Just one month after releasing The Haunting of Bly Manor, Netflix has unveiled a spiritual successor with Paranormal. The Egyptian series doesn't primarily focus on the ghoulish happenings inside a large mansion, but it does indeed have that and so much more, such as a mummy autopsy gone wrong and a Libyan ape monster who rages out in the desert. There's also elements of old-fashioned psychological horror, and arguably the best lucid dreaming sequence of 2020.
Whereas The Haunting of Bly Manor mostly takes place in a 1987 flashback timeline, Paranormal takes place in a 1960s "present" setting, and occasionally drifts back to the childhood of protagonist Refaat Ismail (Ahmed Amin). The hematologist/professor provides narration about his unlucky ways, and finds himself at the center of a national epidemic. Refaat doesn't initially get too worked up in Paranormal, as he always expect the worse (a recurring joke). Even so, Refaat takes drastic measures to protect his wife, Huwaida (Aya Samaha), when she becomes sick. Hoping to track down a healing flower, Refaat travels to the Libyan desert with some pals, all the while being continuously haunted by the ghost of a young girl, Shiraz (Reem Abd El Kader), from his childhood.
The Haunting of Bly Manor fans will enjoy Paranormal because of the psychological horror angle. In Mike Flanagan's Netflix series, Dani Clayton (Victoria Pedretti) sees ghosts from the start, specifically the spirit of her ex-fiancee from the United States. The slight twist, however, is that Dani's emotional trauma creates mental projections. With Paranormal, Refaat similarly struggles with the past, especially incidents that affected the well-being of his brother, Reda (Rushdi Al Shami). Whereas The Haunting of Bly Manor follows the life-long journey of Dani, Paranormal explores the psychological journey of Refaat. Early episodes center on stories about the professor's professional life, and the second half of Paranormal season 1 dives into the darkest corners of his mind.
As for traditional horror gore, Paranormal delivers the goods. There's a gross-out moment when bugs explode from a corpse, and there's a couple of bloody death scenes involving the "custodian" of a Libyan cave. These moments come before the narrative fully commits to psychological horror, with one particular reveal being so grandiose that it comes across as unintentional comedy, primarily due to the special effects. Paranormal may lose the attention of The Haunting of Bly Manor enthusiasts due to the lack of a strong love story, but the narrative leans heavy on the concept that Refaat needs to address his inner demons before he can enjoy a healthy romance. It's also worth noting that Amin, the series' lead actor, is best known for his comedic performances, so this particular role is significant. In Paranormal, Refaat has a wonderfully weird energy in the way he approaches each new obstacle.
The Haunting of Bly Manor and Paranormal are linked by their ghost stories, with the latter being told with a spirit a la The Sixth Sense. The Egyptian series plays around with different ideas during the first four episodes, but then commits to a maze subplot that provides some narrative clarity, along with some gnarly visuals. Paranormal is based on Ahmad Khaled Towfeq's eponymous pocket novel franchise, so there's loads of material to adapt moving forward, at least if the Egyptian series manages to capture the attention of Netflix streamers.