoria Pedretti), who takes on a new job in a new place in the hopes of escaping her past and having a fresh start.
Dani finds herself in a position in the Manor where she is forced to face her past traumas head-on, which has started acting out as a ghost or disturbing thoughts. She tries to escape her past, but can she?
2. Actor Oliver Jackson Cohen plays the character of Peter Quint, a sophisticated yet manipulative business associate
Popular actor Oliver Jackson Cohen gives another striking performance in Bly Manor as Peter Quint, who is also the love interest of Rebecca Jessel, the former governess of Bly Manor.
Fans of The Haunting’s series will know Oliver as playing Luke Crain in the previous installment.
3. When in Bly, the dead doesn’t actually mean gone
Well, as fans of The Haunting series, viewers will be expecting the arrival of ghosts, and your expectations will surely be fulfilled. This season will be packed with ghosts and spirits as well, some hidden and others not-so-hidden.
Bly features a bigger range of scarier visions. Hill House fans probably haven’t forgotten about the Bent-neck-lady, the terrifying ghost. Bly has one such unforgettable appearance, too, so watch out for the terrifying lady in the lake.
4. Bly Manor has quite a different “family” unit
Unlike the first season, The Haunting of Bly Manor will present its viewers with a very different living arrangement than the usual and a situationally-build family unit.
The residents of Bly Estate are not related to each other, except for the pair of twins, Flora Wingrave and Miles Wingrave. So, this means viewers will get to see a few new characters like housekeeper Hannah Grose, played by T’Nia Miller (manager of Bly Manor), and Owen, played by Rahul Kohli.
The story of Bly Manor begins with linking each of the characters to each other, as they are the not-related-by-blood family that stays together in the house. So, this central family, unlike others, is a soul family.
5. There’s a house inside the house with all the secrets
The Haunting of Bly Manor has a dollhouse owned by Flora Wingrave, which has 14 important dolls representing every character in the series. The dollhouse, unlike any other, is a bit creepy and has all the secrets stored.
The dollhouse depicts where everyone in Bly Manor is at all times (including the spirits). So, watch out for the dollhouse.
6. Henry Thomas, young Hugh Crain from Hill House is back too
Actor Henry Thomas who played the role of young Hugh Crain in The Haunting of Hill House, is back as Henry Wingrave, the owner of the house. Henry Wingrave hires Dani to watch over his niece and nephew.
7. Actor Kate Siegel and Mike Flanagan’s daughter has a link to both the installments
Kate Siegel and her husband, director Mike Flanagan have named their daughter Theodora Isabelle Irene Flanagan. Now, the interesting part about the name is that Theodora is actually the name of Kate’s character in the first season, that is, the Hill House and Isabella is the name of Theodora’s daughter in the second season.
8. The two main floors of Bly were not connected
During an interview with Cinematographer James Kniest, it was found out that the two main floors of the manor were actually not connected and were on two different sets, as the sets for Bly Manor were massive.
The set features a man-made lake and a chapel built on a farm just outside Vancouver.
9. There is a special episode, “The Romance of Certain Old Clothes,” focusing on lavish wardrobe
There is an episode that is shot in black-and-white, which has one of Kate Siegal’s favorite dresses in the series created specifically for that episode.
10. Bly Manor incorporates many of writer Henry James’s short stories
We have already told you that Bly Manor is loosely based on James’s novel The Turn of the Screw; however, it doesn’t end there. Bly Manor also incorporates other short stories from James, specifically The Jolly Corner.
The story of Jolly Corner follows a man who returns to New York to look after some family property after his parent’s death. However, the man soon begins to suspect that he has manifested an alter ego, who now haunts him.
Similarly, in Bly Manor, viewers can see that Henry Thomas’ character is haunted, likely by his doppelganger, or at least that’s what it looks like. So, this could show the story of what was there in James’ Jolly Corner.
11. Meet the amazing cast of Bly Manor, check out the new faces
Bly Manor is coming up with many new faces to the horror front like Tahirah Sharif, who is playing Rebecca Jessel, Amelia Eve as gardener Jamie, Benjamin Ainsworth is playing Miles Wingrave, the twin of Flora.
12. The trailer drops a lot of clues on how the story is going to unfold
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tykS7QfTWMQ
If you haven’t watched The Haunting of Bly Manor yet, this is the best time for you to check up on the trailer and teaser of the series. You will see a lot of clues coming in.
The trailer emphasizes the terrors that lie within and as well as outside. From showing the lady on the lake, possessed dolls owned by Miles’s sister Flora, the trailer says a lot.
Final Words
Well, after reading these things about Bly Manor, I hope you know what’s on the other side. This season has 9 episodes, one less than the previous one, but that won’t matter much because the thrill and excitement are just the same.
This series is much ahead of its time as per the setting that dates back to the 1980s. The series doesn’t just explore the ghosts and haunted aspects but explores the terror that’s within us. This is something scarier than the ghosts that are lurking on the outside.
Also, you will get to see some romance throughout the series, so it is not like just any other horror story you see every day. That is why it has an 87% Rotten Tomatoes score.
I hope you have a fun time binge-watching The Haunting of Bly Manor. Watch it before it completes one year of release this October.
This is Kritika. A 23-year-old biotechnology student by the day, and a writer/poet 24/7.
