Netflix’s horror series The Haunting of Hill House was a terrifying and emotional modern reimagining of Shirley Jackson’s classic novel of the same name. It was also absolutely fantastic, and was one of our favorite shows of 2018. Now creator Mike Flanagan is back to explore another infamous literary horror house for season two of the anthology series. And the first trailer for The Haunting of Bly Manor brings some of Henry James most beloved nightmares together for a new tale about the residents—“both living and dead”—who reside there.
The Haunting of Bly Manor, based on James’s 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw, is the second chapter in Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting anthology series. In the book, a young governess moves to the English country house called Bly to care for two orphaned children. The ghostly apparitions she sees are only part of the nightmare she experiences in the strange old house. She is also troubled the the bizarre behavior of one of the children she looks after.
And my goodness nothing is scarier than a creepy kid, as the “shhh” in this trailer reminds us.
But The Turn of the Screw isn’t the only James story the show will find inspiration from. Flanagan, who has described the second season as even scarier than the first, says the series will also pull from James’ short stories “The Jolly Corner” and “The Romance of Certain Old Clothes.” Both will add other horrifying elements to an already scary story.
They will also help keep the show fresh. The Turn of the Screw has been adapted previously, including as recently as earlier this year with The Turning. By adding different wrinkles it will be hard for viewers to predict what is coming next.
Despite being an all new story, some season one stars will return to reside in another haunted house. Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel, Catherine Parker, and Henry Thomas are all back. Newcomers to the series include Benjamin Ainsworth, Amelie Smith, Amelia Eve, T’Nia Miller, and Rahul Kohli.
And if it’s as good as season one, it will be the first time in 2020 we are happy to be so scared.
The Haunting of Bly Manor comes to Netflix on October 9.
Featured Image: Netflix
