When I caught wind a little while ago of a second instalment in The Haunting of Hill House saga, you bet your behind I was excited. I really enjoyed Hill House and would honestly consider it the best horror television series I’ve seen thus far, so my expectations for Bly Manor were pretty high.
I’ll try not to ruin anything major, but be warned; this post contains spoilers, so if you’re in the middle of the series and don’t want it ruined, turn back now.
The Haunting of Bly Manor depicts the experiences of Dani, a live-in au pair at Bly Manor. Seemingly her dream job on paper, Dani is ecstatic to embark upon a fresh start in life (she’s been through some shit) and tend to the young Miles and Flora Wingrave whose deceased parents owned Bly.
It becomes evident pretty early on that things aren’t exactly as they seem at Bly. There are a lot of ghosts that roam the house and grounds, some of which who don’t realize they are dead and continue to live amongst the living, along with a lot of weird and creepy happenings.
If you watched Hill House you will likely appreciate reappearances from a lot of the original characters, though in different roles (Nell, Luke, Theo, Olivia, and Hugh, to name a few). I really enjoyed seeing them playing entirely different characters as I thought they were impeccable in Hill House.
I personally found Hill House to be scarier than Bly Manor, and since I appreciate horror, I’d have to go with Hill House if I was asked to pick between the two. However, Bly Manor is absolutely worth the watch, and I sincerely appreciate how both series incorporate so much emotion and hardship into a plot intended to make viewers shit themselves out of fear. Pretty impressive, really.
If you haven’t seen Bly Manor, give it a watch. And, if you find yourself questioning what in the hell is happening in any given episode, don’t be alarmed. I did the same thing.
ontheedgeofeverything 