Netflix got October off to a scary start this year with the premiere of The Haunting of Bly Manor as the long-awaited follow-up to The Haunting of Hill House that scared the pants off subscribers back in 2018. Although Bly Manor doesn't qualify as a second season of Hill House, they work as two chapters of an anthology series that could theoretically keep going for as long as there are ghost stories. That said, Haunting fans might not want to expect a new season anytime soon for a big reason.
That's not necessarily a bad thing, though! The Haunting of Hill House and Bly Manor creator, writer, and director Mike Flanagan has a different horror series in the works for Netflix, and it will feature some familiar faces to Haunting fans. Flanagan signed on for a new show called Midnight Mass, according to Deadline, in which an isolated island community will experience both miraculous events and frightening omens after the arrival of a mysterious priest.
There is no saying at this point whether or not ghosts will be involved, but Mike Flanagan's involvement guarantees some frights are on the way. He also signed on to direct all seven episodes of the horror series, similarly to his decision to helm every episode of The Haunting of Hill House. (Flanagan directed just the premiere of The Haunting of Bly Manor.)
Production on Midnight Mass was originally intended to begin in spring 2020 in Vancouver, but the show joined the ranks of many others in facing delays. Mike Flanagan revealed via Twitter back in August that filming on Midnight Mass was finally beginning, so the show is moving forward. Just probably not at a pace that will bring Midnight Mass to the screen in the foreseeable future or potentially shift Flanagan's focus to Haunting again!
Although no footage or notable plot details are available just yet about Midnight Mass, Deadline reports that Haunting fans can expect to see some familiar faces from both Hill House and Bly Manor, including Kate Siegel, Henry Thomas, Rahul Kohli, and Annabeth Gish. Also on board are Zach Gilford (The Purge: Anarchy), Hamish Linklater (Legion), Michael Trucco (Hunter Killer), Samantha Sloyan (Grey's Anatomy), Rahul Abburi (Killer Ransom), Crystal Balint (The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco), Matt Biedel (Altered Carbon), Alex Essoe (Mike Flanagan's Doctor Sleep), Kristin Lehman (The Chronicles of Riddick), Robert Longstreet (Doctor Sleep), and Igby Rigney (Blue Bloods).
Throw in the fact that Haunting stars Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Kate Siegel (who also happens to be married to Mike Flanagan) confirmed to The Wrap that they're not aware of any plans for a third installment in the anthology, and all signs point toward Flanagan taking a break from the ghosts and focusing on Midnight Mass, although we can only wait and see if he drops any details now that Bly Manor has released.
During the wait for Midnight Mass (which is entirely unrelated to the Midnight, Mass comic series that was once being developed into a series for NBC), you can always watch or rewatch The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor. For some additional viewing options now and in the coming weeks, check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule!
