Review: ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’
When it debuted on Netflix two years ago, ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ ignited a firestorm that rippled across the globe, impacting the cultural zeitgeist in a way very few horror properties have managed to do and launching its creator, Mike Flanagan, who at that point was mostly known for his micro-thriller ‘Hush’, into the upper echelon of horror filmmakers, with hordes of fans awaiting news of his next project with bated breath.
Anticipation has been at an all-time high for the second season of the series since it was first announced in early 2019, with fans speculating about everything from its casting to its subject matter. We are happy to report that ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ is a more than worthy successor to ‘Hill House’, capturing the same haunting, empathetic tone of the first installment and taking viewers on a thrilling and poignant journey that heightens as the season progresses.
Unlike the first installment’s contemporary setting, ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ sets the clock back to the ‘80s, focusing on bright and bubbly former teacher Dani (Victoria Pedretti) who jets off to the UK from sunny California looking to escape a dark and mysterious past. After landing a job as an au pair for the orphaned Wingrave children, the troubled Miles (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) and the precocious Flora (Amelie Bea Smith), Dani finds herself unwittingly drawn in to the terrifying secrets of Bly Manor and soon comes to realize that she may be trapped there forever.
While ‘Hill House’ was more of an ensemble piece, with the same amount of care and development given to each and every member of the Crane family, ‘Bly Manor’ positions Victoria Pedretti as both a lead and a vessel for the audience, who get to experience the secrets of Bly Manor alongside her throughout the course of the show. Across the season’s 9-episode runtime, Pedretti proves she is more than capable of carrying the show on her back, turning in a nuanced and heartbreaking portrayal of a young woman dealing with grief and misplaced feelings of guilt. The role requires her to dive deep into extremely dark places and Pedretti does so with gusto, emerging from the psychological recesses of grief and paranoia with a triumphant and defiant performance.
Another returning cast member, Oliver Jackson-Cohen plays the slimy budding businessman Peter Quint, a character worlds away from Luke Crain. Jackson-Cohen is tasked with the difficult job of turning a truly reprehensible character into one that audiences can sympathize with, and as the season progresses and the tough exterior Quint has built around himself starts to crack, he manages to do just that, humanizing him in a way that other actors might have struggled with and delivering a nuanced and complex performance in the process. As a man ashamed of his humble origins, Quint’s feelings of inadequacy and jealousy towards those better off than him start to curdle into something more sinister and Jackson-Cohen does an exceptional job at charting this bitter and emotional arc despite a lack of screentime.
The rest of the cast, made up of mostly newcomers to the franchise, all turn in impeccable performances that are on par with those of the first season. Raul Kohli, in particular, is charming and charismatic as affable chef Owen, while T’Nia Miller is absolutely sublime as kindhearted caretaker Hannah. She is the heart and soul of the show, anchoring the series’ ghostly proceedings and providing a warm and lively foil to its cold and ghastly visuals.
Viewers who decide to check in at ‘Bly Manor’ in anticipation of the same amount of frights and jumpscares that ‘Hill House’ was known for may be left frustrated. ‘Bly Manor’ is very much a slow burn with Flanagan and crew consistently adding more and more elements and ingredients to the mix, letting them stew at their own pace before the horror is finally unleashed in the final few episodes. And while Flanagan employs the same hidden ghosts technique seen in ‘Hill House’, he does it much more sparingly here, refusing to rely on a trick that could have easily turned into a gimmick. Despite that, fans of ‘Hill House’ will be happy to know that ‘Bly Manor’ contains many callbacks to the first season, with one specific episode coming off as an attempt to capture the tone and spirit of ‘Hill House’’s most memorable and successful character arc. But all of them feel earned rather than shoehorned in, with Flanagan and crew going to great lengths to make sure every storyline comes together full circle.
Much like its predecessor, ‘Bly Manor’ explores a myriad of interesting themes and topics, taking audiences on a deep and comprehensive exploration of religion, faith, grief and mortality. Flanagan has always been interested in the humanity of horror rather than the unfamiliar and in that aspect, ‘Bly Manor’ may be his finest work yet. Each character is given their own arc, their own unique emotional journey and it is a testament to the filmmakers and the actors that viewers will manage to connect with each and every one.
“It’s not a ghost story,” utters a character during the show. “It’s a love story.” That, in a nutshell, is the perfect description of the series. ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ is at its core a powerful ode to love in all its forms: maternal, paternal, unconditional, requited and unrequited. It is a heavy, emotionally taxing journey but also a cathartic and rewarding one, ending on a heartwarming high note that will leave viewers wholly satisfied and eager for the next installment.
Rating: 4.5/5