The Haunting of Hill House creator Mike Flanagan has taken a break from making top-notch horror movies to talk about a potential third season of his paranormal TV series. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly ahead of the release of his new show Midnight Mass, Flanagan was asked if he had any plans to revisit his haunted house anthology series.
The Doctor Sleep director reaffirmed that he does not, but gave a tantalising hint as to what might make him change his mind. Flanagan explained that he believes the thing that defines his “Haunting anthology” is riffing on existing classical literature, adding if they don’t have a story to adapt, they won’t make a third season.
“If the stars align in such a way that we decide to go back into the Haunting world, it would have to be so much on that track that we’ve set up,” Flanagan said. “It would have to be with the right piece of IP, it would have to be with the right ghost-centric story, and it would have to really fit with Bly and Hill House.”
Flanagan’s got his hands full at the moment anyway with Midnight Mass. His new Netflix show tells the story of a small, isolated island community that’s torn apart when a charismatic Father Paul (Hamish Linklater) arrives and starts performing miracles. As the island’s residents are overcome with a new religious fervour existing tensions boil to the surface.
While the series shares a genre with Hill House and Bly Manor, Flanagan has denied they’re connected in any way. “Midnight Mass was always so original and important and personal,” he told EW. “It just never felt like it was ever going to be a part of that universe.” That said, he couldn’t resist bringing a few familiar faces over to his new show.
Hill House and Bly Manor stars Henry Thomas, and Kate Siegel both have roles in Midnight Mass. Flanagan explained the decision to bring back some of his old cast, saying while Midnight Mass always existed in its own world, it’s fun to bring back people he likes to collaborate with.
Midnight Mass is set for release on the streaming service Netflix on September 24, 2021.