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Is Haunting of Bly Manor based on a true story? Here's how Turn of the Screw inspired it
9 October 2020, 12:16
Behind the scenes of The Haunting of Bly Manor
Haunting of Bly Manor is a modern adaptation of Henry James' book The Turn of the Screw and his other ghost stories.
The Haunting of Bly Manor is now out on Netflix and scaring fans all around the world. Did any of it actually happen though?
Just like The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor tells a terrifying ghost story. Set in the UK, the season takes place in a house where Dani (Victoria Pedretti) moves to work as the governess for two children, Miles and Flora. There's a catch though. The house is haunted and it doesn't take long for multiple malevolent ghosts to appear and terrorise Dani.
READ MORE: Is Bly Manor a real place? Here's where it was filmed
Naturally, the series is so immersive that it's leading people to wonder if it's a true story. With that in mind, here's the 411.
What book is The Haunting of Bly Manor based on?
No. The Haunting of Bly Manor is not based on a true story so there's no need to worry about that. The fictional horror series is predominantly based on the 1898 ghost story, The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James. It tells a similar tale of a governess at a place called Bly who believes the house is haunted. The children she cares for are also called Miles and Flora.
While the story strays a little from the original – it's set in a whole different era for one – The Haunting of Bly Manor stays pretty loyal to the tale that inspired it. Peter Quint and Miss Jessel appear in The Turn of the Screw as well as The Haunting of Bly Manor. As for if it ends the same way? You will have to watch until the end to find out.
The Haunting of Bly Manor is also inspired by Henry James' other ghost stories and each episode is named after a different one. In other words, the series also contains adaptations of The Great Good Place, The Pupil, The Two Faces, The Way It Came, The Altar of the Dead, The Jolly Corner, The Romance of Certain Old Clothes and The Beast in the Jungle.
Some of the adaptations are loose, while others are almost exact. It's unclear if Henry James had any real paranormal experiences but all of his works are fictional so, again, there's no need to worry if any of the ghosts really exist.
