THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR (Mike Flanagan series, 2020)

Halfway through this Mike Flanagan take on The Turn of the Screw and I am reminded of why I like his streaming series. They are slow burning and well-scripted tales that have empathy for every character, and every character is brought to life by a great cast, many who are part of multiple shows. The stories often focus on family, couples, and loss/grieving, and the plot’s success depends almost entirely on atmosphere and cleverness with minimal gore or cheap jump scares.

Technically, his sets are always thick with the darkest shadows (especially the hallways) but those shadows are often home to lurking spectral shapes. This creates a strong sense of dread as well as an electric sort of engagement because you’re always straining to see that thing you don’t want to see. The Newton Brothers again provide a tasteful and well placed score, spare but striking, both sinister and melancholic by turn.

And I’m guessing the climax will crush it. Again. The man knows how to stick a landing.

Even though he didn’t script or direct every episode, this very much feels of a piece with the Mike Flanagan stuff I’ve watched so far. It’s like John Carpenter directing ghost stories for the BBC but better. Highly recommended if you like this kind of spooky fare, but also worth checking out for the sheer entertainment of a well-told tale even if you don’t usually watch these sorts of things.