It has arrived! Friday saw the release of the much anticipated Haunting of Bly Manor, the second installment of Mike Flanagan's anthology of ghost stories. This new series features some returning cast members from The Haunting of Hill House, and features some similar storytelling structure, but overall this is an entirely different story and I was floored. The Haunting of Bly Manor is based on the works of Henry James, most notably The Turn of the Screw, the same short story that was the basis for The Innocents which I absolutely love. Where this show differentiates itself from The Innocents though is the way it builds on elements of the story while incorporating pieces from other stories. To summarize without giving anything away, the show follows a young American woman hired as an au pair for two young kids in a large manor in rural England, but of course there's something a little spooky going on within the house.
The au pair and arguably the lead actor in the series is played by Victoria Pedretti, who also played Nell in The Haunting of Hill House. This show gives her a lot more screen time and she really makes the most of it, giving a 'perfectly splendid' performance. She does a great job of playing cutesy with the kids, but also manages to really effectively show fear, both outright fear and fear she is trying to push down. Hill House limited her screen time a lot, but she really shines here. Another standout is T'Nia Miller as Mrs. Grose. I'm honestly not even sure what it is I love so much about her performance but she just has a presence that simply makes every scene with her better. There's a blend of tenderness and stoicism in her performance that I found very comforting throughout, and the way she plays off of Rahul Kohli's character is delightful. Delightful is the best way to describe Kohli, he has such a beautiful energy to him despite the struggles his character goes through that perfectly suits this story. Amelia Eve plays Jamie the gardener, and like the others she just fist this role really well. She's very snarky in comparison to the others, but it suits the character well especially in how she plays off of others. Two others returning cast members from The Haunting of Hill House are Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Henry Thomas, both in incredibly different roles. Thomas doesn't get a ton of screen time but it solid when he is there. Jackson-Cohen has more but is in no way a lead, but he comes in with a great Scottish accent and gives a really great performance. Jackson-Cohen and another member of the cast Tahirah Sharif have really great chemistry, the chemistry all throughout the cast is really great and I think that's a big part of why this show is so strong. Additionally the two kids are played quite well by Amelie Bea Smith and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth. OH! Also Greg Sestero has a small role and that's amazing.
Mike Flanagan directed all of The Haunting of Hill House, but he only directs the first episode of this season. Luckily his tone is never lost throughout the season and the rest of the directors and writers are able to effectively pull off his story here. A key theme in the show is the idea of people coming together, so in a way I think having multiple directors worked well. Hill House was all about one family so it made sense to have one voice telling that story, but with a lot of different stories converging here I liked having very slight stylistic differences with the different filmmakers. The easiest way I can describe this season overall is that it is really beautiful. It is a lot less traditionally scary than The Haunting of Hill House, focusing instead on lingering fear and the way the past haunts people for most of the episodes. The last few episodes get back to that scariness, but as a whole that just isn't the focus. This is a story driven show, allowing the horror to act as an accompaniment to an already strong story. The set and costumes are absolutely gorgeous, but can also be freaky when need be. The music is the same way, often gorgeous with tinges of eeriness. The score also works in notes from the opening title music throughout which I think worked really well. Oh, and when there is horror imagery at play it's really quite spooky.
My issues are far and few between in this one. There is a lot put into this season and there are some storylines that kind of just fade out and others that I didn't love. Henry Thomas's backstory is good but has some elements I don't love, and the little boy Miles is a very tough character to bring to life and I just wasn't a big fan on how his backstory was developed. Those are my only real gripes though, this season moved me to fears and tears, and has such a beautiful tone that I couldn't stop thinking about it after I finished it. Will likely be watching this again, and I really hope Flanagan continues this anthology with another great ghost story.
Rating: 4.6/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
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