It has been nearly two years since Netflix released its hit horror series The Haunting of Hill House, but the wait for Season 2 is nearing its end. On Monday, the streamer released the first trailer for The Haunting of Bly Manor, premiering Friday, Oct. 9, officially taking subscribers from Red Room to the halls of a remote estate where not everything is as it seems.
In the trailer, Victoria Pedretti’s Dani Clayton can be seen descending into the basement of Bly Manor, where she comes upon a collection of dolls. Eerie music plays as it becomes clear things in the manor are not as happy as they might seem, and a figure rising from the lake makes it clear that there are forces here beyond human understanding.
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From the producers of The Haunting of Hill House comes a new ghost story.
The Haunting of Bly Manor premieres October 9 pic.twitter.com/flznbXLCvi
— Netflix (@netflix) August 31, 2020
In the days leading up to the trailer, the official Haunting Twitter account had dropped a number of teasers for the upcoming season, which will venture away from Shirley Jackson’s material and into Henry James’ work. After releasing the official poster, which told fans to “look beneath the surface,” and then dropping a series of first-look images, the account tweeted out a cryptic classified advertisement for a live-in nanny. The classified said it was “seeking au pair for two perfectly splendid children at the Bly Manor residence” and directed fans to call a number, which gave them a true glimpse at just how eerie this upcoming season will be.
“Hi. You’ve reached the Wingrave family at Bly Manor. We’re not here right now,” the voice of Amelie Smith, who portrays Flora, said when dialed. “If you’re calling about the open nanny position, interviews will be conducted by our Uncle Henry in five days. It’ll be perfectly splendid. We can’t wait to meet you.”
Although Bly Manor will draw inspiration from a number of James’ works, it will most heavily be influenced by The Turn of the Screw. The series will follow Pedretti’s Dani, who takes up the job of governess for the orphaned Wingrave children, Miles (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) and Flora, on the remote Bly estate. There, however, she will learn of the estate’s grim history, with director Mike Flanagan telling Vanity Fair that the season is about broken hearts and tragic love.
“It certainly provides a new way to tell a love story, and there are three of them really that beat at the heart of this season,” Flanagan said. “They all have a very dark edge to them. And by the end, it’s really hard to differentiate tragedy with romance. That sense of romantic longing for someone who meant so much to us — but who’s gone — really is the heart of any ghost story.”
Along with Pedretti, returning cast members include Henry Thomas as Henry Wingrave, the wealthy uncle of the two orphaned children, Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Henry’s calculating business associate, and Kate Siegel in a yet to be announced role.
The Haunting of Hill House is currently available for streaming on Netflix. Bly Manor will debut on the platform on Friday, Oct. 9. Stay tuned to PopCulture.com for the latest information.
