Henry James, queer romance, and ghosts. These are the DNA of Haunting of Bly Manor, and they’re the subject of this great (if long) video essay.
Ladyknightthebrave makes fascinating, detailed video essays that go deep on how pieces of media work. Her latest is an essay on the Netflix show A Haunting of Bly Manor, exploring the way death and memory works in the show, exploring its influences and thinking through its themes. It also, interestingly, includes a new interview with show creator Mike Flanagan, who offers some compelling insight into the production of the show and its thematic engagements.
This essay, in particular, does a great job weaving in production details and background into a lengthier close reading of the series. As a followup to Haunting of Hill House, it’s a fascinating series, and Ladyknight effectively breaks it down. She also has a lot of good information about Henry James, which is good for those of us who didn’t brush up on 19th century horror before picking up the show.
I enjoy a close look at how a story tells itself, and this is a really good one. It’s a good thing to throw on for a lazy weekend. You’ll learn something.
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