The Haunting of Bly Manor: 5 Things That Returned from the First Series (& 5 Differences)
With the release of The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Haunting series has become one of the most popular anthology stories released on Netflix. Of course, viewers will compare the two series and decide on which of the stories that they enjoyed the most. These comparisons include the content, quality, and plot points in both series.
As viewers compare the contents of both stories, they will notice that both Hill House and Bly Manor share several elements of their story. These elements and content establish some of the premises of the overall series. However, there are also some noticeable differences in terms of the approach to handling their stories.
10 Returned: Some Of The Cast
Before the start of the series, some of the cast of Hill House announced that they would be returning for the second series, Bly Manor. The returning actors were Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel, and Victoria Pedretti.
Though all these actors returned, not all had a significant role in the second series. While Victoria Pedretti and Oliver Jackson-Cohen had lead roles as Dani Clayton and Peter Quint, Kate Siegel and Carla Gugino have a recurring presence in the series as Viola Willoughby and The Storyteller, respectively.
9 Different: Body Possession
In Hill House, the majority of the children were haunted by the ghosts of Hill House. The presence of ghosts also occurred in Bly Manor.
Surprisingly, body possession was not commonly used in Hill House, considering ghosts are known to possess bodies. However, Bly Manor managed to integrate body possession into its plot. This was the case with Peter Quint possessing Miles and Rebecca possessing Flora.
8 Returned: Living In A Prestigious, But Also Creepy House
The Haunting series would not be popular without beautiful yet creepy houses. It is one of the elements that is consistent in Hill House and Bly Manor, which establishes the premise of the series and its story.
In Hill House, the Crain family move into the Hill House to rebuild the house and eventually sell it. However, the paranormal beings in the house cause tragedy for the family and abandon the house. In Bly Manor, it remains as a primary residence for the Wingrave family. However, the siblings and the employees spot ghosts around the house, especially the Lady from the Lake.
7 Different: It Is In London (Mostly)
Sometimes, anthology series will change the locations of their stories, which is exactly what happened with The Haunting series. For Hill House, we see what typical American families do, which is the Crain siblings playing around the house while the parents try to decorate and build their forever home.
However, as we get into Bly Manor, the setting of the story takes place mostly in London. We see different cultures from that of the American one, such as children going to boarding school and the use of more nuanced vocabulary. Even the wardrobe is different from the more casual wear seen in Hill House.
6 Returned: LGBTQ Representation
One of the things that The Haunting continues to do well is the representation of LGBTQ characters in both series. In Hill House, Theo was the one Crain sibling that happened to be gay and was accepted by her family regardless of her sexual orientation.
In Bly Manor, not only did Dani and Jamie reveal themselves to be LGBTQ characters, but the story even goes further to discuss some of the consequences they faced when same-sex marriage was not legal yet. However, their love story was one of the more important ones that touched our hearts.
5 Different: It Is A Narrated Story
In Hill House, most of the character arcs were presented in a series of flashbacks. Because of these flashbacks, it foretold the backstory stories of the characters when they were younger and how those memories impacted them later, especially for the Crain children when they got older. These flashbacks would occur back and forth through each episode rather than making the story entirely central to one time period.
For Bly Manor, the story was shared as a narration by The Storyteller. Though the ending implies that the story may be a flashback, we do not know the real and full story and whether parts of the story changed. The majority of the second series focused on the events that occurred in 1987.
4 Returned: Eerie Dreams
Having some strange and unusual dreams appears to be a common theme in both series. In Hill House, Olivia Crain is taunted by the dreams that she experienced, which only deteriorated her health and contributed to her eventual tragic ending.
In Bly Manor, we also witness characters experiencing odd dreams, but in a unique way. For Hannah, she goes through a repetition of dreams that eventually reveal the shocking truth to her presence in the story. Dani also had terrifying dreams about her fiancé and the aftermaths that occurred when the Lady in the Lake possessed her body.
3 Different: A Full Episode On The Origin Story Of A Ghost
Considering that Bly Manor has one less episode than Hill House, the creator and filmmakers managed to have a whole episode dedicated to the origins of the Lady in the Lake. The penultimate episode introduced the story of Viola, who was one of the first tenants of Bly Manor. Eventually, we learned about her unfortunate demise and the reasons why she became the ghost of Bly Manor.
While we do spot some of these ghosts and come across Hill members, Hill House only mentions the stories regarding the ghost of Hill family members but does not show the same dedication of featuring their story. Sometimes, featuring the ghost's origin story will help viewers to understand their intention and motives, just like with Bly Manor.
2 Returned: A Ghost Story
Aside from having a creepy house as the focal setting, the ghost story is another element that has returned in the second series. In Hill House, the Crain family came across ghosts like the Tall Man, Bent-Neck Lady, and Hill family members. Several of these ghosts haunted the Crain family, especially Olivia Crain.
In Bly Manor, Dani, the Wingrave siblings, and Owen came across ghosts throughout the series. Sometimes, they never even realized that some of the characters were in their ghost form. Hannah, who was one of the main characters, was actually seen as a ghost majority of the time, and viewers were not aware of this until episode 5.
1 Different: Love Stories
One of the most noticeable differences between the two The Haunting series is the central focus of the plot. While Hill House focused on the Crain family and the psychological consequences on the Crain children, Bly Manor was centralized on love and loss.
Unfortunately, most of the romantic relationships introduced in Bly Manor ended in some form of tragedy. However, it only made Bly Manor feel even more touching and emotional as the characters remembered their loved ones.