Mike Flanagan and Netflix are heading back to Hill House, just don't expect to see the Crains. Last year's sensational horror series The Haunting of Hill House will return to the streaming service with a new chapter as an anthology-style series, with the next installment focusing on a new story and "all new" characters. Which characters? Well, with Shirley Jackson behind him, Flanagan is turning to another bonafide literary classic -- Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. Gulp.
The news comes as part of a multi-year overall deal between Netflix, Flanagan, and producer Trevor Macy, the next step in a long-running collaboration that spawned the Netflix horror films Gerald's Game, Hush (the streamer also ultimately released Flanagan's long-shelved Before I Wake), as well as the critically celebrated Haunting of Hill House series, which dominated the conversation when it launched during the Halloween season last year.
“Netflix has been an important part of our story, and we’re proud to have worked with them on The Haunting of Hill House, not to mention Gerald’s Game, Hush, and Before I Wake,” said Flanagan and Macy. “They’ve enabled and supported a great deal of our work and we look forward to much more.”
Inspired by the Shirley Jackson novel of the same name, the series followed the tragic tale of the Crain family, bouncing between the siblings' terrifying childhood years growing up in the deadly house and the trials they face as adults decades later, still haunted by the terrors they experienced there. Produced with Paramount Television and Amblin Television, the series was an absolute banger of horror and drama, that kept audience spinning from tears to full-body chills and wracked up glowing reviews.
The first season starred Carla Gugino, Michael Huisman, Kate Siegel, Mckenna Grace, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Elizabeth Reaser, Timothy Hutton, and Victoria Pedretti, who was just cast as the new female lead in Season 2 of another recent Netflix sensation, You.
“Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy are masterful at creating authentically frightening stories that leave audiences on the edge of their seats, but unable to look away,” said Cindy Holland, Vice President, Original Content at Netflix. “We’re excited to continue our partnership with them on The Haunting series and future projects to come.”
This is fantastic news. As much as we all loved the Crain family, if there's one thing the first season made clear, it's that there are countless stories to be told within the decrepit walls of Hill House. Just ask any of those dozens of hidden ghosts. And really, the Crains have been through enough, which is what Flanagan had to say when asked about the possibility of a Season 2 months ago.
And goodness knows, Turn of the Screw is another literary classic with the backbone of terror and storytelling that can support Flanagan's vision. I can't wait to see what new visions of horror the filmmaker comes up with for James' iconic haunting and how he transforms the existing material into something new. His take on Jackson was pretty near masterpiece level in its own right, so there's a lot to be excited about when it comes to his second go at adapting for the serialized format. Check out the first teaser below and mark your calendars for 2020.
