Invest In Some New Undies, Because ‘The Haunting Of Hill House’ Is Returning To Our Screens
Here's everything we know about Season 2.
On paper, Netflix’s The Haunting Of Hill House seemed set to be one of those weird, cult objects with a small but fervent fanbase.
After all, the miniseries’ tremendous source novel, written by Shirley Jackson, has been adapted for the screen many times before (shout-out to the not very good version where a nonplussed Owen Wilson gets sucked into an evil fireplace). Add to that the fact that showrunner Mike Flanagan’s take on the text basically amounts to, “what if it’s a soap opera with ghosts?”, and you’d have to be a very prescient culture watcher to guess that it might set the streaming world on fire.
But that’s exactly what The Haunting Of Hill House did, becoming not only a beloved critical success, but one of those genuine word-of-mouth sensations that get their every narrative twist dissected over water-cooler conversations across the globe.
Looks like subsequent Haunting of Hill House seasons will center on new characters & new locations, with Netflix going the anthology route with the general "The Haunting" framework. As someone who LOVED the 1st season and felt it told a perfect, complete story, this pleases me.
— John Squires (@FreddyInSpace) February 21, 2019
All that meant that a second season of the show was inevitable. After all, the first season ended on such a perfect, bittersweet note of absolution, that thrusting the poor Crain family through another supernatural maelstrom seemed oddly cruel.
It’s lucky then that, Flanagan, a smart director with a good eye for innovation, has decided to avoid doing exactly that.
So, the good news is this: a second season of the show is coming, but though Flanagan is returning the Crain family aren’t. Instead, the miniseries will set its sights on a new classic supernatural novella — Henry James’ The Turn Of The Screw.
It’ll be called The Haunting Of Bly Manor, and it’ll be out some time in 2020.
You guessed it. The HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR, a new chapter in the Haunting series based on the works of Henry James, is coming in 2020. pic.twitter.com/nvhRBEfH2E
— The Haunting of Hill House (@haunting) February 21, 2019
There’s lot to get excited about in that announcement. The news that Flanagan himself is once again taking the creative reigns is excellent; the news that the Crain family are getting to bask in their own newfound comfort is even better.
And then there’s the quality of the new source text; The Turn Of The Screw is a supremely terrifying novella about a governess in a remote estate charged with looking after two children who slowly becomes convinced the place is haunted. It’s modern, and it’s strange, and it’s absolutely horrifying, making it perfectly suited for an adaptation.
Sure, we’ve admittedly got a while to wait for the new season — it hasn’t even been cast yet, let alone shot — but if you want to while away the time, why not check out Jack Clayton’s brilliant The Innocents, a 1971 adaptation of The Turn Of The Screw, to get you in the mood?
Or you could just rewatch the first season of The Haunting Of Hill House for the seventh time. Up to you.