There’s a reason why the ‘Haunting Of Bly Manor’ ghosts are harder to find
Last Friday, Netflix viewers were treated to The Haunting of Bly Manor, a follow up to 2018’s The Haunting of Hill House.
Despite the fact that Bly Manor has only been out for a few days, eagle-eyed viewers have already spotted over 53 hidden ghosts in the new episodes. However, there’s a reason why some of the ghosts are more difficult to find this season.
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Just like in Hill House, there are more to the scenes in Bly Manor than viewers may realize. Back in 2018, fans were sent on a scavenger hunt to find the hidden ghosts throughout The Haunting Of Hill House. While some were obviously placed in the background, many of them were missed the first time around by viewers.
The hidden ghost hunt was so popular that the creators decided to bring it back for Bly Manor. However, cinematographer James Kniest reveals that a lot of ghosts are harder to find this season.
Kniest faced a big challenge with the Haunting Of Bly Manor. He was brought in halfway through filming to replace Maxime Alexandre. He then took the lead on photography from episode six to the end of the season.
Along with this, both Kniest and the rest of the Bly Manor crew had to battle some challenges due to coronavirus. He tells Digital Spy that the portrayal and placement of the hidden ghosts changed halfway through the season as storylines progressed.
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“It was a constant conversation,” he says. “As to how many of the ghosts to portray, how many to put in, and when and where. I think that it just became a little bit less of a priority as the characters started to get really interesting. But they’re definitely there.”
Since coronavirus shut down post-production early, the Bly Manor crew had to make some unforeseen changes. A lot of the editing and finishing for the show was done on an iPad.
“One of the other things that happened to us is, with COVID, we weren’t able to finish as we normally would,” he continues. “So a lot of the finishing was done remotely via an iPad, which is less than ideal, to tell you the truth.”
Although filming for Bly Manor wrapped before the pandemic, the crew faced numerous obstacles to finish the season on schedule.
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“We finished, I believe, February 25th,” he says. “In hindsight, we were very lucky to have finished on time. But right after that, COVID hit, and all the post was done remotely. All the colour timing and grading was done remotely, which was a bit of a struggle.”
So, although it may seem like the latter episodes have fewer hidden ghosts, Kniest assures that they are still there.
“That [remote iPad editing] may or may not play a role in how much you can see into the shadows and see the ghosts,” he says. “I think that it just evolved organically to a point where they have just appeared a little bit farther into the recesses of the manor. They are there.”
Kniest’s full interview with Digital Spy is available to read here. You can see where 53 of Bly Manor‘s hidden ghosts appear below.
How many hidden ghosts have you noticed so far in the Haunting of Bly Manor? Let us know in the comments below.
