The Halloween season is here again, and what’s the best way to celebrate spooky time aside from trick-and-treating and wearing your favorite costumes? Of course, it’s relaxing on your couch while trying to hide in your blanket while watching horror TV series and movies. Sure, there is an array of titles to choose from, but you can never go wrong with Mike Flanagan.
Why? This guy has made a name for doing some of today’s best horror movies and TV series. His works have been praised by the likes of Stephen King, Quentin Tarantino, and William Friedkin, among others. He has even made his own horror cinematic universe on Netflix called Flanaverse. So, for some spine-tingling, haunting, not to mention rock-solid acting, here are the Mike Flanagan TV series and movies you can watch this Halloween season.
10) The Midnight Club
This 2022 thriller follows the story of eight terminally ill young adults who form the group called The Midnight Club. Hence, the title. They meet every night to tell the scariest stories that are depicted on-screen. Based on the 1994 novel of the same name by Christopher Pike, this series has received mixed reviews, with some saying it’s not even scary at all.
But despite the negative reviews, it can’t be denied that The Midnight Club is successful on its own. Despite being initially planned for a two-season run, it was canceled after its first outing.
9) Ouija: Origin of Evil
Released in 2016, Ouija: Origin of Evil is the sequel to the 2014 film Ouija by Stiles White. It tells the story of the Zanders family after the matriarch, Alice, brings an Ouija board into their business that ends up inviting an evil spirit that possesses her youngest daughter, Doris.
Despite being a sequel, the film is praised for being “better than the original,” a rare occurrence in movie franchises. The film grossed over $81 million at the worldwide box office and even earned positive appraisals, especially with its significant improvement from its predecessor.
8) Doctor Sleep
The 2019 movie Doctor Sleep sees Mike Flanagan’s take on one of King’s iconic novels of the same name. This sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 movie The Shining focuses on Jack Torrance’s only son, Dan Torrance, who’s being hunted by his traumatic experiences at the Overlook Hotel as a child.
The film earned positive reviews from fans and critics alike, thanks to Flanagan’s direction and screenplay and the cast’s stellar acting, but it was a flop at the box office. It’s said to have clouded the franchise’s legacy, though it’s still worth rewatching this season.
7) Gerald’s Game
Mike Flanagan’s other take on a King classic is the 2017 Gerald’s Game. Though this movie is initially deemed “unfilmable,” the director managed to do the impossible. This film features a married couple who stay in an isolated house for a holiday. As they try to do something extreme, handcuffing Jessie to the bed, Gerald dies, leaving the wife handcuffed with no way to be free, hoping for a rescue while fighting her inner demons.
The movie has acquired positive critiques, from the actors’ performance to the movie’s theme and, of course, Flanagan’s direction. However, if there’s one thing that fans react to in this film, it’s the involvement of the character known as “the man made of moonlight,” who snatches their attention from the lead character and the movie itself.
6) The Haunting of Bly Manor
The Haunting of Bly Manor is Mike Flanagan’s second entry in his infamous The Haunting trilogy. This gothic romance horror sub-genre is based on Henry James’ 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw. Despite the hardships of adapting it into a TV series, Flanagan is always up to the challenge. This tells the story of the haunting events happening in the countryside manor in the UK, which its newly hired au pair knows nothing about.
Like its predecessor, The Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor obtains positive reviews, particularly the outstanding performances of its lead stars. It even got several nominations, proving this is one of Flanagan’s best projects.
5) Hush
This 2016 movie, Hush, sees Mike Flanagan’s take on slasher-themed movies. It’s even dubbed one of the “most inventive slasher movies” in the genre’s history today. The film features the deaf horror author Maddie Young, who decides to live in an isolated house in the woods with her white cat. But despite thinking she’s now in a peaceful place, a masked killer attacks her friends and tries to break into her house, resulting in a cat-and-mouse game that sees her making the wisest decisions.
Though this film differs from Flanagan’s supernatural tales, it still garnered positive reviews, thanks to its different themes and the actors’ performances. With its great story, it’s even remade in India twice.
4) Oculus
Oculus is a 2013 supernatural psychological horror movie based on another Mike Flanagan project, Oculus: Chapter 3 – The Main with the Plan. Though the latter film didn’t pan out, the director redeemed himself with this solid entry into the horror movie genre. Following the story of the siblings Kaylie and Tim Russell, they are convinced that an antique mirror has something to do with all the deaths and misfortunes in their family.
Flanagan shows his wonderful takes in this film by featuring two timelines. It received generally positive comments and was a box office hit, being par with the likes of The Conjuring and Insidious.
3) Midnight Mass
Midnight Mass has sealed Mike Flanagan’s deal with Netflix to continuously bring his signature horror movies and TV series to the streamer following the success of The Haunting of Bly Manor. This gothic supernatural horror miniseries centers on the deprived island community where supernatural events begin to happen after the arrival of a mysterious priest.
To connect Flanagan’s so-called Flanaverse, Midnight Mass is the novel Maddie Yung wrote in Hush. The series received excellent reviews, with the Chicago Sun-Times writer calling it “the best Stephen King story Stephen King never wrote.”
2) The Haunting of Hill House
Of course, this list will never be complete without the 2018 The Haunting of Hill House. This started Mike Flanagan’s mainstream success after hitting Netflix in the said year. The first entry to The Haunting trilogy, based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson, the great scares it featured were dubbed to be “too scary for TV.” Featuring two timelines, it tells the story of five siblings who experience paranormal events at home that continuously hunt them until today.
The show saw tremendous success, being critically acclaimed and receiving positive critiques. With the jump scares and unsettling images, it proves that the most terrifying moments become the scariest when you least expect it to happen.
1) The Fall of the House of Usher
The Fall of the House of Usher is Mike Flanagan’s latest Halloween offering. Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s 1839 short story in Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine and in 1840 Tales the Grotesque and Arabesque, it follows the story of the Usher family, in which the patriarch’s kids die one by one brutally and mysteriously, as his shady past continuously hunts him.
Though this is relatively new, The Fall of the House of Usher now welcomes excellent reviews with its tale of family, madness, isolation, and metaphysical identities. Its eight episodes are described as “solid.”
Fans who have followed Flanagan’s every project know how the filmmaker has managed to add his signature touch to each of his shows and movies. And for this Halloween season, these are the best things to watch and enjoy with your family, friends, and loved ones.
