In a rare move for Netflix, an extended cut of one of its original series is heading to home video. The Haunting of Hill House creator/director Mike Flanagan confirmed on Twitter that an extended director’s cut of the terrific horror anthology series is heading to Blu-ray, which was first revealed by Amblin on Twitter.
Further details are being kept under wraps, and Flanagan admitted this news hit a little earlier than planned, but he says this extended cut will return several episodes “to their original form,” suggesting that the versions we saw on Netflix weren’t, in fact, Flanagan’s preferred cuts.
The pre-order is currently available on Amazon, but no release date has been set, nor have any other details been revealed. The Haunting of Hill House was absolutely one of the best pieces of television that aired last year, and as a huge fan of that initial season I’m extremely intrigued by the notion that there’s even more footage to be seen.
While Netflix does not release any of its original films on DVD or Blu-ray, the streaming service does make the effort to put some of its TV shows out as physical media. The thinking is that a Blu-ray of a single season of a show might spur someone to subscribe to Netflix to watch the rest of the series, whereas putting a film like Roma on Blu-ray allows someone to bypass the whole “signing up for Netflix” thing. And since adding new subscribers is Netflix’s metric for success, that’s kind of a big deal—and a bummer for folks like myself, who would love to pore over bonus features that go behind-the-scenes of films by Alfonso Cuarón or The Coen Brothers or Martin Scorsese.
At the conclusion of the first season of Hill House, it was revealed that the show will be an anthology. Season 2 is titled The Haunting of Bly Manor and will feature new characters, a new setting, and new actors—although Flanagan is returning to write and direct the episodes, and actors Victoria Pedretti and Oliver Jackson-Cohen have already been set to return playing new characters.
The filmmaker is currently putting the finishing touches on his feature film Doctor Sleep, but Bly Manor is expected to begin production next year. Perhaps the extended director’s cut of Hill House will arrive as promotion for Season 2?
