The Haunting of Bly Manor - A Netflix Series Review

Welcome to Bly Manor. There are several tales to tell on the haunted grounds.

The Haunting of Bly Manor is a 2020 Netflix gothic series. A young woman is hired to be a nanny to two children at Bly Manor. During her stay, she notices odd spectacles and the children are acting strangely. Digging into their subconscious, the residents reflect on their lives.

I was counting down the days until Bly Manor debuted on Netflix. After watching Mike Flanagan’s Haunting of Hill House, I was excited to see what Bly Manor would do differently. It is a separate tale. The story surprised most viewers about a complex ghostly horror. While Bly Manor is a mesmerizing and well-acted series, its story is not as strong.

Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Scott, Amelia Eve, T’Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli, Tahirah Sharif, Amelia Bea Smith, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, and Henry Thomas delivered profound performances connecting with their characters, bringing out a deep story.

Every actor involved in the making of Bly Manor does an extraordinary job. Each one stands out. A few members of the cast of Hill House appear, but as different characters. A multitude of dramatic and well-acted monologues are performed. Some have to convey various emotions in multiple takes of the same sequence.

I was very impressed by young actress Amelia Bea Smith as Flora. She was ‘perfectly splendid’ as Flora remarks. Smith was outstanding in her deliveries and conveyed remarkable dramatic sequences.

T’Nia Miller (Hannah Grose) was a standout among the cast. For a challenging story with many twists and turns, I am impressed with how well the cast studied the history of their characters.

Dani (Pedretti) and Jamie’s (Eve) arc is one of my favorite storylines. It is moving. Their interactions are lovely. Most importantly, their relationship feels genuine. The world has come so far in depicting positive representations of LGBTQ relationships in the media. Bly Manor succeeds in its depiction of a lesbian relationship.

Aside from the acting, the story of Bly Manor is one of the weakest elements. Constantly switching from reality to a flashback, the story became confusing. Pay very close attention because it is easy to miss the slightest detail. Once you understand what the story is truly about, it presents a whole new meaning.

There was one episode that felt misplaced entirely. The episode decides to talk about the history of the house and how one of the ghosts of Bly Manor came to be. While it was stunning, well-acted, and had beautiful period costumes the episode felt unnecessary.

Haunting has two definitions. Like most fans of Flanagan’s predecessor series, Hill House, I was also expecting Bly Manor to be scary. It is a different horror. Honestly, I like that it has a different approach. It is distinct from Hill House. Bly Manor is more or a gothic romance.

While there are ghosts lurking in the background, unwanted memories of the past haunt the mind. The characters drift into memories, trying to decipher meaning behind them or to see what they could have done differently. We cannot change the past.

Mike Flanagan is an exemplary director. I have become a huge fan of his work. Flanagan delivers the best emotion. He finds a way to add the most subtle of details. The story did not flow as well at times. Aside from that, Flanagan has come into his own as a horror director. I cannot wait to see what he does next for future projects.

The Haunting of Bly Manor is a must-watch series on Netflix. It makes you think. Pay very close attention to every detail, action, and interaction.