'The Haunting of Bly Manor' on Netflix Has Familiar Faces But Tells a New Chilling Story

The grounds of Bly Manor have all the makings of a quintessential countryside estate: well-manicured landscaping, refined but welcoming decor, polished staff and the sweet pitter-pattering feet of adorable children running through the hallways. It's quaint and unassuming—albeit in the grandest of ways. One would certainly never guess that within the midst of all the manor's charm there's an evil of sorts lurking in the long corridors.

That's exactly what Dani Clayton will discover when she makes her debut at the mansion in The Haunting of Bly Manor, Mike Flanagan's chilling new Netflix series, set to release on Friday.

Inspired by Henry James' gothic novel The Turn of the Screw, Bly Manor offers a differs take on the classic ghost story compared to the predecessor of Flanagan's Netflix anthology, The Haunting of Hill House. Unlike the terrifying Hill House, which any fool could see was steeped in trauma and destruction, Bly Manor is more of a love story—a story of what's been lost and the lengths to which some will go to hold on to it, sprinkled with a few devious spirits.

Some faces on the show are instantly recognizable, as a number of cast members appeared in Hill House. Of courses, they're all playing different roles now in the same way that Bly Manor serves a different purpose for this series ghostly tale.

"In the first season, most of the time when [my character] was in the house, it was already pretty broken down and destroyed over many years of vandalism. This house is very lived in. Very alive. There's a warmth to it. There are people in the house that are caring for the house and love the house, and it's a place where these children are growing up," Victoria Pedretti, who stars as Dani, told Newsweek during a set visit earlier this year. "This place, it's this opportunity for Dani to see something she's never seen before. She did not grow up very well off. To be around this kind of gilded, grandiose—I think it's really disorienting and intimidating, but at the same time what really she finds is that the really rich thing in this house are the people and the relationships and the love."

The house and its many entities mesh into the lives of those living, leading the characters on an unexpected and often frightening path that ties them all together in the most unlikely of ways. Though there are plenty of people that make up the cast this time around, there are a few key players—some of whom you've seen before if you were a fan of Hill House. Get to know a bit more about all of them below.

Dani Clayton

Victoria Pedretti stars as the series' protagonist Dani Clayton. Essentially she's an American looking for an escape, and it just so happens there's a job opening for a nanny at a beautiful estate in the British countryside.

"She's left the States under mysterious circumstances. When we meet her we don't really know much about her. It's slowly revealed where she comes from, what she's about," Pedretti told Newsweek of her character. "She's extremely fierce. She handles discomfort and she stands by herself. She has dealt with aa lot of shame and anxiety in her life, but through the course of the story you really see and she really finds what she's capable of."

Henry Wingrave

What is a classic ghost story without the drunken uncle who inherits an estate that he wants nothing to do with when his siblings die? Fortunately, we won't have to find out the answer to that question in Bly Manor. As Lord Henry Wingrave, Henry Thomas, who also starred in Hill House, fills that very role.

"He's a barrister and works in London. He doesn't get out to Bly much. He's the uncle to Miles and Flora and he initially hires [Dani] to be their nanny and to go out and live in the house and babysit the kids, because he doesn't want a part of it," Thomas told Newsweek.

Hannah Grose

A newcomer to The Haunting anthology, T'Nia Miller stars as Bly Manors' elegant housekeeper, who is mostly oblivious to the creepy things happening within the estate but as things start to unravel, Hannah proves to be one of the most dedicated members of the home.

"One thing about all the characters is that they are deeply loyal, and Hannah certainly is. She takes it to the extreme. She has been at the house the longest after all the people that dwell there. She's kind of like the housekeeper. She has been a parent in absence of the parent and she's seen different governesses come and go," Miller told Newsweek, adding, "She's a stickler for doing things in the right way—she's very British in that respect. She's anal, but loving though, really really loving."

Jamie

Amelia Eve, also new to the anthology, stars as Bly Manor's groundskeeper, who is not so easily convinced by the sinister occurrences within the house.

"Jamie is very messy. She's very sarcastic. She's pretty blunt. She's pretty worldly. She's no frills. She doesn't take any s**t from anybody, but ultimately deep down she's got a lot of heart and empathy," Eve told Newsweek.

Miles and Flora Wingrave

The Wingrave children Miles and Flora are played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Amelie Smith respectively, both of whom are newcomers to the anthology. Like in the book Turning of the Screw, the children are left in the care of their uncle Henry after their parents' demise. Miles spends his days learning from home after he is expelled from school for reasons unknown to Dani upon her arrival—although all is soon revealed early in the show. His sister Flora is particularly well-mannered but is also a key figure for the ghostly happenings within the house.

Peter Quint

Oliver Jackson-Cohen, who also appeared in Hill House, takes on the role of Peter Quint, Henry's business associate who once worked at Bly. His ties to the family have soured and he's missing in action after being accused of stealing. However, he unsurprisingly resurfaces with a new agenda when Dani Arrives.