"The idea was to completely pull us out of the established aesthetic," Flanagan said. "Every frame of it is so carefully considered to take maximum advantage of that beautiful, candle-lit gothic black and white horror aesthetic.
", Flanagan specifically took inspiration from James' short storySiegel also shared that she became emotional once she learned of Viola's backstory. "I cried when they told it to me, I cried when I read it and I cried when it was done," Siegel said. "The heartbreak and the misery and the loss and the stubborn willfulness in Viola's heart become this gravity well in all of Bly Manor. She's created a world in which ghosts cannot move on.