The danger of any genera is seeing a success and trying to clone it. It just does not work, no matter how much the studios and management want it to do so. Great art explores the aspects of human nature in all of its’ facets.
The Haunting of Hill House
The creators of “The Haunting of…” looked at the nature of family via horror last season. Hill House was a bad place that captured broke and damaged people. It warped their lives and drew them back. It was filled with hidden ghost and twists. It was ripe with family drama. It was a horror tale with deep family connections and psychology. It took the horror genera to a new level and captured fans because of it.
The Haunting of Bly Manor
Bly Manor looks at the haunting of love. How love can be obsession, guilt, possession, nostalgia, and more. But true love should echo and haunt our lives forever. Flora speaks for the producers in saying this is a love story not a ghost story. It is centered around people and love. Determination to be together no matter the cost. But also to hang on to the past. We are haunted by good times as well as bad ones. We have to accept both live in them but also move on with our lives. The Haunting of Bly Manor takes new steps in telling the story of haunting. Some may say they failed and others like me say the succeeded in a different way than Hill House.
So, I’ll say that I greatly enjoyed both seasons. But for vastly different reasons. I’ve watched Hill House twice and have a better feel for things and have caught most of the things I had questions about. I still have questions about Bly, but when I go back some may be answered.
I admire the production team, cast, and crew. There may be complaints about the story telling and unevenness. If you step back and see this as a tale spun by storyteller. In that process many of the areas that seemed uneven were so because, we were being tucked into memories along with the characters in the tale.
Conclusion
The series is an anthology where the creators are given the opportunity to explore the depth and breadth of the haunted house genera of horror. Some people may prefer one season over the other due to what they like in the genera. But you have to admire the skill and craftsmanship of each season. So, if NETFLIX is gracious enough to continue the series, I’ll be here to watch. To see what aspects of human nature it explores using the horror genera as the artistic device. How about you?
(I hope to get back to blogging more soon, but you can check out past entries here.)
