The Haunting of Bly Manor actor breaks down that heartbreaking ending

The Haunting of Bly Manor has come to an end. The mysteries of the Netflix series have been unravelled by internet sleuths and The Haunting of Bly Manor ending dissected by those who binge-watched the series in a weekend. 

While The Haunting of Hill House was one of the scariest shows on streaming, Bly Manor has shown itself to be a different beast. There's a love story at its centre – just one that's haunted by ghosts and ghouls. Members of the cast have already been speaking about the show's finale – but before we go into that: spoiler warning! The following reveals what happens in Bly Manor, so turn away now if you have not finished the new Netflix series...

Still here? Then you have witnessed Dani inviting the spirit of Viola into her body, and then being slowly taken over by the terrible ghost until, one day, she decides to go back to Bly Manor's lake and sacrifice herself to keep Viola at bay. This leaves her partner, Jamie – first played by Amelia Eve, later Carla Gugino – to tell Dani's story.

Victoria Pedretti, who played Dani, has since spoken about the Bly Manor ending, likening it to Arthur and Nell's story from The Haunting of Hill House. "I feel like that's something [Haunting creator Mike Flanagan] wants to talk about – that kind of love that feeds you as opposed to takes from you," she told Bustle. The comparison is apt: Hill House saw Arthur help Nell keep the Bent-Neck Lady at bay, while Bly Manor sees Jamie helps Dani keep Viola under control. 

"It's very sad and tragic that Dani feels this need to take on the burden of the Lady of the Lake. But she really made that impulsive decision," Pedretti said. "She takes responsibility for that by returning herself to the lake."

The Bly Manor ending is a far cry from the conclusion to Henry James' Turn of the Screw, on which the show is based. That novel ends with Miles abruptly dying, presumably at the hands of Pete, though the answer is never revealed. Instead, Mike  Flanagan's show is slightly more uplifting – though still not quite the happy ending we may have all wanted. While we wait for more from the Haunting anthology series, be sure to check out the best Netflix shows available now.