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The Haunting of Bly Manor is absolutely full of ghosts. In fact, you'll be hard pushed to find a character who's not a ghost or who doesn't at least have a demon haunting their body. Mike Flanagan really went all-out on bringing the supernatural to Bly Manor, and it makes for a wonderful viewing experience filled with twists and turns.
However, as well as the main players, there are plenty of ghosts hiding in the corners and under the stairs. Many of them are in plain view and you don't even notice them – that's the genius of Bly Manor (and the Haunting of Hill House before it).
In the below gallery, we go through all the ghosts we spotted on our journey through Bly Manor. We uncover almost 50 different ghouls, ranging from possessed dolls to undead doctors, all of which are secretly stashed within the camera's frame.
Before we dive in, a note: we only feature hidden ghosts. These are the ones that our characters do not react to and the ones that you most likely missed. So, for instance, we have not counted Peter on the balcony in episode 1, or any of that character's appearances thereafter. And we only put in one instance of Eddie, the glasses-wearing mirror demon, because it's the only time Dani does not react to her undead former fiance (and you may have missed it if you weren't prepared).
From about episode 6 onwards, the ghosts become more fleeting as we become aware of what's happening at Bly Manor. Episode 8 ends up consisting of almost only ghosts as we realise how our undead friends came to haunt this house. Therefore, there are hardly any hidden ghost latter half of the season, which narratively makes sense.
Click through the gallery below to see all the hidden ghosts in the Haunting of Bly Manor. Once you've done that, check out our in-depth piece on the Haunting of Bly Manor ending, in which we answer a few of your questions about the Netflix show.
Image 1 of 47
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
Eddie spotted in the reflection of a cab – the only time we count him here
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
The Witch Doctor next to the stairs
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
A ghost in the mirror
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
You can only just see it, but there's a ghost behind Miles as they have dinner
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
As Flora leaves the bathroom, you can the doctor behind Dani
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
Behind the door, the doctor lurks!
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
In the mirror, the doctor once again
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
Hard to see – but there's a ghost in the mirror! Watch out Dani!
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
It's behind you! Well, the good doctor's shadow is
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
Ghosts in the dark – the doctor spotted again
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
A haunted figure behind Dani as she discusses a spider with Miles
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
Two ghosts here! There's the obvious first-look at Pete, but look a little closer and there's another ghoul in the background
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
In the fireplace, the doctor waits
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
In the dark behind the door, another ghost haunts the halls of Bly Manor
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
There's no sleeping tigh in Bly Manor – another ghost behind Miles
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
The same mirror, the same ghoul...
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
He haunts the hallways...
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 1
...and the fields.
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 2
A spooky shadow in the cellar
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 2
Creeper at the end of the hallway
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 2
Horrifying hands under the table (presumably doll-face come to play)
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 2
An unwanted tea party gusts under the window
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 2
The creeper at the end of the hallway
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 2
The ghost in the night
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 2
Hiding in the shadows, another ghost
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 3
Two ghosts as we return to Bly Manor in episode 3
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 3
The terrifying soldier in the background
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 3
Blink and you miss her, just as the policeman leaves
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 3
Another quick spot, this one just after the policeman has gone
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 3
A creeper hiding over Owen's shoulder
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 3
A lightning flash and, boo!
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 3
You can barely see this one, but up the brightness as there's a nasty presence listening in
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 3
Doll-face is watching Dani
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 3
Doll-face and the Witch Doctor are both spotted in the kitchen. Because the kitchen is a terrifying place to be...
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 4
Under the stairs...
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 4
The doctor in the window
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 4
A shadow in the background
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 4
As Dani burns Eddie's glasses, the soldier watches on...
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 5
A ghost in the church...
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 5
Two ghosts, one frame: doll-face under the stairs, and the pastor the other side of them
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 5
Doll-face waits in the kitchen again...
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 6
this one's a little debatable, but we thought we would put it in here. In the mirror of Flora's cupboard, there appears to be the doctor...
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 6
In Flora's room, another ghost
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 6
The attic holds many things, these two ghosts among them
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 7
A ghost in the hallway as Rebecca walks along
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 7
The shadow that haunts Rebecca
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Haunting of Bly Manor episode 9
From around midway episode 7 onwards, the ghosts are not quite so hidden as their stories all enter the main story as we discover they were all victims of Viola. Come the last episode and Dani is haunted by her reflection once more, but this time by Viola being now part of her. These are all quite obvious scares that are part of the story, so we have not included them, but all the one's before this are very much hidden. How many did you spot?
Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.
