The Haunting of Bly Manor Review: A Stirring Meditation on Loss, Memories, and Love
Mike Flanagan does it again, bringing haunting fare and a deeply evocative story on The Haunting of Bly Manor, as it follows Dani Clayton, a young American woman who becomes a live-in nanny to a pair of children on an estate in the English countryside.
Though lighter on the genre-typical scares than its predecessor, The Haunting of Bly Manor manages to leave viewers with the kind of frightening moments that will stick with you long after finishing the season. A sense of unsettling fear about what happens when the memories we hold on to and the memories of us others have leave forever.
It’s a theme that is subtly introduced through Owen and what we learn of his mother and expanded on in everything from the way the ghosts lurk around the manor because of the Lady of the Lake/Viola’s unwillingness to let go and Dani’s final sacrifice to save the last living inhabitants of Bly Manor.
Owen’s story is the most literal representation of this theme, as we learn more about his mother and what she’s going through. Though we never meet her, the loss still feels palpable in its relatability, especially when we hear Owen talk about her in Episode 4, “The Way it Came.”
You can feel the anguish of his mother not recognizing him, the anger at the disease that comes with it, and the sense of helplessness with Rahul Kohli’s heartbreaking performance throughout the hour, from his conversation with Flora in the kitchen and later on with Hannah during the bonfire.
“The Altar of the Dead,” a standout hour of the season, does something different with memories, building up to a painful reveal that Hannah’s been dead the entire time Dani’s been in the house. The memories are disjointed, and you feel like you are trying to catch up to understand precisely what’s happening to Hannah as much as she is.
T’Nia Miller’s confusion and sadness play so fantastically well that you can’t help but empathize with her as she sits in the kitchen with Owen over and over.
Episode 8, “The Romance of Certain Old Clothes,” takes memories and loss, with an allegorical turn for it all while also providing insight into the history of Bly Manor and an explanation for why the estate does what it does, exists as a “glue trap.”
Viola’s gravity keeps them there to the point of forgetting who they are adds another layer of emotion to the story that Bly Manor tells.
On the flip side, aspects of Dani and Henry’s arcs highlight what happens when you hold on to memories too tightly. They become the ghosts that haunt you.
For Henry, it’s another version of himself that follows him around in the aftermath of Dominic and Charlotte’s death, with his brother’s final words to him serving as punishment for his decisions while Dominic was alive.
In Dani’s case, it’s the ghost of Edmund and their last evening together that keeps him tied to her as she roams around her own home and eventually Bly Manor.
The pair are tethered to their past decisions, mistakes, and the guilt that comes with them in a way that makes them incapable of letting go.
Seeing those two deal with their pasts haunting them is what makes their lives after Bly that much more well-earned, for Dani especially.
Dani can save the remaining living residents, finding love with Jamie, comfortable with herself, embracing every day as much as possible with the time that she has left, waiting for Viola to come back for her.
It’s a bittersweet but human ending that we get to see, as Jamie is revealed as the narrator of Dani’s story and offers words of comfort to an adult Flora, with no memories of her life at Bly.
We all strive to live as much as we can with the time we’re given, with no idea when that time will be up, and when we go, our memory will live on by those who loved us.
While I enjoyed both Bly Manor and Hill House, the former has a weightiness that sticks with you after the credits roll. There’s a contemplativeness that follows the story of the Dani, the Wingraves, and Bly’s staff that isn’t necessarily present in Hill House.
A contemplativeness that provides the heavy feeling you’re left with, beyond the grief and relatability to feelings of loss.
The cinematography is phenomenal, bringing out the profound tension, the heartrending sadness, and the deep sense of dread through the significant moments of each episode, from Hannah’s episode, “The Altar of the Dead” to Miles’ story on “The Pupil.”
The acting is phenomenal from the children, Amelie Bea Smith, and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, running the gamut of emotions and challenging aspects of their story (like playing possessed), to the returning The Haunting of Hill House faces, to the new additions to The Haunting world. There isn’t a single weak performance among the bunch, elevating the story.
So once again, Mike Flanagan managed to bring another story that may scare, but more so pulls on the heartstrings with an emotional adeptness that you can’t help but appreciate.
Random Thoughts
- The glue trap metaphor plays extraordinarily well and pays off solidly while also managing to hit powerfully.
- While the scares are on a different level than The Haunting of Hill House, there is a specific shot on “The Jolly Corner” about 12 minutes into the episode that will haunt me for quite some time.
- The mention of the “forever house” during “The Two Faces, Part Two” elicits major The Haunting of Hill House feelings.
- Peter and Rebecca’s story doesn’t necessarily fit with the loss of memories. Instead, it contrasts Jamie and Dani’s relationship and, to an extent Hannah and Owen’s relationship, playing as a toxic and selfish kind of love.
What did you think of The Haunting of Bly Manor? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Haunting of Bly Manor is currently streaming on Netflix.
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Brianna Martinez
Brianna spends her time away from briefs, legal research, and pleadings, watching TV and writing about it. She generally has a lot of feelings about TV, which you can read about here and on Twitter.