Read User Reviews and Submit your own for The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)

5

Mr_BigotedOct 14, 2020

Holy hell. Definitely a downgrade from the tight direction and creative scares presented by Hill house. One thing I will say, however, is that this has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the lesbian plot.

It seems a decent number of the reviewsHoly hell. Definitely a downgrade from the tight direction and creative scares presented by Hill house. One thing I will say, however, is that this has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the lesbian plot.

It seems a decent number of the reviews here cite the lesbian plot as the crux of the show's problems, which kind of boggles my mind. The lesbianism is totally unrelated to the show's failings. Sure, that relationship is handled in a pretty ham-fisted way, but I fail to see how the same-sex nature of the relationship is relevant to the faults in its presentation.

My main problems with the show are with certain dialogue choices and plot decisions, uncreative and repetitive scares, as well as an emotionally constipated lead performance from Victoria Predetti. Oh, and the accents. My God! Are there no Brits available? Do they cost too much? Are they too busy drinking tea? Which, by the way, the writer seems to have a major fixation on the tea-based elitism of certain Brits.

Some more comments on Predetti's performance: Predetti, who plays Dani, was GOOD in Hill House. This is why it's such a shock to watch Predetti's face and it's doomed attempt to squeeze the entire spectrum of human emotion into a single expression. And squeeze is the word. She looks like she's performing kegel exercises. And all of this isn't helped one bit by the director's penchant for close-ups, which seem to take Predetti's performance's biggest flaws and magnify them for the audience.

Anyway, the main reason I wanted to comment was because some of these 'anti-PC' takes are just downright dumb. I'm not the kind of guy to stand on soapboxes and wave the progressive flag, but I really feel I need to stress that any problems with the show's lesbian relationship have nothing to do with the lesbianism and everything to do with the acting, the directing, and the writing. I'm almost 100% sure that the 'preachiness' some people seem to have taken issue with is just a scapegoat for the general discomfort certain audience members feel when exposed to scenes and storylines that are non-representative of their own experiences.… Expand

6 of 8 users found this helpful62

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0

DESIGRONOct 11, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The great example of how the modern "standards" completely ruined this show. It was awful... Better to watch again the first one.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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0

joskeprotOct 11, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Full with fillers. 7 episodes were useless fillers.
The end is so bad... How did the garderner get into the wedding? Self invitation after soooo many years?
So many plot holes.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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6

akshatmahajanOct 15, 2020

I enjoyed the Haunting of the Hill House and was looking forward to this. In my opinion, the creators didn't gave their best here. The first 4 episodes were drawback for the series. They were so slow and borderline boring, to the point whereI enjoyed the Haunting of the Hill House and was looking forward to this. In my opinion, the creators didn't gave their best here. The first 4 episodes were drawback for the series. They were so slow and borderline boring, to the point where I almost lose the interest. But I had to end it as I started it. Surprisingly, the 2nd half was way better. But all together it didn't hit a home run for me. I am not saying that it was bad, I am just saying that it was not great. Overall, you should give it a try especially when you have watched the first one.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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3

JohnnyMangoesOct 27, 2020

Boring, pretentious and convoluted, and seems to follow the trend of Netflix writers throwing endless dialogue at a poorly lit set with thirsty actors and hoping that it comes off as "artistic, "thoughtful" and "deep" for any poor sods outBoring, pretentious and convoluted, and seems to follow the trend of Netflix writers throwing endless dialogue at a poorly lit set with thirsty actors and hoping that it comes off as "artistic, "thoughtful" and "deep" for any poor sods out there who want to pretend they are "thoughtful" and "deep" for 50 minutes of pure, agonizing boredom. First Season was at least watchable due to having actual horror. Season 2 throws the same glasses / mirror "scare" literally at least a dozen times in the first four episodes, to the point that you see a mirror and a face behind it and the same copy-pasted loud horror sound and say, "again? Really?"

