Two classic ghost stories, ”The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson and ”The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James, were loosely adapted for two seasons of this horror anthology, introducing mansions full of frightening apparitions and families who seemed stuck between the dead and the living. Handsomely staged, romantic and gothic, with a committed cast, the first season delivered effective shocks and scary ghosts. The second one shared many traits and offered a sweet gay romance as well, but wasn’t satisfying enough in terms of horror. There were standout episodes, especially in ”Hill House”, but both stories suffered from extreme overlength; a miniseries format would’ve been a much better fit.

2018-2020:U.S. Made for TV. 19 episodes. Color. Created by Mike Flanagan. Cast, ”The Haunting of Hill House”: Michiel Huisman (Steven Crain), Carla Gugino (Olivia Crain), Henry Thomas (Young Hugh Crain), Timothy Hutton (Old Hugh Crain), Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson, Annabeth Gish. ”The Haunting of Bly Manor”: Victoria Pedretti (Danielle ”Dani” Clayton), Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Peter Quint), Amelia Eve (Jamie), T’Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli, Tahirah Sharif, Amelie Bea Smith, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Henry Thomas, Carla Gugino.

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