In October 2018, Netflix premiered The Haunting of Hill House, a ten-episode supernatural horror drama series inspired by the classic Shirley Jackson novel of the same name. Hill House became a surprise success, receiving near-unanimous praise from both fans and critics alike. The series also went on to win a number of awards, including the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Series of 2018.
In 2019, Netflix renewed the show for a second season. However, creator and director Mike Flanagan confirmed that the next installment would not return to Hill House or feature the Crain family, as he felt their story was complete. Eventually, it was announced that the show would continue as an anthology series, similar to other staples of terrifying television such as American Horror Story. The second series, titled The Haunting of Bly Manor, will adapt another classic horror story, Henry James’ 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw.
The first teaser trailer for Bly Manor reveals that several of the actors from Hill House, including Victoria Pedretti, Kate Siegal, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Henry Thomas, will return to the second series in new roles. This strategy, which was also employed in American Horror Story, sees Pedretti step into the role of Dani Clayton, a governess who is hired to look after the niece and nephew of Henry Wingrave (Thomas).
Flanagan, who will return as showrunner but will not direct every episode, confirmed that the story’s original 1890 setting will be updated to the 1980s. The story will center around Pedretti’s Clayton discovering that not only is the manor haunted, but young Flora and Miles Wingrave (Amelie Smith and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) are aware of and possess a mysterious connection to the house’s ghosts.
The Haunting of Bly Manor will debut on Netflix on October 9, 2020. Until then, enjoy the absolutely terrifying trailer seen below:
