- The Haunting of Bly Manor,
a new horror drama series from Mike Flanagan
follows an American au pair
who takes a position caring for
and educating two orphan children
at a large country estate
after their previous nanny's unexpected death.
Needless to say this Manor
is very, very haunted, but is it also real?
is The Haunting ofBly Manor, a true story?
The Haunting ofBly Manor is directly inspired
by many short stories by writer Henry James
as well as his 1898 horror novella,
The Turn Of The Screw.
Which is loosely based on real supernatural accounts
from Hinton Ampner house in Britain.
Writer Henry James first learned about the ongoing incidents
that began in April of 1771 at Hinton Ampner House
from the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The entire case was documented
in Gentleman's Magazine in 1872
and provided direct inspiration
for The Turn Of The Screw.
In the mid 18th century,
several mysterious deaths and disappearances occurred
in the home.
The magazine published a series of letters
from every resident since,
detailing the hauntings.
These include mentions of music,
whispers, (shushing)
footsteps, fabric wrestling,
doors opening and closing of their own accord
and other inexplicable sounds.
The letters also detail sightings of two haunted figures
and the disturbances of a Poltergeist
a man in a drab colored coat
and a tall dark woman materialized repeatedly
at Hinton Ampner House.
Henry James included many of these supernatural details
in the creation of his novella.
And they can clearly be seen
in The Haunting of Bly Manor as well.
Furthermore, major plot points of The Haunting of Bly Manor
seemed to align with the real life details
of the deaths and misdeeds
of the residents of Hinton Ampner.
Without spoiling the series
a buried box of treasure romantically jealous siblings
a wife's death, and children conceived out of wedlock
or all thoughts who have contributed
to the hauntings at Hinton Ampner House
just as they do atBly Manor.
Beyond the source material,
the recurring thrill elements
in The Haunting ofBly Manor
are also based on real life incidents.
Sentient evil dolls have been a terrifying element in media
from the Twilight Zone to Toy Story 4
but their real world history
dates back much farther.
The earliest haunted dolls were spiritual vessels
used in ancient religious and sacred ceremonies
across many cultures and continents.
Some dolls were associated with protection and healing
while others had more sinister purposes
like cursing the living.
The crude homemade talisman dolls
that floor at places aroundBly Manor,
most closely resembled puppets.
In folk magic and some witchcraft,
these simple figures represent a specific individual
and are meant to help that person
in some way with magic.
Flora seems to have similar intentions for her talismans.
Of course, these aren't the only dolls in Bly Manor,
we also see some more traditional human figures
whose actions are inspired by modern accounts
of real haunted dolls.
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In the early 1900s,
a life-sized doll called Robert Jr. terrorized a family.
He whispered threats,
moved around on his own
and even changed his facial expression.
In the 1970s a Raggedy Ann doll
reportedly relocated herself
left threatening notes and attacked people.
A psychic determined the toy
had been possessed by the spirit of a child named Annabel.
Mandy, a porcelain doll from 1910 who cries at night.
La Pascualita, a lifelike mannequin from 1930,
who changes positions
and Okiku, a Japanese doll
who grows her own hair
are just a few more sinister examples.
(suspenseful music)
In Is The Haunting of Bly Manor
Danny has a habit of covering mirrors in cloth.
Historically, this was a centuries old practice
employed in a house where someone died or was dying.
Different cultures had different specific reasons
for covering the mirrors,
including protecting a deceased soul
preventing death from looking in
and keeping the living safe from seeing death themselves.
Ancient Romans believed
that souls could become trapped in mirrors
and in the Victorian era
mirrors were thought to be portals to the afterlife
and were often used in attempts to contact the dead.
(gasps)
Just as with the haunted dolls,
there are some specific mirrors with a long history
of supernatural occurrences.
The 200 year old mirror
at the ghost filled myrtles plantation in Louisiana
is perhaps the most famous.
Visitor's report Seeing hand prints, spreading stains
and even figures in 19th century clothing in the glass.
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Aside from their haunted history
mirrors have long been imbued with deep symbolism.
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Since mirrors provide a literal reflection of the self
leading psychologists hypothesize
that people can find them disturbing
when they are unable to confront their own psychic.
In Bly Manor, any reflective surface,
including water and windows
can have the same impact as a mirror.
And generally the characters looking into those mirrors
are in a tricky state.
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Whether or not you believe in ghosts,
the knowledge that actual accounts
may have inspired the producers
of The Haunting of Bly Manor,
just makes the series that much more unsettling.
While this show may not exactly be a true story
in the traditional sense,
It draws on enough real world references,
inspirations and details to make it frighteningly realistic.
What's your opinion on all these accounts
of real life hauntings?
Tell us in the comments below
and watch The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix now.
(suspenseful music)