‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ Recycles This Scene From ‘The Haunting of Hill House’
On the surface, The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor both tell a chilling story of heartbreak and loss. While both seasons of the Netflix series differ drastically in their overarching themes and scares, there’s one scene in Bly Manor that seems to have been ripped from the pages of Hill House. Find out which scene from The Haunting of Hill House is recreated in The Haunting of Bly Manor.
[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers ahead for The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor.]
‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ mimics ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ in a few ways
Showrunner Mike Flanagan brought back some of the cast from the first installment of The Haunting franchise, including Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Henry Thomas, and Carla Gugino, amongst others.
In addition to using some repeat cast members, season 2 recycles a major theme found in The Haunting of Hill House. The idea that both people and places can be haunted is evident throughout Bly Manor.
“At its foundation, The Haunting series is very much about haunted spaces and haunted people,” Flanagan told Vanity Fair. “The way we make those things dance together is really going to be what’s uniform about Hill House and Bly.” These ideas are presented differently in Bly Manor, but the idea of being haunted remains the same.
Olivia Crain tries to kill her husband in ‘The Haunting of Hill House’
In The Haunting of Hill House episode titled “Eulogy,” a young Hugh Crain (Thomas) awakens to his wife, Olivia (Gugino), sitting on top of him holding a screwdriver to his neck.
“Liv!” Hugh shouts, waking her from her slumber. Confused, she says: “I’m sorry, I was having a horrible dream. I’m so sorry, I don’t even know.” Liv’s inadvertent threat to his life is what finally breaks Hugh, who realizes his wife is being affected by Hill House. They agree that she needs some time away to rest, but that never happens.
Later, it becomes clear Liv was tormented by the soul of Poppy Hill (Katie Parker). Poppy served as the motivation behind Liv’s threat to Hugh and ultimately, her tragic death.
Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed that the scene where Olivia threatened Hugh was recreated in The Haunting of Bly Manor.
‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ recycles the ‘Hill House’ scene where Olivia tries to kill Hugh in his sleep
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode “The Beast in the Jungle” reveals Dani’s life after Bly. The evil that once lurked at Bly is gone, but that’s because Dani carries it with her.
In Bly Manor, Kate Siegel, who starred in The Haunting of Hill House as Theo, plays Viola Willoughby. Viola is a character from another story by Henry James — The Romance of Certain Old Clothes. In the story, Viola’s sister, Perdita, suffocates her. In doing so, Viola becomes the Lady in the Lake. Her vengeful soul roams the grounds of Bly strangling those who cross her path.
When Dani meets the Lady in the Lake years later, she inhabits her soul to save young Flora. In doing so, Dani harbors an evil that puts her loved ones in danger.
In a scene much like the one where Liv is holding a screwdriver to Hugh’s throat, Dani awakens to find her hand around the neck of her significant other. Realizing she’s no longer safe to be around, Dani — and the Lady in the Lake — return to Bly.
