The Haunting of Hill House receives a second season

For me, the most exciting horror event in October was Mike Flanagan’s thrilling adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. As a fan of the original source material, I was a bit nervous to find out that Flanagan was only loosely basing his production on Jackson’s classic ghost story.

In spite of my misgivings, I found myself completely captivated by the Crain family’s story, and so did millions of other viewers. People tuned in to see how the saga would end, to be scared out of their wits, to discover the tragic twist behind the Bent-Neck Lady, and to find all of the brilliantly hidden ghosts sprinkled throughout the episodes. The Haunting of Hill House was not only a genuinely scary ghost story, it was an emotional family drama (with a handful of outstanding child actors).

Of course, almost immediately after Hill House started trending, everyone was speculating about a second season. Flanagan insisted that the Crain family’s story had ended, and he showed no interest in continuing on with them for future seasons…but maybe, just maybe the series could go on with different stories. It works for American Horror Story, right?

According to Deadline, Netflix officially announced what everyone has been waiting to hear: a new Haunting chapter will begin in 2020. A short teaser video was released, followed by confirmation of the new season’s title, The Haunting of Bly Manor (you can see the teaser below).

The Haunting of Hill House — Courtesy of Netflix

Bly is the setting of Henry James’s classic ghost story The Turn of the Screw, so it would appear that Flanagan is taking a cue from the very successful Hill House, and adapting a well-known ghost story. The Turn of the Screw tells the story of a young governess who travels to a wealthy man’s country home (Bly) to care for his niece and nephew. While at Bly, the governess becomes convinced that the grounds are haunted, and begins to see the ghostly figures of a man and woman.

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This sounds like a story that Flanagan could really sink his teeth into! He has a real knack for getting great performances out of kids, as evidenced by Jacob Tremblay in Before I Wake and every single child actor in The Haunting of Hill House. So, the twins in The Turn of the Screw are pretty much assured to be interesting and compelling characters.

Flanagan’s wife Kate Siegel has appeared in Gerald’s Game, Hush and Hill House, could there be a role for her in Bly Manor? And what about the other actors who so adeptly brought the Crain family to life in the first season? I think it would be great if Flanagan took a cue from American Horror Story and re-cast as many of them as possible in this next season as well. The adorable Jullian Hilliard and Violet McGraw (Luke and Nell) could prove once again that “it’s a twin thing”!

As much as I loved the Crain family, and as riveted as I was by their story, I am content to leave them as we last saw them. And I am personally very excited to see what The Haunting of Bly Manor has to offer!

Tell us what you think about the upcoming The Haunting of Bly Manor.  In the meantime, you can read my recaps for the first season.

Are you excited to see what Mike Flanagan is going to bring us next year? Let us know in the comments.