The Haunting of Bly Manor: A first impression review

by Althea Kalalo / October 13, 2020

Note: This review discusses the author’s first impression of ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor,’ and paints an overview of episodes one to three. Spoilers for these episodes ahead.

The horror genre is a vast one, especially because there are so many things that can be considered as scary. Sometimes, it’s creepy dolls and old mansions, and other times it’s strange behavior (especially from children) and tragic events. The Haunting of Bly Manor is a combination of all these things.

The Haunting of Bly Manor is the much awaited series following creator Mike Flanagan’s terrifying and critically-acclaimed The Haunting on Hill House. Bly Manor’s story centers on the story of Dani Clayton (Victoria Pedretti), an American teacher in London who applies to be an au pair for two children, Flora (Amelie Smith) and Miles (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth). The children’s uncle, Henry Wingrave (Henry Thomas), is in charge of hiring the au pair. Right off the bat, Dani wonders out loud about the job’s ‘catch’; a full-time position in a beautiful country manor to two exceptional children sounds great, so why has the listing been up for six months now?

Despite this very important question, Dani finds herself driving down the countryside to fulfill the job not long after anyway. She meets Owen (Rahul Kohli), the manor’s cook, Hannah (T’Nia Miller), the housekeeper, Jamie (Amelia Eve), the gardener, and the two children she’s now responsible for.

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A lot of unsettling and mysterious events ensue from there, usually stemming from Flora and Miles. Their strange behavior ranges from Miles addressing Dani in a borderline flirtatious manner when they’re alone to Flora seemingly looking at something (or someone) just behind Dani as they talk. The show definitely banks on how creepy the children can be, and viewers get a sense that around the other adults, Miles and Flora both have a facade.

Though most scenes involve the children or the manor itself successfully getting under Dani’s skin, Dani obviously has a few secrets of her own. Why does she cover every mirror wherever she goes, and who is the black figure with lights for eyes that she keeps seeing?

Other things such as Hannah’s strange habit of not eating anything and Owen’s dislike of the manor also raise a few red flags, and once more focus is given to the children’s last au pair, Rebecca Jessel (Tahirah Sharif), and Henry’s former business colleague, Peter Quint (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), viewers are left with even more questions.

Overall, Bly Manor has all the makings of a great horror series — an interesting plot, great cinematography, and a musical score that successfully builds tension. Victoria Pedretti also does a superb job as Dani, with every bit of emotion communicated perfectly by even just the slightest movements of her face. With all of these factors, viewers may find themselves asking somewhat of a paradoxical question: Why isn’t it as scary as it should be?

There are some very enthralling scenes, like when Dani and the kids played hide and seek, but viewers who are expecting the same level of terror as Hill House may be disappointed. It would be better to watch Bly Manor with no expectations at all, and without comparing it to its predecessor. The show’s potential is there, and if it answers all of the questions piling up in a way that will seamlessly tie everything together, then Bly Manor may prove to be an interesting story, albeit different from Hill House.

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