‘The Haunting of The Hill House’ and ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ managed to irk similar senses of spook in us. But we think there were a lot of similarities. Did Nell and Hannah really say the same thing? Was the Forever House actually in both the series? Let’s take a detailed look!
‘The Haunting of Bly Manor‘ hit the Netflix screens and turned out to be perfectly splendid, if not exactly what the fans of the horror genre expected it to be. The horror series had its plot beautifully wrapped around a story and turned out to be a tale of loss and love, with a bittersweet ending, taking it a notch higher than the last one. The Haunting series have so far been enchanting and entrancing, and they have managed to do that with two different series. But, are the series truly that different? Bly Manor and Hill House may have been two different set-ups, but we think there is more than what meets the eye.
Highlights —
- ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ turned out to be a spectacular series
- The two series were quite different in terms of plot and premise
- The haunting is different, yet similar
We set our brains to it, and we think that Bly Manor and Hill House mysteries have quite a few similarities, once you look at it. And no, we are not just talking about actors reprising different roles.
Bly Manor and Hill House: The rest is just … confetti
When ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ ends, Nell speaks to her family. The scene is so sad, yet has a closing loop attached to it, as Nell speaks about her views on life, death, and beyond. There is a short line that she utters. “The rest is just confetti”, and off she goes. Over to Bly Manor, Hannah is the one who has the mic for this one. Towards the end, as Hannah’s soul (as we very well know by now that she has been dead all along, just stuck in the house with others) tells Henry to pass on her message to Owen. A bewildered Henry, who realises he is the “middle”, neither here nor there, conveys the message to Owen. Anyway, Hannah tries to say, “The rest is just …” Before she can complete the message, Henry wakes up, and she vanishes. We have a good reason to believe that she meant to say the same words, “The rest is just confetti”.
The Forever House makes an appearance in both Bly Manor and Hill House
Remember when Olivia Crain in the Hill House was sketching and creating her own forever house? Looks like it makes an appearance in Bly Manor as well if you look at it keenly. In the Hill House series, Olivia’s ghost tries to convince her family that their pain would wash away if they simply join her in the Hill House. Peter’s ghost tries the same tactic with Miles and Flora when he tucks them in a dream. Peter convinces them that if they listen to him and do as he says, they will be reunited with their parents in the forever house. Something both the kids wanted with all their hearts and thus, it makes them even more vulnerable.
The protagonist’s realisation of losing mind, body, and control
In ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor‘, once everything seems to be over and Dani and Jamie start their lives together, the lady comes back to haunt them. And Dani realises this when she is almost strangling Jamie in her sleep. Similarly, in ‘The Haunting of Hill House’, Olivia finds herself attacking her husband while she is possessed or asleep. Both the protagonists realise they are losing control over their mind and body, and this may very well be fatal for their respective partners. The only difference here is that while Dani is aware of what is affecting her, the lack of knowledge drives Olivia mad.
‘Come Home’, to Bly Manor and Hill House
‘The Haunting of Hill House’ has several references that indicate someone or something is calling Nell back. A clear proof of this is the message of “Come Home” that is found behind a ripped wallpaper. When Olivia, later on, rips it even further, it reveals the complete message of “Come Home, Nell”.
A similar message appears in Bly Manor when Miles receives a letter from Flora stating “Come Home”. In both Bly Manor and Hill House, it is all about coming home and closing the loops at the end of the day. In both the series, the house doesn’t want to let go of the inhabitants, one way or the other.
What’s next?
‘The Haunting of Hill House’ and ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ both are based on famous short stories. It will be interesting to see what more can the makers offer us in terms of adaptation. Whatever it is, we are sure it will be amazing, or “perfectly splendid”, as Flora would state.