That, and the show is so poorly written and has so much filler dialogue that you can see them actually trying to save money through the use of thirty minute long conversations with the overuse of "flashbacks" (i.e., changing the actors' clothes and moving them to a different part of the house / compound). At one point in this so called "horror show," it was 54 minutes of dialogue, with a glasses scare in the last 30 seconds. Then credit.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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10

luizanaOct 30, 2020

one of the best series I've ever watched. the children's performance was really incredible

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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10

Miriam_GrammoNov 3, 2020

It's a gothic romance serie, with a lot of important topics in it like death, the reaction to it and the acceptance (or not) of it, but also love under many forms and types, representing the main love story with such beauty and with a deepIt's a gothic romance serie, with a lot of important topics in it like death, the reaction to it and the acceptance (or not) of it, but also love under many forms and types, representing the main love story with such beauty and with a deep message that cannot be left without recognition. All of the characters are impersonated by brilliant actress and actors, so kudos for the perfect casting. It is not horror so don't expect to be scared every ten minutes, it is not Hill house and they're not comparable.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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0

The_Man_With_NoOct 12, 2020

I'd love to give this a glowing review, the first season kicked ass and then the 2nd season has been a let down in the fact that the show focuses far too much on a lesbian relationship. To be clear, I really don't care, I support this kind ofI'd love to give this a glowing review, the first season kicked ass and then the 2nd season has been a let down in the fact that the show focuses far too much on a lesbian relationship. To be clear, I really don't care, I support this kind of stuff on other shows, but a horror show? Come on, the first season did so well with literally no love building or interest and this season has an entire episode dedicated to telling you that someone is a lesbian, an entire 53 minute episode dedicated to that point. I don't know why Netflix continues to do this, there are shows where it belongs, like Orange is The New Black, and shows where it just doesn't need to be there and feels so incredibly preachy. I don't care. I wanted ghosts, I find those scary, I'm really not all that spooked by lesbianism. Since that has become such a focal point a lot of the story in the episodes tends to fall to the wayside, important questions take a back seat, and the episodes are more of the same as the story just essentially focuses on the one question I, frankly, do not **** care about: is she a lesbian!?… Expand

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

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0

Eissa1996Oct 9, 2020

Its bad , no scares at all , full of woke **** and it bored me to death. Bad characters ,bad story and of course more sjw **** My advice skip this crap and watch the haunting of hill house

5 of 10 users found this helpful55

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5

JLuis_001Oct 18, 2020

Overlong. Quite boring in several passages and mostly inert. I know it is unfair to judge it in relation to what the first anthology made, but personally I believe this story stayed, very far from what was achieved by its predecessor.

TheyOverlong. Quite boring in several passages and mostly inert. I know it is unfair to judge it in relation to what the first anthology made, but personally I believe this story stayed, very far from what was achieved by its predecessor.

They are little more than 9 hours of material, so be forewarned.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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5

VhulkOct 18, 2020

The show is a lesbian love story (yes, another one) dressed by a ghost story that happens in the 80’s. The plot is a confused patch of episodes jumping sometimes through memories of a single character and some other times from one characterThe show is a lesbian love story (yes, another one) dressed by a ghost story that happens in the 80’s. The plot is a confused patch of episodes jumping sometimes through memories of a single character and some other times from one character to the other. The intention to build an eerie nest of relations across natural and supernatural remains unfinished, lost in the desperate attempt to keep up the attention on any moment of the show, which is the real haunting of the Netflix era.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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7

mbeckfordOct 29, 2020

Mike Flanagan rarely disappoints, and he has delivered another excellent ghost story with "The Haunting of Bly Manor." Based very loosely off of Henry James "The Turn of the Screw," Flanagan presents a much more grounded albeit gothic taleMike Flanagan rarely disappoints, and he has delivered another excellent ghost story with "The Haunting of Bly Manor." Based very loosely off of Henry James "The Turn of the Screw," Flanagan presents a much more grounded albeit gothic tale than his previous series "The Haunting of Hill House." Many have remarked that this is as much a love story as a ghost story, and that is mostly true. But just like the mystery of the origin of the ghost, what the love story is truly about doesn't fully present itself until the end.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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10

