‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ Is A Ghost Story Told for the Thrill, Not the Scares

This article contains spoilers for The Haunting of Hill House & Bly Manor – Read at your own risk

2020 has been one bumpy year; that’s something we can all agree on, right? Isolation and lockdown have given us the opportunity to binge watch a lot of television. No matter the genre, there is something out there for everyone.

Netflix original series are becoming more and more popular across the years. From You and The Stranger to The Crown and Jack Whitehall’s Travels with My Father, it’s no secret that Netflix cashes in big time on their shows. As the years pass, it appears that the darker the series, the scarier the series, and the more chilling the series, Netflix know they’re onto a winner, and that is made clear when it comes to their The Haunting collection.

In 2018, Netflix released a brand-new series: The Haunting of Hill House. The supernatural horror drama series made its debut on Netflix two years ago and was an instant fan favourite. Hill House is based on the book with the same title, written by Shirley Jackson. The series, created and directed by Mike Flanagan saw a whole tale of twists, shocks, scares and hidden ghosts that it spooked enough people to have a second season commissioned. Incoming The Haunting of Bly Manor.

Bly Manor is based on the works of Henry James, primarily “Turn of the Screw”. Now, it seems that people are disappointed in Bly Manor because of its “lack of scares” when compared to Hill House. The important thing to keep in mind here is that the two editions to The Haunting anthology cannot be compared to each other for one big reason, here’s why.

The Haunting of Hill House tells the story of Hugh and Olivia Crain and their children as they move into Hill House, renovate it to sell it and build their own home. As their stay becomes longer, they experience some rather strange, supernatural occurrences, which lead to deadly consequences. This season is notable for its scares involving the Bent-Neck Lady, who turned out to be Nell after it was revealed she was haunting herself. The season came to an emotional ending, which left fans stunned. This is a season notable more for the scariness and jump scares, rather than any massive and complicated plot. The plot is simple, easy to follow, making it easier for us to be scared as we’re quickly drawn into it.

However, when it comes to The Haunting of Bly Manor, this time we are in this series for the thrill, not the scares. Dani arrives at Bly Manor to be the nanny for two children – Flora and Miles – who end up being possessed and controlled by ghosts. Now, jump scares are different in everyone. Some people can’t stand them, so they’re scared easily, but others prefer to be spooked in a more psychological way. The second edition to The Haunting anthology is the same as season 1 in terms of structure, cinematography and direction. On the other hand, the story was being told to us. Carla Gugino’s narration all throughout the season was our biggest hint that we are in this story for the thrill, not the scares, meaning we can dive into the story a lot more. Hill House was a season that we lived in, it happened in “present day” as well as flashbacks, but for Bly Manor, it was solely down to imagination.

As an audience – as seen in episode one – we, the audience, are meant to be the guests at the rehearsal wedding dinner, listening to this story. When listening to a story, you’re not going to be scared. There is nothing to scare you physically. It’s all psychological because of how we’re imagining it. Whilst the dream-hopping was a tad confusing, if repetitive, we were still told a beautiful ghost story with a tragic end.

When analysing Bly Manor, the genre switches from supernatural horror drama to a gothic romance story, which we were made aware of beforehand. The character building was strong, stronger than season 1. Whilst it was a fight for survival, there are plenty of scares, but it’s vital to keep in mind that we are being narrated. We are being told to imagine this story for ourselves, not in a way to scare you but to emotionally move you.

Bly Manor receives too much criticism, but we cannot compare the two seasons because they’re both incredibly unique and perfectly structured in their own charming ways. It's an anthology of creativity and storytelling.