Right out of the gate let me just state that Mike Flanagan is a horror genius. The man has made countless movies that will not only send chills down your spine, but also keep you completely engrossed with just how beautifully they’re shot and how visually captivating they can be. He then took these talents to the small screen and really made an impact with the 2018 mini-series, The Haunting of Hill House, which was the first in a planned Haunting anthology series, with The Haunting of Bly Manor being the latest installment.
Now we live in a time where absolutely fantastic TV is abundant, so to say that both Hill House and Bly Manor are required viewing – which they are – puts them in strong company. I’ll avoid delving into the plot too much, or anything that would be considered spoilers for both Hill House and Bly Manor, as they’re just so good that experiencing them with the least amount of knowledge of what to expect going in is the best way to do it. So if you’ve yet to see either, fear not, nothing shall be ruined here.
I felt The Haunting of Hill House (based off the book of the same name by Shirley Jackson) had more intense scares than its follow-up; but even still, I still found Bly Manor (based off the book, “The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James) to be incredibly creepy, with enough scares to keep fans happy, as well as a wonderfully eerie atmosphere, and most importantly it’s a masterfully told story of love, loss and torment.
With these Haunting tales being an anthology series we get to enjoy various actors that were magnificent in Hill House returning once again for roles in Bly Manor. Leading the pack is Bly Manor’s leading lady, Victoria Pedretti, who fans may recognize as Eleanor “Nell” Crain from Hill House. This time she plays Dani Clayton, an au pair who takes a job caring for two orphaned children, Flora (Amelie Bea Smith, who is perfectly splendid) and Miles Wingrave (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), in a place called Bly Manor. It’s here that she meets the groundskeeper, Jamie Taylor (Amelia Eve,) and housekeeper, Hannah Grose (T’Nia Miller.) While things seem fairly normal at first, the secrets of Bly Manor soon begin to reveal themselves to those present, changing the lives of everyone involved forever.
Also returning are Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, and Carla Gugino. Each play a different part in the story, some larger, and some a bit less front and center (such as Gugino, who is the show’s storyteller,) but everyone involved delivers absolutely mind-blowing performances once again, and outside of possibly the first time you see them in their new roles, there’s never a moment where you view them as their Hill House characters, as they perfectly adapt and bring to life these new characters in completely new ways. The new actors joining the gang are also brilliant here and everyone putting their all into each and every role is one of the reasons the show is as enthralling as it is.
Truly, I can’t give enough praise to Flanagan, the cast and crew for what they’ve accomplished here. These sets, the lighting, the visual effects, everything across the board is immaculately conceived and that’s what transports the viewer into this world and helps make it both something you don’t want to turn away from because of how hauntingly beautiful it all is, while also being something you’re ready to jump back from due to how it just keeps the viewer on edge at almost all times.
If you’ve yet to see The Haunting of Bly Manor do yourself a favour and pick up the DVD or Blu-ray and dive right in. There’s no wrong time of year to enjoy this gothic tale, and while the possibility of gifting it to that fan of horror is a no-brainer, the option to gift it to someone you know who just loves strong, incredibly well-written characters and stories is there too. Because while Bly Manor may be considered horror in its themes, it’s not needlessly gory, or throwing out scares just for the sake of scares, so even if this type of subject matter may not usually appeal to you, I still recommend giving the Haunting of Bly Manor a shot, as it may scare you with how quickly you become addicted to it.
DVD Video and Audio Review
The show looks great on DVD, with the blacks coming in strong enough that the eerie night scenes both in and outside the house are effective and not distracting by muddying or lack of strength. The overall picture can come off softer at times, but it’s not something that should bother those who use DVD as their main viewing of entertainment, as it’s on par with the majority of solid DVD transfers out there visually.
On the audio side of things we’ve got 5.1 Dolby Digital, and it delivers when it comes to hammering home the scares, dialogue and score throughout the series. Each part plays a vital role, and they work harmoniously throughout the show, which is arguably more important in a horror series like this, where audio is one of the main ways the viewer is transported into the moment so that when each scare does eventually happen the possibility of them jumping out of their seat is highly elevated. So kudos to the team for their work here, as both picture and audio get the job done!
Special Features:
Commentary Tracks – There are three commentary tracks (one on each disc) for fans to enjoy, with the first being on “Episode One: The Great Good Place.” This one sees Director/Creator Mike Flanagan walk fans through the entire episode, and he’s just packed with so much knowledge about the show, the characters, everything is just top tier. Fans are going to love it. There are two more tracks done, one for “Episode 5: The Altar of the Dead,” which has insightful commentary by Director Liam Gavin, as well as “Episode 8: The Romance of Certain Old Clothes,” which sees Director Axelle Carolyn take on commentary duties. All three are a treat for fans, and they’ll only make you wish there was a track for each episode, really.
Home for the Haunted: The Ghosts of Bly Manor – This feature is just under 12-minutes and sees Flanagan talk about ghost stories in general, what makes a ghost story, the rules around making a proper ghost story and how he believes that rules can only limit you with a premise that ghosts are involved in. It’s a great watch, and like all the special features, it’ll just leave you wanting more. Not to say this is lacking, it’s just a show you really want to know all about and it’s so easy to listen to Flanagan talk about the series and to hear the passion he has for it in his voice.
Welcome to Bly Manor – This feature hits 11-minutes and focuses on the characters in the show, as well as Bly Manor itself. Flanagan talks about how the characters are strangers, but come together as family over the course of the season, and how this is important to each of them for different reasons.
Paramount Pictures Presents The Haunting of Bly Manor. Created for Television by: Mike Flanagan. Starring: Victoria Pedretti, Amelia Eve, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, T’Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli, Tahirah Sharif, Amelia Bea Smith, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, Carla Gugino. Running time: 484 minutes. Rating: 14A. DVD Released: Oct. 12, 2021.
About Brendan Campbell