ChurchinoOct 25, 2020

Essa série pra mim é tão delicada e toca meu coração de um jeito único.
Terror è meu gênero favorito. Mas houve uma inovação em tornar o sombrio em belo aqui!
Recentemente eu perdi minha mãe e ver a història da Dani sobre amor e perda meEssa série pra mim é tão delicada e toca meu coração de um jeito único.
Terror è meu gênero favorito. Mas houve uma inovação em tornar o sombrio em belo aqui!
Recentemente eu perdi minha mãe e ver a història da Dani sobre amor e perda me tocou muito! Espero qie essa sèrie tenha ainda muitas temporadas dessa qualidade… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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9

mantipsOct 28, 2020

This isn't all that scary, but it's very well written and acted. Each character is thotoughly developed, and the end is satisfying, if sad. The whole thing felt almost like a play in terms of dialog, which I enjoyed. Worth a watch if you wantThis isn't all that scary, but it's very well written and acted. Each character is thotoughly developed, and the end is satisfying, if sad. The whole thing felt almost like a play in terms of dialog, which I enjoyed. Worth a watch if you want something slow and mysterious--be warned, horror this is not.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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3

CLos55Oct 13, 2020

haunting of hll house is one of my favorite haunted house stories of all time. we waited all year for this sequel to be disappointed by a lesbian love story? once again netflix shoves relationships down my throat when all I wanted to seehaunting of hll house is one of my favorite haunted house stories of all time. we waited all year for this sequel to be disappointed by a lesbian love story? once again netflix shoves relationships down my throat when all I wanted to see was another haunted masterpiece. instead I'm treated to some sudo love story with long drawn out scenes that did nothing to spook scare or even keep me on the edge of my seat. I feel like this was sleepless in Seattle disguised as a wanna be hill house that falls short in everyday to be nothing more then a cinematic lie to truck me into watching something I don't care about.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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3

tizlOct 26, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First the good:

Great production values, sets and shots were beautiful. Some decent performances. The score was the same as used in Hill House, so it was great.

Now the bad:

1. Didn't care about the characters - Hill House did a fantastic job of fleshing out the characters and making you care about what happened to them. Bly just... didn't. I think part of the problem was that they were trying to be intentionally ambiguous about certain characters to maintain some mystery, but because of that you never gain any type of emotional attachment to them. They were all pretty bland anyways, and I found the main character to actually be annoying. Which is too bad because it's the same actress that played Nell in Hill House, and she was very good in that.

Plus, in Hill, the house itself really felt like a character, in this one, it was just a house.

2. Poorly written and put together - Too much "tell" rather than "show". The initial few episodes were creepy and intriguing, but don't develop too much. Then we get a flood of "explanation" episodes towards the end that just spoon feed us everything. Once again comparing to Hill House, that show slow drips so many plot points throughout while still being riveting and just confusing enough to keep you guessing, then brings them all together in the last couple of episodes in spectacular fashion.

3. "Lost" plot points - There are some ghosts, that I won't name or specify, that are introduced and used to great effect early on, but then are just wasted later on, either not used at all or just disappear completely with no explanation. There is also a very interesting device involving the kids' uncle in one episode, but that also is never used again or connected to the main story in any way. The housekeeper, who's story may be the most intriguing of them all, seems to be setup for something big, then it's just nothing.

Too many plot points and devices are used for drama or scares, then just discarded. It's hard to believe the same guy did this show. And actually I looked it up, and while he wrote and directed everything in Hill House, he only directed the first episode of Bly, and there are more writers credited for Bly than Hill House. Too many cooks in the kitchen?

4. Most importantly - it just wasn't scary! The first few episodes have some truly creepy moments, and the same ominous musical score from Hill is used very well. Then, it turns more into a drama, too much explanation of the ghosts happen, and they just aren't scary anymore, even when the final conflict happens.

