The team behind one of the best horror TV shows of all time, Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House, is returning to the streaming service for a new batch of thrills, chills and exquisitely directed kills. The Haunting of Bly Manor is Mike Flanagan's second series within the Haunting anthology, and viewers just got a quick-but-fantastic look at the first trailer (which can be found lower down). This looks like another winner, everyone, and now we know when it's coming out, too.
Unlike with Hill House, Mike Flanagan didn't take on all of the directorial duties himself, and shared the job with a selection of other talented filmmakers such as Citadel's Ciarán Foy and Cargo's Yolanda Ramke & Ben Howling. While we're not yet sure which directors were responsible for which episodes, let's celebrate how freaky it all looks by running down the five spookiest moments from The Haunting of Bly Manor's first trailer. (The song isn't listed below, but I think we can all agree it was just as unnerving as anything else.)
That Lonely Little Doll
It's clear that The Haunting of Bly Manor is going to focus on the inherent scariness of "old dolls in the dark," as evidenced by this first moment where a single doll sits by itself in a drab basement-esque setting. I don't know about you guys, but I get weirdly uncomfortable by seeing small things (like dolls or insects or real babies) inside of large wide-open spaces like this in movies and TV shows, since something calamitous usually follows. It's like vicariously experienced agoraphobia, and this Bly Manor moment is likely going to bother me when it plays out in full.
Dolls Moving By Themselves
I wouldn't say I get intimidated very often, and I think that's directly correlative to my lack of experiences walking into rooms housing large collections of old, creepy dolls. Such a collection exists in Bly Manor, apparently, which puts it pretty low on my list of ideal Airbnbs. Oh...wait...the dolls actually move when no one is around to see them? Well, I guess that sounds like a fun time and NO IT DOESN'T AT ALL AND WHY IS THAT DOLL TRYING TO LOOK AT ME AND WHAT DOES IT KNOW ABOUT ME?!?
Creepy Lake Ghost
Now, I don't know for sure if this is an actual ghost, or even if it's taking place in a lake, so maybe I'm out of line by making such blind assumptions. Maybe I'm also out of line for using the word "blind" when talking about a ghoul whose eyes appear to be nonexistent. Of course, if it doesn't have eyes, then how does it know to look RIGHT AT ME AND WHAT DID THIS LAKE GHOST HEAR ABOUT ME FROM THAT POSSESSED DOLL?!?
The Dollhouse Opening By Itself
When, in the annals of recorded history, has anything good ever come from a dollhouse that unexplainably opens on its own? Well, there was the one time when...NOPE! Dollhouses that open by themselves are definitely nothing but horrifying trouble, especially if there are dolls inside that are meticulously crafted to look like the characters living inside Bly Manor. That's how you know when you're really boned.
Whatever Is Happening Behind This Girl
The first Haunting of Bly Manor trailer caps off in quite the brilliant way, with Amelie Smith's character (I think) standing in front of a musty trunk while some ungodly creature is moving slowly in the blurry background behind her. The disturbing gasping is raspy in the most splendidly awful way, as if the being just rose from a week-old grave and was getting used to breathing again without any of its autopsied organs. I suppose the girl has a familiar relationship with said creature if she felt comfortable enough to shush it like that, assuming she didn't get mauled immediately after doing so. Good for her, good for her.
Check out the first Haunting of Bly Manor trailer below, and let us know which parts you thought were the scariest.
The Haunting of Bly Manor is scheduled to debut on Netflix in its entirety on Friday, October 9, at 3:01 a.m. ET. While waiting for that to finally arrive, get familiar with the stars using our updated cast list, and then head to our Netflix 2020 premiere schedule and our 2020 Fall TV schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way.
