The Haunting of Bly Manor, created by Mike Flanagan, was released on Netflix on the 9th of October 2020. The 9-episode series, which quickly reached number 1 on Netflix, is based of Henry James’ novella ‘The Turn of the Screw’ and falls under the genres of gothic, occult, and horror fiction.
The Haunting of Bly manor is set in 1987 England and follows the story of Dani clayton (Victoria Pedretti) an American teacher who is hired to work as an au pair for two orphan children at a grand estate called Bly Manor in the middle of England's countryside. Apon arriving at Bly manor Dani meets the two children Flora (Amelia Bea Smith) and Miles Wingrave (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), the kind housekeeper Hannah grove (T’Nia Miller), the friendly cook Owen (Rahul Kohil) and the flirty gardener Jamie (Amelia Eve).
Although the manor looks perfectly splendid mentions of dead parents, dead governess’s, characters being expelled from school and shadows in the background hint otherwise. Bly Manor is not a show filled with jump scares instead it leaves viewers anxious with questions and fearful as they get those answers. It is all due to the brilliant minds of Mike Flanagan and the writer's team that the show flows so well as scenes shift from the present to the past and to the future. Although starting off a bit slow focusing on the living characters the hints and hidden faces keep the viewers intrigued so that viewers are ready for when the real haunting begins in the later episodes.
The actors all perform the characters fantastically including the youngest stars at only 9 and 10. With their emotions clear on their faces fans of the show were quickly drawn in and formed connections with characters on their screen. When asked for their opinion on the show Rose 16 said “I thought it was a great programme – very gripping and full of suspense. The plot was easy to follow yet mysterious enough for me to always be wondering what was going to happen next. I really enjoyed watching it and would highly recommend.”
The Haunting of Bly Manor has a fantastic cast and team of writers which make viewers only want to watch it again and again. With easter eggs from the first Haunting, the Haunting of Hill House, and clues you can only put together once finishing the show it is no wonder the show was so well received all over the world.
