Your Next Binge Watch

 Netflix Series

Todays recommendations are two Netflix series, made by the same production team, "The Haunting of Hill House" and "The Haunting of Bly Manor".

If you're like me, you enjoy watching horror movies and tv series with horror undertones, but without too much gore and violence, then you will love these two series.

I like to watch supernatural and paranormal horror stories and I can say that these two series certainly fill that criteria, using jump-scares to build the psychological suspense and thrills.
So first up is :

The Haunting Of Hill House

                                                                                            Image by Netflix

The Haunting of Hill House was originally released in 2018 for Netflix, and was created and directed by Mike Flanagan.
Loosely based on Shirley Jackson's book of the same name, the story may be familiar to those of the older generation, as several productions of the book have been made, including a 1999 film, simply named 'The Haunting' starring Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta Jones, Owen Wilson and Lili Taylor.

As far as I am concerned, I much prefer Mike Flanagan's production, as the storyline is  more believable, and the characters have more depth.

Synopsis

Hugh and Olivia Crain (played by Henry Thomas of 'ET phone home' fame and Carla Gugino) move into Hill House with their five children, with the objective of renovating the house , so that they can build a 'forever home'.
But, the longer they are there, more and more delays caused by unexpected repairs, the family begin to experience strange, paranormal events.

                                                                                         Image by Netflix

At this point you would be forgiven for thinking "Why stay in a haunted house?", well I thought this too, but then you wouldn't have a series to watch if they had just moved out...so persevere!

This story goes beyond the usual haunted house theme, it crosses back and forth between two timelines, following the children as they grow into adults.  With plenty of jump scares to keep you on your toes, and possibly the edge of your seat.
 You may never want to look at cute kitten videos online again! 
Watch this official trailer.



So if you enjoyed this, then continue on with Mike Flanagan's second offering in 'The Haunting of...' anthology series.

The Haunting Of Bly Manor

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This was released in October 2020 by Netflix, and once again features some of the ensemble cast from the first haunting of... series.
But despite having actors such as Henry Thomas, Carla Gugino, and Victoria Pedretti, the storyline is completely different.
This time Flanagan has used the classic novella by Henry James, 'The Turn of the Screw' as the basis for his Haunting of Bly Manor story.

                                                                                         Image by Netflix

Synopsis

Dani,(Victoria Pedretti) an au pair from America, is hired by a businessman (Henry Thomas) to look after his orphaned nephew and niece at Bly Manor, deep in the heart of the english countryside.
Helped only by the housekeeper, gardener and chef, Dani becomes increasingly disturbed by the strange happenings in the house, and how it seems to involve both of the children.

Now I have to admit, that there are some dodgy english accents in this series, but don't let that put you off, as this story is a classic.
Don't just take my word for it, watch the teaser trailer!


Give these two series on Netflix a try, you might be surprised how much you will enjoy them.
Watch out for more  articles on binge watches in the next few weeks.













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