If Adam Sandler’s latest inexplicably popular Netflix original wasn’t exactly what you had in mind when it came to spooky content in the buildup to Halloween, then The Haunting of Bly Manor should scratch that particular itch. First season Hill House captured the imagination of subscribers around the world when it debuted in 2018, instantly gaining a reputation as one of the best horror TV shows of the modern era.
In a very astute creative decision, the streaming service and creator Mike Flanagan decided to reframe the concept after the first run had ended on a pretty definitive note by announcing that The Haunting would move forward as an anthology series, which also gave Flanagan the opportunity to bring back several cast members for Hill House for good measure, with the ensemble being phenomenal across the board the first time around.
The trailers alone were enough to freak people out, while the entire opening credits sequence was also released online to drum up anticipation. And so far, at the least, it seems to have worked, as early reviews indicate that though Bly Manor isn’t as outright terrifying or packed with jump scares as Hill House, it’s nonetheless a whole lot more ominous and foreboding, and you can check out just some of the reactions from Netflix users below.
3 episodes now watched of The Haunting Of Bly Manor and I have to say it is just as good as Hill House. Such good writing, great directing and producing, very good acting, so brings you in to the story, so creepy and so worth watching pic.twitter.com/kWMru8Sa2i
— Si (@Quint22Si) October 9, 2020
Okay so this little boy in The Haunting of Bly Manor is low key creepy as hell
— Danielle Power (@Danielle__Power) October 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/ktyakgae/status/1314644389105479680
Watching Haunting of Bly Manor and it’s already so creepy 😬😬😬
— 🩷 𝔎𝔲𝔯𝔬𝔪𝔦 🖤 (@hurtkylo) October 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/caele_s/status/1314638141370896384
The children in Haunting of Bly Manor are creepy AF
— Caitlin Taylor (@CaitlinSophie_) October 9, 2020
The Haunting of Bly Manor first episode as superb. Loving it. The atmosphere as a whole is very creepy.
— Chungii🍉🍉 (@Chungiiie) October 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/pickle_2020/status/1314630902413230082
https://twitter.com/dtxruru/status/1314628927911088128
https://twitter.com/titaniumtammy/status/1314624097834414080
https://twitter.com/JinsJuicyAss/status/1314619142947954688
https://twitter.com/MadelinPickett/status/1314614255392522243
https://twitter.com/dazaais/status/1314604025594163200
The Haunting Of Bly Manor : 8,8/10
OMG.. flannagan did it again!!! It was so good!!! Honestly it wasnt as scary as Hill House, but it was so sweet, so dark, creepy at once. The main vocal of romance also excellent story! #TheHauntingofBlyManor #Netflix #gothenvoker #review pic.twitter.com/WOLbofHOZh— GOTHENVOKER (@suryogss) October 9, 2020
The Haunting of Bly Manor is creepy as fuck! I love Halloween
— Cristina Reyes (@Lonik10) October 9, 2020
The haunting of bly manor is creepy
— Emma (@edisonemilyyy) October 9, 2020
Well this just damn good creepy even on the 1st episode
The Haunting of Bly Manor on Letterboxd https://t.co/7Iu9jt3yQc
— – (@aifutaf) October 9, 2020
There’s going to be an awful lot of people that will have binged all nine episodes by the end of the day, and The Haunting of Bly Manor is virtually guaranteed to dominate Netflix‘s Top 10 most-watched list right up until Halloween. Critics and fans have both given it a firm thumbs up so far, too, and if you’re feeling brave enough, then the general consensus is that the sophomore season is a more than worthy successor to the first outing.