Haunting of Bly Manor: The Ghost In The Attic Explained

WARNING! Spoilers for The Haunting of Bly Manor ahead. 

Netflix and Mike Flanagan’s horror series, The Haunting of Bly Manor, features several unsettling spirits that wander the halls of the English manor; one in particular is forced to remain in the attic. Her origins are woven into the early history of Bly, beginning in the 1600s. While her appearances are often brief, her story line is one of the most important in The Haunting of Bly Manor due to its relation to the manor’s haunted origins.  

The Haunting of Bly Manor is the follow-up to his highly successful 2018 series The Haunting of Hill House, not a direct sequel. Each installment of The Haunting series are adapted from an incredibly influential story (or stories) in horror literature. In 2018, The Haunting of Hill House was adapted from and shares the same name with Shirley Jackson’s 1959 gothic horror novel and, in 2020, Bly Manor draws primarily from Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw, but features aspects of other James stories as well. 

With several cast members returning for Flanagan’s take on the iconic novella, Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Henry Thomas, and Kate Siegel encounter an entirely new story of restless spirits. While countless ghosts choose to remain hidden in dark corners, Perdita’s restless spirit resides in the doll-filled attic where anyone could easily find her. In episode 8, “The Romance Of Certain Old Clothes”, her origin story is explained in detail. It’s revealed that she and her sister Viola are integral to the creation of Bly Manor’s ghostly gravitational pull. Here’s the ghost in the attic—Perdita—explained.

Perdita, portrayed by The Haunting of Hill House alum Catherine Parker, and her sister Viola (Siegel) are the sole beneficiaries of Bly Manor. When Arthur Lloyd arrives, he is initially smitten by Perdita, but his attention swiftly turns to Viola. After the eldest sister grows ill, Perdita takes it upon herself to put her out of her misery by suffocating her. While it appeared to be a mercy killing, it was actually the culmination of years of resentment. Once Perdita opens the chest of jewels and clothing that were saved for Viola’s daughter, Viola’s spirit strangles her sister to death. Due to the fact that Viola roams the halls of Bly, Perdita stays hidden in the attic in fear of her vengeful sister. Even after 400 years—and losing all of her memories—her fear remains and causes her to stay in the attic.

Perdita and Viola’s story comes from James’ 1868 short story, “The Romance Of Certain Old Clothes”, from which episode 8 gets its title. Their roles in The Haunting of Bly Manor are reversed from the story for inexplicable reasons. It may be due to the fact that the lady in the lake had to be someone of strong will, which Viola’s source character is — Perdita is meek. After the younger sister dies, Arthur believes the trunk of fine garments is cursed and throws it into the lake. As a result, Viola becomes the lady of the lake and creates the gravitational pull of Bly Manor. Just like all of the ghosts in the house, the two sisters lose their faces due to their memories fading over time, but Perdita’s fear never leaves her. She became the ghost in the attic because it’s one of the only places Viola does not go; it’s also the same location where Perdita died.

In 1885, Henry James changed Viola’s name to Rosalind and the family’s last name from Willoughby to Wingrave. Miles and Flora are Wingraves in The Haunting of Bly Manor, while the sisters’ last name is Willoughby. In Flanagan’s story, Perdita is a restless spirit confined to the attic out of fear that her malevolent older sister will cause her harm once more if  their paths cross again. One of many tragic spirits, The Haunting of Bly Manor‘s ghost in the attic is nothing more than a terrified woman who could’ve stopped the ghostly gravitational pull of the manor, if she had only left Viola’s garments alone.

About The Author