Mike Flanagan’s fresh take on horror – as well as the innovative manner of addressing the tropes – has made him one of the genre’s leading faces.
While Flanagan has brilliantly showcased horror as a manifestation of grief, guilt, and deep-rooted beliefs through The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and The Midnight Club, many are disappointed it has taken the spotlight from his most underrated and underappreciated work.
Reddit user u/Kingy777 forwarded his opinion on how the enormous success and popularity of Hill House and Midnight Mass – which are often synonymous with Flanagan’s talent – have steered away the attention from his other praise-worthy outputs, namely The Haunting of Bly Manor.
The show is mostly applauded for exuding a gothic horror vibe in a manorial setting, but also criticized on some level for loosely tying the ends of various plotlines. Not everyone is of the same opinion and user u/Kingy777 has selected certain plotlines which make the series worth the watch and viewers’ attention and praise.
“I see posts about Hill House or Midnight Mass almost every second day (they’re discussed as much as The Thing or Hereditary) and for good reason as they are two of the best horror shows ever, no doubts about it. But Bly almost never gets discussed because frankly it is more of a gothic romance than a horror show and the pacing is a bit disjointed.
However I personally still love it, issues and all. The setting is absolutely creepy, the Lady of the Lake is terrifying, the episode 8 flashback is a live letter to the horror movies of the 50s, and it has something to say about love and death arguably on a no lesser level than the other two shows. It was an 8.5/10 from me and I have rewatched it a couple of times and plan to do so in the future as well along with Hill House and Midnight Mass. please share your thoughts below!”
Of course, the post captured the attention of the Bly Manor fans, who rushed to defend their favorite horror miniseries, leaving a trail of comments behind.
While some asserted their opinion about how the show is arguably better than its powerful counterparts like Hill House in terms of strong storytelling, there are many who have focused on how Bly Manor‘s tear-inducing plotlines gives it an edge over others. That is, what people deem as a horror story has a strong emotional tone, especially when it comes to representing heartbreaking relationships. One of the users, NoHelp6052 put forward a similar opinion.
“Bly Manor broke my heart. In the best way. It felt raw and real. Loved how it discussed the horror of losing yourself and your memories to dementia
It’s unfair to compare it to Hill House. Completely different stories and purpose.”
Whether you agree or disagree, Flanagan’s oeuvre provides space for a lot of ideas ripe for discussion.