Having achieved massive acclaim (if not major TV awards) for the masterful horror series The Haunting of Hill House, Netflix announced that there are a lot more scares on the way, though not at Hill House itself. The streaming service has entered into a multi-year agreement with series creator Mike Flanagan and his producing partner Trevor Macy, a deal that firmly establishes Haunting as a horror anthology and ushers in an official Season 2 renewal.
Because just a renewal announcement would be too typical and one-note, the Haunting of Hill House Twitter page dropped a clue-filled teaser urging fans to guess where Season 2 will take place. Give it a look and listen.
For those who couldn't quite pick it out, the line heard there is: "The terrace and the whole place, the lawn and the garden beyond it, all I could see of the park, were empty with a great emptiness."
That line comes from the fourth chapter of Henry James' seminal 1898 horror novella The Turn of the Screw, which is a beyond fantastic work to pull from for Season 2 of this franchise of sorts. James' story centers on a young governess taking care of two children in a remote country home, while their official caretaker, their uncle, couldn't be less concerned. To be expected, the home is the source of possible ghostly presences, and that home's name is Bly Manor.
The Turn of the Screw has remained a classic in part due to the narrative's anecdotal nature lending to its ambiguousness and the debatability of its events. Shades of that were present in Hill House, at least among members of the family, if not within the audience. Mike Flanagan will likely bring lots of unique twists and turns to the tale – which, also like Hill House, has been adapted many times and inspired countless works since its publication.
Netflix's new deal with Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy definitely isn't just limited to developing and producing new Haunting seasons, either, though those are included. The creative duo will also work on other new things for the streaming giant, with plans for both cinematic and televised projects.
That's not so much of a surprise, considering Mike Flanagan's last five films and Hill House were part of his partnership with Trevor Macy through the Intrepid Pictures banner, and four of those were through Netflix: Hush, Before I Wake, Gerald's Game and Hill House. You gotta go with where the success happens, especially in a genre like horror.
Mike Flanagan is currently gearing up for the release of his upcoming theatrical release Doctor Sleep, an adaptation of Stephen King's sequel to The Shining. It's his second King feature, so I think it's already time to start calling for him to take on one the horror icon's many works for Haunting's third season. Would it be weird for him to go back and do The Haunting of the Overlook Hotel?
Stay tuned for more about The Haunting of Bly Manor as news gets released. Good thing there are a lot of great shows coming to the rest of midseason TV to keep everyone busy.
