The Haunting of Bly Manor: Is Netflix horror show real and based on a true story?

Viewers with a nervous disposition will certainly be hoping not

Two years after The Haunting of Hill House spooked Netflix users, The Haunting of Bly Manor has finally been released.

This new series, which sees a handful of previous cast members return in key roles, follows an American au pair (Victoria Pedretti) who applies for a job looking after a young girl and boy in a country house in the UK.

Soon after arriving, though, the building’s history comes back to haunt the residents.

While Bly Manor is far less scary than its predecessor, viewers with a nervous disposition will undoubtedly be left hiding behind a cushion during some of the episodes’ more frightening moments.

It’s during these scenes that you will begin to wonder whether the events you’re witnessing are actually said to have happened, and whether the manor at the heart of the series is a real place.

You’ll probably be relieved to find out that Bly Manor is not a real place. Instead, showrunner Mike Flanagan has taken inspiration from Henry James’ 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw.

This is in keeping with Flanagan’s original series, which was based on the works of Shirley Jackson.

Returning actors from the first season include Henry Thomas, Oliver Jackson Cohen, Carla Gugino and Kate Siegel.

The Haunting of Bly Manor is available to stream on Netflix now.