The first season of The Haunting of Hill House grabbed all the headlines with its spine-chilling mix of jump scares and slow-burn horror.
Now series creator Mike Flanagan has revealed exciting new details of second season The Haunting of Bly Manor - and heads up, it promises to be even more terrifying.
Series two will deliver a brand-new storyline and setting, but fans will be glad to hear it contains a number of subtle references to series one, from the scares to the script, as well as the return of some familiar characters.
"There's not a narrative connection, but there are little Easter eggs, for sure, not only in small details but in moments of dialogue and in some of the ideas from Hill House," the filmmaker told Entertainment Weekly.
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"There are definitely going to be things that will set off that little dopamine rush that those kind of connections create. But it's not a direct connection from story point of view."
Season one was based on the Shirley Jackson novel of the same name, while the upcoming series takes inspiration from dozens of spooky tales written by master of the ghost story Henry James.
"It's scarier," Flanagan confirmed. "It's a lot more frightening, just on a visceral level."
For the new season, Flanagan transports viewers to the haunted halls of old country house Bly manor, the setting for Henry James' gothic horror novella The Turn of the Screw. Within the crumbling walls live two orphans, cared for by a young governess.
But for Flanagan, The Turn of the Screw storyline is merely a creaky doorway to bigger scares beyond.
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"We were able to open up [James'] entire library of ghost stories, stuff that's never been adapted, and build the whole season out with the entirety of Henry James' supernatural library.
"And that's been a real treat, because we really get to do things that I've never gotten to see before. Turn of the Screw is really just our way in..."
Bigger, bolder - and with plenty of skeletons from series one in the closet. This is one season we can't wait to watch through our fingers.
The Haunting of Bly Manor is coming in 2020.
Featured Image Credit: Credit: NetflixTopics: TV News, TV Entertainment
