Netflix released The Haunting of Bly Manor on October 9, 2020. It is the second entry in Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting anthology. The nine-episode miniseries mostly acts as an adaptation of Henry James’ 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw, mixing in elements from James’ other works and material written for the show. Victoria Pedretti appears from Hill House as Dani Clayton, a young American hired as an au pair for two children at Bly Manor.
Trailer, via Still Watching Netflix.
A Nanny, Two Children, and a Country House
Henry Wingrave, played by Henry Thomas, hires Dani to care for his orphaned niece Flora and nephew Miles after the death of the family’s au pair. The children live at the estate with chef Owen Sharma, groundskeeper Jamie, and housekeeper, Mrs. Grose. Dani is unaware the manor is haunted. She begins to see apparitions, and the season sets out to unearth centuries of dark secrets of love and loss.
The Cast Returns, the Story Does Not
Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Henry Thomas came back from Hill House as different characters, as did Kate Siegel, Carla Gugino, and Catherine Parker in recurring roles. Jackson-Cohen plays Peter Quint, a charming fellow. Carla Gugino serves as The Storyteller. The two series’ narratives are not connected.
| Element | Hill House | Bly Manor |
|---|---|---|
| Source text | Not given | Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw |
| Returning cast | Pedretti, Jackson-Cohen, Thomas | Same actors, different characters |
| Narrative link | Standalone | Standalone |
What the Critics’ Score Says
The published critical score sits at 6.3/10, with a Metacritic mark of 63/100. The source describes the reviews as positive and singles out the performances of Pedretti and T’Nia Miller for particular praise.
Although Pedretti, Jackson-Cohen and Thomas returned from Hill House as different characters, as did Kate Siegel, Carla Gugino, and Catherine Parker in recurring roles, the two series’ narratives are not connected.
The series was nominated for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards. The source’s account of the 1st Critics’ Choice Super Awards cuts off before it states the outcome.
Where the Season Actually Stands
That is the tension in The Haunting of Bly Manor. It is an adaptation that keeps reaching past its source. The Turn of the Screw is a tight, ambiguous ghost story about a governess and two children. Bly Manor stretches that frame across nine episodes and fills the extra room with material from James’ other work and with inventions of its own. The result is a season that is often beautiful and often overstuffed.
The casting is the strongest argument for it. Pedretti and Miller earned their notices. Miller’s Mrs. Grose is the kind of performance that holds a haunted-house show together, and the show knows it.
But a 6.3 is a fair score. The nonlinear narrative is a real choice, and it costs the season momentum. A story built on dread needs a tightening hand, and nine episodes is a long time to hold an audience inside a manor where the secrets are the point.
Why It Falls Short of Hill House
The comparison to Hill House is unavoidable and, in this paper’s view, mostly unflattering — not because the cast is weaker but because the material is borrowed. Bly Manor is a handsome, well-acted adaptation of a novella that did not need nine hours. It is worth watching for Miller and Pedretti. This paper does not expect it to be the entry that is remembered.
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