Those who could barely get through The Haunting of Hill House without screaming might want to watch the second season with the lights on. According to director Mike Flanagan, The Haunting of Bly Manor is even more frightening than its predecessor.
In his own words:
“For Henry James fans, it’s going to be pretty wild, and for people who aren’t familiar with his work, it’s going to be unbelievably scary. I already think it’s much scarier than season one, so I’m very excited about it.”
Fans have been clamoring for a follow-up to the critically-acclaimed show for months. Unfortunately, though, filming for the next batch of episodes isn’t expected to begin at all until September. This means that the next chapter probably won’t drop until some time in 2020.
While the first installment was loosely inspired by Shirley Jackson’s book of the same name, the upcoming season is headed in a different direction entirely. Though several of the original cast members are returning to the show, the Crain family will have nothing to do with this new plot.
The Haunting of Bly Manor will instead be based off of Henry James’ 1898 novella The Turning of the Screw. The story focuses on a governess caring for two children at a remote estate. While there, she becomes convinced that the residence is actually haunted. If the second season of the show is anything like the first, however, Flanagan will only use the novella as inspiration. In all likelihood, the end result will be much different than the source material.
As he puts it:
“We’re looking at all the ghost stories of Henry James as the jumping-off point for the season, so it very much is a whole new deal. It’s a cool way to expand on some of the things I loved about season one, but within the framework of a new story, without having to be restrained by the decisions we made last time.”
Little is known about the premise for The Haunting of Bly Manor as of right now, but the director’s words are certainly ambiguous yet exciting for anyone who binged the first ten episodes and loved them.