Last point, and BIG SPOILER HERE. The final episode wraps up the main story WAY too early, then just drags on with the after effects. What a complete letdown of a finale!… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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2

MikeB618Oct 14, 2020

I wanted to like this show, I really did. But Netflix again shoved another lesbian soap opera down our throats. After watching Ratched and being thoroughly let down by a lack of substance replaced by an overbearing lesbian love story, here weI wanted to like this show, I really did. But Netflix again shoved another lesbian soap opera down our throats. After watching Ratched and being thoroughly let down by a lack of substance replaced by an overbearing lesbian love story, here we are again. This show has 0 substance and isn't even slightly frightening which is odd because it's advertised as a spooky show.. Oh well. Maybe one day we can have shows that aren't centered around the main characters sexuality. The back and forth cut scenes are frustrating as well.. At first it feels like ok, they put in a couple filler episodes for character development.. Then you realize, wait no, that's what the show is now. It's boring and tedious. It's a shame really. Prime keeps pumping out quality and Netflix is stuck in "let's make another show about lesbians"... do yourself a favor and watch Utopia on Prime instead of this convoluted mess… Expand

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

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10

Suyash07Oct 18, 2020

One of the best series I have ever watched. I don't know why people are trying to compare it with the hill house? but anyways the starting 4 episodes are quite slow but then the series caught its speed... Worth it to watch.

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

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10

Idk1Oct 10, 2020

Easily one of Netflix’s best shows. Great characters and great storytelling. It’s not that scary but still better than most mainstream horror movies.

4 of 10 users found this helpful46

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1

squeezoOct 14, 2020

Most horrifying and frequent scenes for the viewer are those where everyone sits around a kitchen table/campfire/attic floor and takes turns discussing their every disappointment in their lives up until now in minute detail. What was scary inMost horrifying and frequent scenes for the viewer are those where everyone sits around a kitchen table/campfire/attic floor and takes turns discussing their every disappointment in their lives up until now in minute detail. What was scary in the 1961 movie "The Innocents" (which this has obviously taken so much from) was the uncertainty. Is it her imagination or stress from her repressed sexuality? Why is only she sees the 'ghosts'? Is it just the kids torturing her with horrible mind games? Are there really malevolent entities haunting the grounds?

No, unfortunately here it's all " Hey everybody, woe is me", BOO! and repeat.

And to believe someone would take over a dinner party with a promise of 'ghost story" and then drone on for hours about uninteresting characters' innermost feelings would still have an audience not in a comatose state is stretching credibility.

1 point for hilariously bad accents.… Expand

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

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10

BrunoyudiOct 15, 2020

A tier script
B tier scares
I really liked it, its not an horror story, its a really good love story with some horror elements, really liked and really recommend

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

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7

DracoshiOct 11, 2020

Bly Manor had big boots to fill, after its predecessor (Hill House) was close to perfection. Bly Manor didn't live up to Hill House, in terms of horror, characters or plot. However, it was still an enjoyable series with a nice story and someBly Manor had big boots to fill, after its predecessor (Hill House) was close to perfection. Bly Manor didn't live up to Hill House, in terms of horror, characters or plot. However, it was still an enjoyable series with a nice story and some decent scares. I'd still rate it positively as it was exciting to watch, and was generally a well-made show.

