The Haunting of Bly Manor: All you need to know about Mike Flanagan's follow-up to Hill House on Netflix

Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House was undoubtedly one of the most widely appreciated and critically acclaimed horror series in recent times. The second season of the series titled The Haunting of Bly Manor is presently under production.

Creator Mike Flanagan developed a compelling and harrowing narrative in Hill House through its 10 episodes revolving around the Crain family. Hugh, the father (older version played by Timothy Hutton, younger version portrayed by Henry Thomas), mother Olivia (Carla Gugino), and their children, Steve (Michiel Huisman), Shirley (Elizabeth Reaser), Theo (Kate Siegel), Luke (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and Nellie (Victoria Pedretti) undergo multiple misadventures as they try navigating the mysteries of Hill House.

The details of the second season are few and difficult to find, though an article in The Wrap provides some insight.

The Haunting of Bly Manor. Image from Twitter

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Will the second season be another addition to The Haunting franchise?

Flanagan and executive producer Trevor Macy went in for a multi-year television deal with Netflix in February, where the streaming giant declared that the show (now termed an anthology titled The Haunting) will be moving towards a second season.

Will the Crains be back for a second season?

Netflix also announced that the second instalment would be in no way linked to the first. Neither will the narrative involve the Crain family, who were the protagonists of season one. This fact was reiterated by Flanagan, who had always maintained that even if the makers agree on a second season, the Crains' storyline had met its end with season one.

Will the Hill House actors be back for a second season?

Though there has been no official confirmation on the same, it's probable that Flanagan may repeat actors for the second time in Bly Manor. Jackson-Cohen famously told The Wrap that he'd "get shot" if he confirmed any news of his casting, one way or another. Gugino on the other hand confessed that she'd been "talking" to Flanagan regarding coordination of dates.

What's the story of Bly Manor? 

The Haunting of Hill House was an adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s 1959 gothic novel The Haunting of Hill House. Once Netflix announced the second series' title as 'Bly Manor', it became pretty clear that the plot would be based on Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw.

Written in 1898, the horror novella is a meta-narrative, told by an unnamed person who was listening to his friend Douglas read a manuscript on Christmas eve. The writing was by a then-deceased governess.

The governess recounts how, on one particular summer, she was given the responsibility to look after two children Flora and Miles, whose custody was taken up by their uncle when their parents' died. The uncle, a resident of London, did not want much to do with the two children and hence appointed the governess to take care of them at his country house in Essex. During her stay at the Bly Manor in Essex, she recounts instances of seeing apparitions of a man and a woman that no one else seemed to notice.

When is Bly Manor set to premiere? 

The exact launch date is still unknown, but the second instalment of The Haunting franchise will be coming out next year.