Spuk in Hill House - Spuk in Bly Manor

After the fourth episode I was feeling disappointed, I wasn’t having fun and wasn’t too excited about the remaining episodes. I felt that, instead of the most anticipated horror series of the year, what I got was a banal and old-fashioned ghost story and I was actually surprised that Mike Flanagan had gone into this utterly unoriginal direction. Thanks God that I didn’t give up, because the fifth episode set things right. The second half of Bly Manor is on another level, it’s more interesting, surprising, poignant, and sad, and mainly, it shows that it’s very well put together and fantastically written. That said, objectively it’s not that scary, the horror here is on second, if not third place. On the other hand, the ending of the last episode brought tears to my eyes – Bly Manor found a way to my heart. :D (15.10.2020)

Perfectly splendid. A real Gothic ghost story that is based on characters, psychology, a scary atmosphere and romance. The series is more about sadness, the consequences of actions and melancholy than about being scary. This is supported by great acting, especially by both of the children. And then there's one perfectly utilized idea, which in the fifth episode takes the genre's standard of quality to another (and significantly higher) level. Yes, the maker (not only) adapted James´ Innocents better and more accurately, but this is so “loosely based on the theme" that it doesn't really matter, as it's unique and, above all, good enough to stand up on its own. It's not a better or worse first season; it's just completely different. You can even play the game “find the hidden ghosts in the mise-en-scène". In addition, any possible drawbacks are offset by the emotionally impressive final 40-minute epilogue. (15.10.2020)

Ich bin froh, dass die zweite Staffel nicht an die erste anknüpft und dass sie mit einer neuen Geschichte, einer neuen Residenz sowie einer neuen Stimmung kommt, die diesmal nicht so hundertprozentig horrormäßig und geisterhaft ist. Gleichzeitig ist sie aber nicht weniger mysteriös oder spannend. Ausgezeichnete Figuren, ein ausgezeichnetes Drehbuch, das allmählich alles Notwendige enthüllt, und die sichere Regie (bzw. die Kontrolle der Regie) von Mike Flanagan, der sich mit mysteriösen Dingen aller Art bewundernswert auskennt. (11.10.2020)

While Hill House managed to captivate me, Bly Manor fell short, largely due to the creators' approach. They seemed to forsake the tension-building and high-quality atmosphere of the first season in favor of a romance subplot that felt out of place and often led to odd outcomes. Admittedly, a few episodes did hit the mark, and with more effort, they could have matched the first season's quality. However, on the whole, it was a noticeably weaker endeavor. (28.01.2021)

The Haunting of Bly Manor is definitely an original horror television series. My problem was that it was more of a romantic drama, albeit a drama with supernatural elements. Admittedly, that suits the genre of ghost stories that focus more on the atmosphere than being necessarily scary, although I think it does not seem to work for a modern television show. (09.11.2020)