My biggest criticisms relate to the lack of horror in the show (it wasn't even nearly as scary as Hill House), and the length of the show (it felt very dragged on at certain points, and could've been told better with less episodes). I would still recommend the series, as I did enjoy it, but sadly it doesn't come close to the levels Hill House reached.… Expand

3 of 8 users found this helpful35

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3

Satanski666Oct 11, 2020

I liked first few episodes, then it degenerated into another boring soap opera. Big plus for gay plot, it's not like they put it in every movie now. /s

3 of 9 users found this helpful36

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1

EyZonMeOct 11, 2020

A massive disappointment in comparison to Hill House. It was a chore watching every episode after investing in 4 episodes. 1) boring
2) convoluted plot
3 not really a horror story

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

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10

KyledavidvsOct 15, 2020

If you’re not homophobic, or made uncomfortable by same sex relationships, Bly Manor is simply amazing. The show explores so many different types of love, and why humans suffer for it in spite of the unavoidable devastation of death, waitingIf you’re not homophobic, or made uncomfortable by same sex relationships, Bly Manor is simply amazing. The show explores so many different types of love, and why humans suffer for it in spite of the unavoidable devastation of death, waiting for us at the end. The love of a brother, the love of a friend, the love of a lover. So many of these relationships, tangled with grief, make the show not only compelling as a ghost story, but also an exercise in figuring out what every pair of characters represents. Love and loss, great reward, knowing the eventual costs. To me the faceless woman in the lake represents the uncertainty of death, be it cancer, or Dan accident, or anything else that is cruel. The end of love, in any circumstances is cruel. She takes without seeing, without logic and forces us to watch. Then the ghosts, the victims get to choose how they help the living. Even if they haven’t even come to grips with their own fates. This is just a taste of the kind of thinking you will do after finishing this amazing show. Enjoy!… Expand

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

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0

OmgThatSuckedOct 17, 2020

A Let me just say it was perfectly splendid 30 or 40 times... or at least enough times to annoy you as much as Bly Manor annoyed me. Not only did the narration feel contrived from beginning to end - the story itself just dragged on and onA Let me just say it was perfectly splendid 30 or 40 times... or at least enough times to annoy you as much as Bly Manor annoyed me. Not only did the narration feel contrived from beginning to end - the story itself just dragged on and on with little creative "horror" to keep us engaged. The imagery of the guy in glasses was decent - but little else impresses with this edition. Except for maybe a few supporting roles that were decently pulled off - all in all - Bly Manor was just a huge disappointment. Don't waste your time with this one.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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3

Gr8saiyaman88Oct 10, 2020

Bly Manor pales in comparison to Hill House in so many ways that even hearing the og theme used felt wrong. Often slow and boring with little payoff. Unlike Hill House, I can't recommend it nor will I ever watch it again.

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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7

muldjordOct 17, 2020

Despite the incredibly long drawn out sequences due to having too much time per episode, this was quite good. I wish they would have cut it down to 40-45 minutes per episode to remove some of the filler.

On the season itself; it's not reallyDespite the incredibly long drawn out sequences due to having too much time per episode, this was quite good. I wish they would have cut it down to 40-45 minutes per episode to remove some of the filler.

On the season itself; it's not really a horror story - which I expected it to be due to the title and first season. There are horror elements, but they are more like ingredients used to tell a different story. Which is fine, but still a bit of a letdown for me personally.

I guess you could call it a ghost drama. And it's also about forgetting. Both about the things you want to forget, and the things you wish you hadn't forgotten. Or didn't know you had, but then realize you had when reminded.

Looking back on it now, it tries to do a lot of different things and succeeds with much of it. But being a horror-story is not one of them. The horror element merely brought a great sense of creepiness to the very long ending which was otherwise supposed to wrap everything up in warm happy feelings.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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8

hhf2Oct 17, 2020

Bly even more than Hill House needs the viewer to have the relevant experiences in their lives for the story to truly connect. It is a very slow burn and very likely to slow for today's taste. I think the biggest problem throughout is that inBly even more than Hill House needs the viewer to have the relevant experiences in their lives for the story to truly connect. It is a very slow burn and very likely to slow for today's taste. I think the biggest problem throughout is that in the ensemble cast, you don't have a clear reference character and while some backstories are elaborately set up, they get dissolved rather quickly and unceremoniously, while adding another story on top to connect the pieces. Still, for me it worked. I found it...perfectly splendid.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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3

PudgiepandaOct 11, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The show is exceptionally slow (really boring) in delivering its mediocre love story.(if you can call it that) I thought hill house was a great story with scares along the way but this story is very bland with extremely cheap scares ( for me I didn’t jump once or hide behind my popcorn) I actually laughed on its first scare delivery, which is bad for a horror based series.

