The question is, which one is better?
Well, I could go into this immediately, with Bly Manor being close to my heart and say that it is the better out of the two, but I do know Hill House, as its predecessor, really paved the way for the newer series. Regarding the thriller and horror genre, Hill House executed all these sub-genres (not forgetting the jump scares) in such a way that now I see this type of direction as Flanigan’s own genre of horror.
I was left hurt and longing at the end of the series
However, the combination of long-term queer romance and lingering curses has brought Bly Manor above Hill House in my eyes. Though there are areas of it that have the same horror expectations that Hill House brought, the whole show really is ended in a way that rewrote the entire show into a romance. Victoria Pedretti (Dani in Bly Manor) and Amelia Eve (Jamie) executed such a loving, unforgettable relationship that I was left hurt and longing at the end of the series, a reaction I never really had with Hill House once I’d binged the entire thing!
If you want the perfect horror show for Halloween, I suggest The Haunting of Hill House, but if you’re looking for something more in-depth, a show where director Flanigan seems more comfortable in his artistry, then binge-watch the entirety of The Haunting of Bly Manor. Both now available to stream on Netflix.