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The Haunting Creator Addresses Potential Netflix Horror Anthology Return
As he continues to work on a variety of other projects for the streamer, The Haunting creator Mike Flanagan addresses the Netflix horror anthology show's potential return. Flanagan first launched the franchise with 2018's The Haunting of Hill House, a reimagining of Shirley Jackson's novel of the same name, with Flanagan's series centered on the Crane family as they grapple with a loss in the family, as well as their haunted past. He would follow it up with 2020's The Haunting of Bly Manor, primarily based on Henry James' The Turn of the Screw about a young American au pair who is hired to care for two children at the titular haunted mansion.
Both The Haunting installments have scored widespread acclaim from critics, with praise directed towards both shows' writing, direction, atmosphere and performances from its ensemble casts. Though The Haunting of Bly Manor was viewed by some as a slight step down, due to its lack of scares in comparison to Hill House, the show's continued success left many hopeful for a third installment in the horror anthology series, something that has yet to come as Flanagan has gone on to focus on other projects. Now, the creative behind The Haunting is sharing his thoughts on where it could go next.
While appearing at a recent press event for The Midnight Club, via TVLine, Mike Flanagan opened up about the potential future of The Haunting franchise. The creator/director admitted that he hadn't thought of the series in a while, as he's directed his focus to other projects, but notes the horror anthology's return isn't entirely off the table. See what Flanagan shared below:
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This is the first time that’s ever crossed my mind! Our thing with the Haunting is that we always wanted it to be primarily based on a piece of classic horror literature, and ideally something that has been adapted before that we can do something different with. When we think of the Haunting, we think about authors like [Edgar Allan] Poe and [Charles] Dickens, contemporaries that are more in the Henry James, Shirley Jackson world. The other criteria with it is that it has to primarily be about ghosts. That question came up with The Fall of the House of Usher because that was based on Poe. It’s just not a ghost story, and so, there’s no haunting there. [The Midnight Club] was always its own thing. What makes The Haunting The Haunting, and if and how we could re-approach it is something we talk about pretty frequently because we’ve always left that door open. [But] we don’t want to do it just to do it.
Mike Flanagan's Successful Netflix Partnership Explained
Flanagan and Netflix have enjoyed a very successful partnership even prior to The Haunting of Hill House's premiere, with the streaming platform having acquired his home invasion thriller Hush just prior to its South by Southwest premiere, with the film going on to score widespread acclaim. The horror genre vet would reunite with Netflix the following year with an adaptation of Stephen King's Gerald's Game, which similarly scored largely favorable reviews, before going on to launch The Haunting franchise and writing and directing his acclaimed miniseries Midnight Mass. Flanagan's ongoing relationship with Netflix even led to him and Intrepid Pictures partner Trevor Macy inking a first-look deal with the streamer.
Though Flanagan's comments seem to point towards his having moved on from the franchise, his note that there are still frequent discussions about more of The Haunting is sure to come as a hopeful one for fans of the Netflix horror anthology. As he notes above, there were some thoughts about his upcoming miniseries, The Fall of the House of Usher, being set within the anthology, though his feelings on not wanting to force it speaks volumes to his care for both properties. While audiences await details on The Haunting's potential return, they can head to Netflix to catch up with Flanagan's latest horror series The Midnight Club, for which he also hopes gets a season 2 renewal.
