Haunting of Hill House: 5 things we want to see in second season

Netflix recently announced a second season of The Haunting of Hill House. What can we expect from The Haunting of Bly Manor?

Even though I adored the Crain family, I’m glad we’re leaving them in their relatively happy place and going with a different cast of characters for the second season.

As you have probably heard, the second season will be titled The Haunting of Bly Manor, and will not include any of the characters from Hill House. The Haunting of Hill House was very loosely based on Shirley Jackson’s novel, and Bly will most likely be a re-imagining of Henry James’s classic novel “The Turn of the Screw.”

Season 2 is slated to release sometime in 2020, but what can we expect to see? Not a lot of detailed information has been released yet but let’s dish about what we would like to see, shall we?

Hidden Ghosts

Shortly after HHH premiered, it was revealed that nearly every episode featured ghosts lingering in the background. It became every fan’s obsession to try to spot these ghosts, then post about it on social media. There are numerous YouTube videos and internet articles pointing out each “hidden” ghost in the series.

The storyline of “The Turn of the Screw” features at least two ghosts, and if Flanagan treats this source story as he did Hill House, he could add many other background haunts as well.

The Haunting of Bly Manor -The Haunting of Hill House — Courtesy of Netflix

A Great Cast

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Flanagan has a knack for finding the perfect actors to tell his stories, so it’s a given that Bly Manor will be no exception. “The Turn of the Screw” focuses on a governess who cares for two young children, and Julian Hilliard and Violet McGraw (young Luke and Nell in Hill House) would be perfect! If Bly goes the route of American Horror Story, we could see the Hill House actors return each season in different roles.

I could see Victoria Pedretti (adult Nell) in the role of the governess, Kate Siegel as the former governess (one of the ghosts), and possibly Henry Thomas as the children’s uncle. The housekeeper could easily be played by Carla Gugino, and Michiel Huisman (adult Steven) could be the second ghost. The casting possibilities are endless!

Emotional Depth

Most viewers were surprised by the emotional impact of Hill House’s storyline. We were drawn into the after-effects of the trauma suffered by the Crain children during their short stay and I cared deeply about their ultimate fates.

The Haunting of Bly Manor – The Haunting of Hill House — Courtesy of Netflix

The Turn of the Screw tells of two young children who become the wards of their uninterested uncle after the death of their parents. Flora lives at Bly Manor, but Miles has been sent to boarding school. Losing their parents, being separated, and having an uncle who doesn’t really care about them is bound to cause the children some emotional trauma.

Unexpected Scares

As anyone who watched HHH knows, there was no shortage of jump scares and frightening creatures. During the scene when Theo and Shirley were bickering in the car, Nell’s ghostly face suddenly shot between them from the back seat, causing Shirley to swerve off the road and viewers everywhere to pee themselves.

There was also a ghastly, crawling figure that came after young Luke in the basement, and Olivia’s ghost was prone to popping up in unexpected places. And what about that impossibly tall man who seemed to float his way into the bedroom, where he terrified poor little Luke as he hid under his bed? The storyline of Bly could very well contain similar scares.

The Haunting of Bly Manor – The Haunting of Hill House – Courtesy Netflix

A Grand, Spectacularly Haunted House

A lot of time and effort was put into designing the weird and wonderful interior of Hill House. There were so many creepy touches — the mysterious Red Room, the musty, dusty basement, the long hallways and that spectacular, rickety looking spiral staircase. I have no doubt that Bly Manor will receive the same fine attention to detail, and that viewers will be intrigued and creeped out.

What say you, fellow super-fans? Do you have your own theories about what we might see in The Haunting of Bly Manor?

Fan of the Netflix hit? Looking forward to more Haunting of Hill House? Let the other ghosts know what you think in the comment section below?