There’s something so inherently sad about love stories, about how two people become so entangled with each other that there’s so little each person has that is separate from the other. So much so that once there’s any attempt at falling away from each other, there’s always a macabre fallout to it, no matter tragic or not. And that, especially when there’s no real happy ending, makes love stories the best ghost stories.
The Haunting of Bly Manor is as much of a love story as it is a ghost story. Where tragedy, heart, and fear all fuse together that there’s barely a line between them anymore.
The series follows Dani Clayton (played by Haunting veteran, Victoria Pedretti) who is hired to become a governess to two young children, Flora (Amelie Smith) and Miles (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), who are the victims of several tragedies. Things begin to go awry when she arrives at Bly Manor; apparitions and ghosts start appearing, threatening the safety of everyone in the manor.
The show encapsulates the mood of a classic Gothic story - it is filled with suspense and dread but still feels modern and fresh even though it’s primarily set in the ‘80s. There’s barely a distinction between conventional genres in the show due to this. It’s a horror show first and foremost, it is ripe for the likes of regular horror fans, but it has a lot of heart and empathy that it’s also a great introduction for any viewer of the Gothic genre.
A lot of the show understandably hangs on the performances of the actors, which was great, thankfully. Some moments did ruin the atmosphere and things became awkward, but it’s ultimately forgivable in the long run despite some schlocky choices. This is due in part to how well these characters are written (I got emotionally invested in the Bly manor characters very quickly, and I mean very quickly). Most of the characters, if not all, were written to be whole people, with their own demons and layers that give way to centers that make them human.
Victoria Pedretti does a superb job of carrying the show on her back as the main character, Dani. She gave a performance that possibly bested her last one in Haunting of Hill House. The show would be nowhere without the child actors, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Amelie Smith, who balance creepy and sweet almost too perfectly. T’Nia Miller (who plays housekeeper Hannah Grose) and Rahul Kohli (who plays Owen, house cook) provided standout performances in their own way, adding all the depth and a great rapport with the rest of the cast.
The overarching slow drone of the build-up ends up becoming frustrating, despite how necessary it is given the Gothic theme of the whole show. There’s so little that can be done when watching as we understand more and more of what is happening and how things cannot be reversed. However, the smaller ebb and flow of the subplots carry the rhythm of the show much better, moving between chilling dread and fast-paced horror to great effect.
TL;DR
The Haunting of Bly Manor is a great horror story that will please existing horror fans while also being a great introduction to the gothic genre for people who don’t usually enjoy horror. With a distinct mood and style, in line with but altogether different from the first Haunting series, fans of movies like The Conjuring (2013) and Let The Right One In (2008) will enjoy the Netflix show for its relatively similar feel. Ultimately, Bly Manor succeeds as a story of the horrors of the human heart and connection with a background of supernatural malice that may come from it.
Watch The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix, October 9, 2020.
