The Haunting Of Bly Manor: 9 Henry James Stories That Inspired The Series

10. The Turn Of The Screw

The main overarching story of Bly Manor is based on The Turn of the Screw, which was first published in 1898. The story opens on Christmas Eve, where an unnamed narrator, along with some other characters, gather around to listen to a man read a ghost story about a former governess, who wrote a manuscript of her experiences.

Set in England, a young governess is hired to care for a man's niece and nephew in their summer home, Bly, after the untimely passing of their parents. The children, Miles and Flora, are currently cared for by the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose, and their previous governess, Miss Jessel, died on the property.

The governess believes the children to be odd and starts to see ghosts on the estate, one of which is Peter Quint, another former employee. She eventually realises that Miles is being possessed and controlled by Peter and, after protecting him, finds that Miles has died in her arms.

Bly Manor follows this story closely, though it makes a few necessary updates and alterations. It keeps the framing device, having Hill House alum Carla Gugino recount the story of the governess while at a wedding rehearsal dinner in 2007. It also moves the main story to 1987 and adds two new characters: Owen the chef and Jamie the groundskeeper. Miles' nasty fate is also spared, and the ghostsly happenings are given proper explanations.