Haunting of Hill House Season 2 release date, trailer, title, and renewal

This article about Season 2 of the horror series The Haunting of Hill House was originally published on February 21, 2019 and updated on April 27, 2021 following the release of the season on Netflix. Read on for the original article, with some new changes to reflect the latest updates on this topic.

Netflix scared horror fans silly on Halloween 2018 with Haunting of Hill House, and ever since, fans have been asking for Season 2. For a while, the show’s creators played coy, but in February 2019, Netflix finally confirmed Haunting of Hill House Season 2.

Here’s everything we know about Haunting of Hill House Season 2, from the latest announcements to every little clue, theory, and rumor we’ve come across in our research.

When was Haunting of Hill House Season 2 announced?

Netflix confirmed Haunting of Hill House Season 2 on February 21 via Twitter, sharing a short video that teased a new title that begins with “The Haunting of” followed by two blurred-out words.

This is definitely good news, but it’s not exactly a surprise. Netflix released a “The Shows We Fell in Binge with This Year” list, which is its series between January 1 and November 28, 2018, with the highest average watch time per viewing session. Haunting of Hill House Season 1 was seventh on the list, ahead of Insatiable and Orange Is the New Black Season 6. Insatiable has stirred up a lot of controversies (and has been out since August) but was renewed for a second season, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the popularity of Haunting of Hill House earns it some points in the pro column for a renewal.

Google also released its “Year In Search” for 2018, and Haunting of Hill House took the third spot for TV shows, behind Roseanne and Altered Carbon.

The creator and actors who worked on the show also expressed interest in returning, even if a continuation doesn’t follow the Crain family.

“Mike Flanagan said he would be interested in the notion of an anthology, where some actors come back to play different characters,” Carla Gugino, who played Olivia Crain, told The Hollywood Reporter. “If I was invited and I was able to, I would really love to, just because I do love to collaborate with him.”

When was Haunting of Hill House Season 2 release date?

Haunting of Hill House Season 2 premiered on October 9, 2020, under the title The Haunting of Bly Manor. All nine episodes were released simultaneously.

What was the title of Haunting of Hill House Season 2?

The Haunting of Hill House changed its name in Season 2. The show’s name became The Haunting of Bly Manor, as the series now took place in a different haunted house.

Is Haunting of Hill House Season 2 based on anything?

Haunting of Hill House Season 1 was based on the novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson. For Season 2, The Haunting of Bly Manor went with a different inspiration: Henry James’ 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw. Various parts of Season 2 were also based on other works from James.

Is there a trailer for Haunting of Hill House Season 2?

Yes! Netflix released an official trailer for The Haunting of Bly Manor on September 23, 2020, only a couple of weeks before the season premiered.

Did Haunting of Hill House Season 1 set up Season 2?

The first season of the horror series is an adaptation of the Shirley Jackson 1959 novel of the same name. It follows the Crain family, who grew up in the most famous haunted house in America and are forced to confront the ghosts from their past (and the house) after their youngest sister commits suicide.

The first season doesn’t exactly end on a cliffhanger. The remaining Crain family members move on with their lives, though their father and sister remain ghosts in the house.

Creator Mike Flanagan ruled out the possibility of Season 2 revealing that ending was anything but what it appeared to be (i.e., the family was still trapped in the Red Room).

“The ending can be read at face value,” he told TVLine. Otherwise, “it robs Hugh’s sacrifice (and the show itself) of any meaning.”

However, actor Henry Thomas, who played Hugh Crain, has seemingly contradicted the creator and suggests it’s not crazy to think that the Crain family’s story didn’t end with Season 1. He even gives credence to the popular fan theory, given the red objects prevalent throughout the Red Room and in the real world after they presumably escaped.

“If you keep thinking along those lines, I think it’s a good indicator of, perhaps, what Season 2 will bring,” he told LADbible.  

Whether that means they never escaped or their lives just aren’t as great as they look remains to be seen. What is clear is we won’t see those characters again, so if we do find out what happened to them, it will have to be through other characters or perhaps even newspaper articles.

“We tied up all of those threads exactly how they should be,” Flanagan told TVLine. “I don’t really see a need to revisit those characters, even in cameos.”

Who was in the cast for Haunting of Hill House Season 2?

Taking a page from its fellow horror anthology series American Horror Story, several actors from The Haunting of Hill House Season 1 returned for Season 2, albeit in different roles. Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Henry Thomas once again were main cast members, while Kate Siegel, Carla Gugino, and Catherine Parker came back in more recurring roles.

New cast members for The Haunting of Bly Manor include Amelia Eve, T'Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli, Tahirah Sharif, Amelie Bea Smith, and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth.

What is the plot of Haunting of Hill House Season 2?

The Haunting of Bly Manor follows the events taking place in the eponymous manor situated in the British countryside. According to the official synopsis from Netflix, “The story tells of a young au pair hired by a man to look after his niece and nephew at the family country house after they fall into his care. Arriving at the Bly estate, she begins to see apparitions that proceed to haunt the premises.”

Like the previous season, The Haunting of Bly Manor featured many time jumps and a nonlinear narrative. Nearly every episode features some sort of flashback. However, unlike Season 1, The Haunting of Bly Manor takes place across many time periods, from 2007 all the way back to hundreds of years ago when the house was first built.

Will Haunting of Hill House be an anthology series?

The Haunting of Bly Manor does feature hair nor hide of the Crain family from Season 1. And creator Mike Flanagan confirms those characters will never be returning to the series.

“As far as I’ve ever been concerned with this, the story of the Crain family is told. It’s done,” he told EW.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the show needs to end just because the Crain family is no longer the focus.

“I think that there are all sorts of different directions we could go in, with the house or with something completely different,” Flanagan said. “I love the idea of an anthology as well. The show is about haunted places and haunted people… So, there’s any number of things we could do, in or out of Hill House.”

Will Haunting of Hill House return for Season 3?

Unfortunately for fans of the series, it looks like there are no intentions of continuing The Haunting anthology series at the moment. When asked about the future of the franchise in December 2020, creator Mike Flanagan wrote on Twitter, “At the moment there are no plans for more chapters. Never say never, of course, but right now we are focused on a full slate of other @intrepid projects for 2021 and beyond. If things change we will absolutely let everyone know!” It looks those haunted house doors are staying closed for the time being.

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