The writing feels very convoluted, doesn't really make sense, they place little bits here and there like the soldier in the background who literally adds nothing to the overall story. The image of the dead husband pops in a lot at the start but It wasn’t delivered well at all and his death was so cliche. I feel the full headlight eyes took away from the meaning of him being seen with the guilt she had and made him less scary with more of an annoyance than anything else

Hannah I thought was a good character but it was clear she was already dead from episode one, the vagueness of her being there, drifting off in conversations not eating and such. It also didn’t make sense how she could interact with objects upon her death but Peter could not ( he was in denial at the start also but fails to touch anything, like the doll) it felt exceptionally poorly done, if you want to tell a story and give a bit of shock value with a character being dead never ever do it like bly manor did Peters character had an obsessive nature but in reality he killed a few people, was willing to kill children...just to get his own way. He felt like an overgrown child who didn’t really have any real motivation, just I want it, I will take it. His mother story didn’t really do anything for me in terms of liking or understanding the character The previous teacher had a love interest with Peter for like a week but was so badly in love with him would follow him into death/ merge herself with him. Just awful story telling, she didn’t really freak out when she discovered he was dead just like oh can we still move to America The lady in the lake viola, the characters story was weak at best, she clung to life and caused her own gravity of death due to the fact she wanted to see her child. Yet she forgets about her past life for some bizarre reason and the gravity remains, why would the gravity remain if her will was to see her child upon whom she has no memory off. It also made 0 sense that she randomly kills those who are in front of her, like the priest, the child..etc viola wasn’t a bad person in life and was dying anyway when she was killed. Also what about the uncles family who grew up there, did none of them see the lady in the lake or query why there was muddy footprints

The children I thought were pretty good at the start of the story but I was expecting way more connection to the dead than what was presented.like the dolls and the doll house who could show where the ghosts were, none of that was ever really explained well

The uncles story, he was a drunk who for some bizarre reason projected himself as a evil devil on the shoulder who could also dream sleep away to another memory. He perhaps was one of the better actors in this series.

The finale of the story was just awful, the main character gets absorbed by viola and goes back to the lake because why ? Oh she no longer collects death or has that gravity thing because the main character was good.... so why would they return to the lake , wouldn’t she eventually forget too!! It felt like the writer needed to wrap up the story and had 0 idea of what to do with the story so the crappy wedding party at the beginning was all the characters from the story who have either aged really badly, all had the patience of a saint to listen to a random gardener tell a crappy story or they used different actors to really sell this bad story to the audience. Randomly they have all forgotten their time in bly manor, including the chef ( who named his restaurant after Hannah). It didn’t make sense if they forgot why are they all back together?? Like none of them were connected in the final episode so why are they together now...The stories execution throughout the series was poorly done, far too slow you could edit out at least 70% of the series and still delivery the story with more impact than what we got. There was potential here to make another hill house styled horror but the direction it took made it a bore fest… Expand

1 of 6 users found this helpful15

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5

TVJerryNov 14, 2020

This followup to The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting places two children in the titular manse with an assortment of caretakers….some of whom may be phantoms. The dull pacing makes the occasional moments of fear less effective,This followup to The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting places two children in the titular manse with an assortment of caretakers….some of whom may be phantoms. The dull pacing makes the occasional moments of fear less effective, although there are some worthwhile moments. Standout performance is Henry Thomas creating an enjoyably weird benefactor. Otherwise, it’s a lot of slow going for a few minor frights. (9 one-hour episodes)… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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1

