Thursday The 12th: Halloween 2020 Countdown: One Last Review

The Haunting of Bly Manor

This review will contain very light spoilers but not give away major reveals, surprises or plot points not derived from the source material.

If you're at all familiar with the writer/director Mike Flanagan you probably already know what to expect from his latest venture, or think you do. If you know me at all you know that Flanagan is already topping my list of favourite directors. From the Stephen King adaptations Gerald's Game and Doctor Sleep to the outstanding mini-series adaptation The Haunting of Hill House for Netflix, everything he's worked on that I've seen has been a home run or darn close to one. The Haunting of Bly Manor is a follow-up to the aforementioned Hill House series, that uses the anthology model perfected in American Horror Story to bring back most cast members but have them playing completely different characters and in different times, locations and situations. It serves this piece well, as Flanagan has established a revue of fantastic actors and this is no exception, as I'll get into later.

Just as Hill House was adapting the titular story by Shirley Jackson, Bly Manor is Flanagan adapting the works of Henry James. Marketed as adapting The Turn of the Screw, and indeed borrowing heaviest from it, it's an important distinction to note that this series adapts various pieces of James' short ghost stories and not just that most famous one. Flanagan himself stated that no straight adaptation of The Turn of the Screw would top the acclaimed 1961 film The Innocents (despite numerous film and television attempts), and so this story is familiar but with far more to it, much like the characters and settings involved

What might surprise viewers of Hill House, for better or worse, is that this series is more of a tragic gothic romance than the often visceral horror of it's predecessor. Whilst I would definitely not recommend the former to anyone of a nervous disposition, I didn't find anything particularly scary about this latest series. Instead the piece capitalises more on atmosphere, being even more emotive and moody than it's predecessor. There are a few moments that may elicit a slight gasp, and as before there are hidden ghosts dotted in the background of every episode for eagle-eyed viewers, but the focus is far more on characters and emotional, rather than literal, fears and pain. This is something it has in common with The Turn of the Screw, although the ambiguity and subtext played so lightly by James is made rather more explicit by Flanagan, the metaphor of 1898 replaced by the heart-wrenching pain that could exist more openly in the 1980's setting and be portrayed in 2020. As such the series is still exceptionally well-acted and as effective, if not more so, than Hill House.

As promised I have to address the cast now. Spoiler alert: it's just going to be a lot of gushing. The series' lead Victoria Pedretti was a stand out in a supporting role as the tortured Nell Crain in Hill House. Moving up to anchoring this series as governess Dani Clayton she is outstanding here, more than capably handling the central pillars of the stories and leading the way with her own display of emotions, ranging from guilt and fear to love and torment. The literary character's repression-led ambiguous madness is replaced very effectively with a sense of isolation and feeling like an outsider, her past and inner torment haunting her in far more obvious and literal ways. As a character study the writing and acting all contribute to near-perfection. But Miss Pedretti is surrounded by a cast who are almost entirely on her level. Henry Thomas (of E.T fame) does a great job portraying a haunting of a less literal kind as his character falls into delusion and self-hatred, isolated and frequently at the bottom of a bottle. The scenes of his past that led to this are some of the best in the show. T'Nia Miller and Rahul Kohli are the beating heart of the show as housekeeper Hannah Grose and cook Owen, exuding charm, warmth, watchability and chemistry. Amelia Eve as Jamie gives the most nuanced and complex performance that will break your heart. Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Tahirah Sharif as doomed lovers Peter & Rebecca perfectly bring the literary characters to life. The only less than impressive part is the actress Carla Gugino. In a piece where multiple actors manage flawless accents her narrator character stumbles over James' poetic prose with an incomprehensible, inexplicable attempt at...something. English? Irish? Welsh? But this is a nitpick and doesn't hurt the emotion that she gives to her scenes in person. The child actors also are just the wrong side of precocious and with dialogue that's frequently unbearable, though the writers must take equal blame for this.

Perhaps the best episode of the series though is entitled "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes". Like every episode this season it's title is shared with a Henry James story, but this is perhaps the most direct translation. A story which is self-contained brilliance but also ultimately pulls the series together. Set in the past of the titular manor and filmed entirely in black and white, it's the most evocative and chilling ghost story you may ever see. I won't spoil anything for those who don't know the story except to say that it's a work of art, plotted to perfection. I should also add, once again, my praise for the acting. Here Kate Siegel and Katie Parker almost steal the series in one episode. I can't rave enough about this one.

The Haunting of Bly Manor, then, is about inner demons as much as outer. Deftly embracing metaphors including sexuality, repressions, guilt, and love, as well as childhood's odd emotions and dream-like forgotten lives. Creepy, eerie, and atmospheric, it gets under your skin then rips out your heart. Not as scary or horrific as Hill House with some slight stumbles but captivating, engrossing, imaginative and entertaining. Safe to say I liked this, even though the ending nearly broke me.