Netflix's stunning horror series, The Haunting of Hill House redefined what horror could be. It wasn't simply about the jump scares, but about fleshing out each and every character and understanding their growth throughout the season. Now an anthology series, Mike Flanagan brings audiences back to a new story in a new house, The Haunting of Bly Manor.
Not only do some of the original cast return, but the new show is filled with nearly countless parallels to Hill House. While ratings may have slightly slumped from the original series, the show remains on top. With fans diving in to find all of the hidden ghosts in the background, they also come across many parallels and easter eggs to the original show. Some lines are directly taken from the original as well as some character designs and cinematography.
The Rest Is Confetti
Some viewers might miss this parallel between the two shows. At the end of Hill House, Nell finally speaks with her family and explains her views on life and death. She ends her romantic take with the short and whimsical line, "The rest is confetti".
In Bly Manor, many fans believe Hannah intends to utter the same line in her final scene. When speaking with the ghost of Henry, Hannah asks him to relay a message to Owen, the man she secretly loved. She wants him to know the truth about her feelings and not worry for her. As she begins the phrase, "The rest... is just-", she's cut off. Henry awakens, and she disappears.
The Forever House
Mentions of the so-called "forever house" appear in both Hill House and Bly Manor. The Crain family's goal is to fix up Hill House and sell it for enough money to build their dream home. This, of course, never comes to fruition, and the schematics live on with Shirley.
The same concept returns in Bly Manor when Peter attempts to convince the kids to do as he says. He promises that if everything goes according to plan, they'll be tucked away in the forever house with their deceased parents. It's a deceitful, conniving tool considering all the children want is to be reunited with their parents.
The Bent-Neck Lady And Henry's Demon
Not even the ghosts (or psychological demons) can escape the parallels of the two shows. In Hill House, young Nell is both haunted and traumatized by the ghost she calls The Bent-Neck Lady. One of the most creepy scenes in the season was when she awakens on a couch, staring straight up in terror. As the camera pans out, audiences realize something sinister hovers above her.
A callback to that scene comes in the form of Henry and his inner demon in Bly Manor. As Henry jumps through old memories, one becomes corrupted with a strange figure that looks exactly like him. Henry lies on a couch, looking up at a clone of himself staring right back.
Olivia And Eddie
In Bly Manor, audiences discover that Dani is haunted by something long before she ever enters the old manor. It's the ghost of a shadowy man with bright, blinding spectacles. Eddie, Dani's deceased fiance, is an eerie visage that fans of the first show may find familiar.
As Luke deals with his drug addiction in Hill House, he realizes something's following him. He thinks it's an old ghost he saw in the mansion as a child, but it turns out to be the ghost of his mother. Her eyes light up in a blinding light, not dissimilar to that of Eddie.
Nothing Sad Will Ever Touch You
It seems ghosts are always full of promises. In Hill House, Olivia's ghost tries to convince her family that they are, in fact, in the forever house. If they simply join her, all their pain will wash away. Nothing sad will ever touch them again. It's as if she truly believes it, desperate to be reunited with her family.
Peter utters the same phrase in Bly Manor when convincing Miles to let him tuck him away into a dream. He tells Miles that he and his sister will live happily ever after alongside their parents in the forever house they yearn for so dearly.
Young Nell And Hannah
During flashbacks of the traumatizing events that occurred at Hill House, young Nell disappears. To her, however, no one else can see her. It's as if, for a brief moment, she becomes a ghost. She's a little girl trapped between worlds, confused and scared.
Hannah from Bly Manor evokes that same feeling as she discovers something is very wrong with her reality. She finds herself jumping through memories, forgetting almost immediately where she previously was. As more time passes, the more corrupted her memories become. People say things they didn't say before, attempting to show her the nature of her situation.
Paranormal Attack In Bed
Hugh realizes his wife's behavior is more unpredictable than ever when he wakes up with a knife at his throat in Hill House. Just as he wakes up and realizes what's happening, so too does she. Olivia appears surprised and shocked to be on top of her husband with a weapon. It's a pivotal moment in which both of them realizes she's not in full control of herself.
A similar incident occurs in the final episode of Bly Manor. As Dani and Jamie live out their life together after the events that took place at the manor, Dani realizes the Lady in the Lake is coming back to take her. After a series of unsettling behavior, Dani wakes up in the middle of the night with her hand wrapped around Jamie's neck.
Nell And Dani Lose Their Loved One
The interesting part about this parallel is that occurs to the same actor from both shows. Nell, played by Victoria Pedretti, meets the man of her dreams and appears to get a happy ending after dealing with her childhood at Hill House. Unfortunately, he dies by the hand of her ghost, stuck in an eerie, hellish time loop. She never quite recovers from his death and finds herself back in the embrace of the house.
Before moving to Europe, Dani loses her fiance. The sad part is he dies moments after they break up in a sudden, tragic event. The jaded fiance never leaves her, however, haunting her in every reflection. She decides to leave her life behind, hoping her fiance, Eddie, stays behind as well. Just like Nell, the death of a lover pushes her toward the house.
You're Expected
The notion of "being expected" comes into play in both shows. In an attempt to lure her family to the Red Room, Olivia from Hill House tells her family they're expected. She later hosts a bizarre tea party for the children in the Red Room in an Alice in Wonderland fashion.
Flora says the same thing to Dani when they meet for the first time. It's an odd thing for a small child to say, but in the moment, Dani brushes it off. The moment could be as simple as Flora knows a new Nanny is coming. If not that, perhaps the ghosts of the manor tell her who's coming.
Come Home
During the flashbacks in Hill House, the kids come across a room with ripped wallpaper. The wall underneath reveals a message simply stating "come home". Olivia walks in on the kids' discovery and ultimately blames them for the damaged wall. No one really learns the true nature of the message until much later when more of the wallpaper rips, revealing the full message as "Come home Nell".
The same message appears again in Bly Manor when Miles goes off to boarding school. During his stay, he receives a colorful letter from Flora with the message "come home". In it are scribbles of characters, one of which appears to be their old nanny, Miss Jessel. Both children know she and others never left the house after they died. Now that Miles knows his sister isn't safe, he does everything in his power to get kicked out of the school and return home.