RashivaOct 31, 2020

This series is a poor sequel to the original, brilliant show - "The Haunting of Hill House." Truly, you should only watch that one and forget this one even exists. The pacing is slow, the characters well-acted but inexplicably moronic andThis series is a poor sequel to the original, brilliant show - "The Haunting of Hill House." Truly, you should only watch that one and forget this one even exists. The pacing is slow, the characters well-acted but inexplicably moronic and delusional. The story is absolutely full of itself and tries to meditate on vague philosophical quandaries, but in the end serves only to bore, incite laughter ala RiffTrax (performed best with friends), and made me so frustrated for how stupidly it treats its audience and the entire world it fails to meaningfully and realistically creates. Watch for fun like you would "The Room," but even then, it still might be a waste of time.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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1

KamarrOct 29, 2020

This is dreadful when you watch an ep 20 mins but it feels like an hour every episode you know you have a bad show brewing. It's sad this was the best they could do. I feel like I could make a better show about a haunted mansion with 0This is dreadful when you watch an ep 20 mins but it feels like an hour every episode you know you have a bad show brewing. It's sad this was the best they could do. I feel like I could make a better show about a haunted mansion with 0 directing experience. Do not waste your time on this heap of doo doo… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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0

maximaziNov 2, 2020

"The only thing Americans care about is money"

"Americans are savages"

*lesbians kissing*

*Roll Credits*

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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6

TheQuietGamerNov 15, 2020

This second entry in Mike Flanagan's The Haunting anthology series is a significant step back from what we got with Hill House. Stylistically it's a bit too British for its own good. The wide array of grating accents, the irritatingly properThis second entry in Mike Flanagan's The Haunting anthology series is a significant step back from what we got with Hill House. Stylistically it's a bit too British for its own good. The wide array of grating accents, the irritatingly proper way everybody speaks, and the ever present narrator designed to give the tale a more storybook feel do Bly Manor no favors. Essentially making the whole thing come off as Hill House, but annoying.

If this really is supposed to be a love story, it's a rather poor one given the lengths it goes through to ensure everyone ends up alone by the end. It does feature some great lessons about love however. The way it critiques possession over genuine affection and things like toxic masculinity among others works because it's not preachy or insulting in its delivery. It never points the finger, just reveals that these things do unfortunately exist and can cause real harm. The pacing can be downright atrocious. The early episodes are almost painfully uninteresting outside of the promise of the mystery at hand as not much happens in them, and things darn near crawl to a halt in the final two after the show runners boneheadedly decided not to capitalize on a particularly intense cliffhanger by continuing the action from where it left off right away. Instead choosing to dive right into the ghost's backstory which proves to be story's dullest chapter and robs the menace of a lot of its fear factor. As a matter of fact, this is really disappointing as a work of horror altogether. The attempts to frighten viewer amount to little more than a repeated jump scare where the main character sees someone standing behind her in reflective surfaces, a trick that ends up being as overly used as the words "perfectly splendid," and the appearance of the occasional specter lurking at the back of the screen. The latter of which was also featured in Bly Manor's infinitely superior predecessor and suffers from diminishing returns here.

For all of its faults though there are moments of shear brilliance. The way it gives its ghosts a motive for tormenting the living by locking them in a hellish cycle where they themselves are haunted by moments from their past is probably the most memorable and standout aspect of the whole thing, while also serving as a nice twist on one of Hill House's more interesting wrinkles as well. Plus, the entire middle portion is pretty fantastic as that is where the emotions are at their highest, the tension is at its max, and the reveals are flowing. I even liked how not every entity the character's encounter actually exists at all. Some are just figments of their imagination spawned from past regrets.

Unfortunately, questionable decision making from Flanagan and crew make this mini-series feel messy, uneven, and poorly thought-out. Like how there's a major villain swap right at the conclusion that makes both foes feel inconsequential in a way or how none of the supporting character's subplots go anywhere so you're left wondering why they were included in the first place. As engrossing as it can be at times, these cracks in Bly's foundation keep it from ever being a truly satisfying watch. Especially considering it's following an act that was practically flawless.… Expand