Filmmaker, creative genius and all-around brilliant visionary Mike Flanagan is steadily crafting a name for himself as a modern-day horror master. His innovative and out-of-the-box approach to storytelling has attracted the admiration and appreciation of both critics and audiences, and he continuously conceives notable horror content.
Since the release of his full-length feature film Absentia in 2011, Flanagan has quietly yet skillfully developed a reputation as a powerhouse force to be reckoned with. The director has gone on to create hit-after-hit movies and television shows, such as the critically-acclaimed Netflix miniseries The Haunting of Hill House and the thought-provoking Midnight Mass, as well as cutting edge horror flicks like Hush, Oculus, and Doctor Sleep. He frequently collaborates on projects with Kate Siegel, Mike Flanagan’s wife.
Updated October 8th, 2022: If you love the films and series from Mike Flanagan, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article to maintain our consistent high quality and to include additional content.
Flanagan has conquered both the big and small screen, and has established a successful and highly lucrative relationship with streaming giant Netflix. He is creating an eight-episode miniseries based on Edgar Allan Poe’s famed The Fall of the House of Usher for the subscription service, and just dropped the highly-anticipated horror mystery series The Midnight Club, inspired by the Christopher Pike young adult novel. Flanagan’s outstanding resume has been praised by some of the entertainment world’s finest, including the “King of Horror” Stephen King and cinema directing legend William Friedkin. Here’s every Mike Flanagan movie and TV series, ranked.
11/11 Before I Wake
The 2016 dark fantasy horror flick Before I Wake stars Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane as Jessie and Mark Hobson, who adopt an orphaned child whose dreams and nightmares manifest as he sleeps. Jacob Tremblay portrays the eight-year-old Cody, who is terrified to fall asleep due to the appearance of a nightmarish creature known as “the Canker Man.”
Before I Wake premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival to positive reviews, and was later acquired by Netflix for further distribution. Tremblay’s fright-filled performance as the nightmare plagued child earned praise, as did Flanagan’s gift for unique storytelling. Film Pulsecalled Before I Wake,“A heartfelt chiller that keeps its supernatural terrors grounded in humanity, thanks to genuine characters brought to life by a solid cast.”
10/11 Absentia
Mike Flanagan’s 2011 independent supernatural horror film Absentia came to fruition after it was partially funded by Kickstarter, and serves as the director’s debut feature. The picture centers on a pregnant woman who is preparing to declare her missing husband dead in absentia when he briefly reappears after an unexplained seven-year absence. She and her younger sister set out to try and link a mysterious tunnel to a series of disappearances, including her husband’s; the pair soon fears her spouse may be trapped in a disturbing alternate realm.
The project was made for $70,000 and gained popularity when Netflix offered it on their streaming service; its success gave Flanagan further directing opportunities like his next venture, 2013’s Oculus. The creepy and slow-burning flick won the Shriekfest award for Best Horror Feature Film and garnered numerous other accolades and recognition for its direction, screenplay, and riveting performances.
9/11 Oculus
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Based on his short-film Oculus: Chapter 3 – The Man with the Plan, Mike Flanagan’s 2013 supernatural psychological horror flick Oculus was the visionary’s first project to receive a theatrical release, captivating audiences with his unique brand of terror. The movie stars Karen Gillan as a young woman who is convinced that an antique mirror is to blame for the death and misfortune that has befallen her family. Kaylie sets out to exonerate her younger brother Tim for a murder that she believes was committed by a malevolent supernatural being.
Flanagan wanted to expand on his original short and did so by combining two storylines, past and present, that were interwoven with each other. According to the director, he was inspired by the stories of H.P. Lovecraft and opted to not explain the mirror’s origins, having said, “Evil in the world doesn’t have an answer.” Oculus was a smash hit, having earned $44 million at the box office with a modest budget of $5 million. The original short is also masterful, and is available to watch below.
8/11 Ouija: Origin of Evil
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2016’s supernatural horror flick Ouija: Origin of Evil serves as the prequel to 2014’s Ouija, and takes place in 1967 Los Angeles where a widow and her daughters decide to bolster their séance scam business by introducing a Ouija board to her readings. The mother unknowingly invites an evil presence into their home that possesses her youngest daughter, culminating in a terrifying transformation and frightening showdown.
Flanagan drew inspiration for the movie from horror classics like The Changeling, The Exorcist and The Watcher in the Woods, and came up with the idea to film the movie as if it were the 1970s, using only technology that was available at the time. Ouija: Origin of Evil received critical acclaim upon its release, with many calling it a significant improvement over its predecessor.
7/11 Hush
Netflix’s 2016 slasher Hush follows an all too realistic plot that centers on a deaf and mute writer who retreats into the woods in search of a solitary life, only to be terrorized by a masked killer who appears in her window. Mike Flanagan teamed up with his wife Kate Siegel to co-write the picture, in which she also stars as the fearful writer Maddie. Flanagan made the lead character a deaf-mute person because he wanted to direct a film “without dialogue” and felt it would amp up the element of foreboding suspense for audiences.
The slasher contains only 15 minutes of dialogue, with more than 70 minutes containing not a single spoken word. Hush premiered to rave reviews, with audiences and critics alike praising the movie as a innovative modern slasher. The electrifying cat-and-mouse thriller even got the seal of approval from the “King of Horror” himself Stephen King, with the famed author writing, “How good is Hush? Up there with Halloween and, even more, Wait Until Dark. White knuckle time. On Netflix.”
6/11 Doctor Sleep
The long-awaited and highly-anticipated Doctor Sleep is the follow-up to the beloved 1980 psychological horror film The Shining. The picture centers on Danny Torrance, now an adult, as he protects a girl with similar powers from an evil cult known as the True Knot, whose nefarious members prey on children who possess the shining in an effort to extend their own lives. The great and dynamic Ewan McGregor takes on the enormous role of Danny, who struggles with both his psychic abilities and disturbing childhood anguish.
Mike Flanagan was inspired to direct the sequel because “It touches on themes that are most attractive to me, which are childhood trauma leading into adulthood, addiction, the breakdown of a family, and the after effects, decades later.” Doctor Sleep earned praise for McGregor’s gripping performance and Flanagan’s screenplay and direction, with Vanity Faircalling it “A body of work that benefits from hindsight and reflection, which must be why they feel so welcome.”
5/11 The Haunting of Bly Manor
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The second entry in Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting anthology series, Netflix’s 2020 gothic romance drama The Haunting of Bly Manor focuses on a young American au pair who is hired to care for two children living at Bly, unaware that the notorious manor is haunted. Much of the first installment’s cast returns for the season, including Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Carla Gugino.
The series is an adaptation of the Henry James novella The Turn of the Screw, though it incorporates multiple works from the author. Like its stunning predecessor, The Haunting of Bly Manor was a knockout with audiences, winning the Satellite Award for Best Genre Series. The miniseries is yet again an outstanding example of how talented Flanagan is, as he poignantly brings to life the spooky literary classic while delivering both chills and tender moments.
4/11 Midnight Mass
Mike Flanagan’s recent directorial venture was with the 2021 supernatural horror miniseries Midnight Mass, which takes place in the isolated community of Crocket Island, where a young man returns with hopes of rebuilding his life after serving time for a drunk-driving incident. His arrival coincides with the appearance of a mysterious and enigmatic priest, and it doesn’t take long until frightening omens and bizarre events occur. Flanagan described Midnight Mass as the ultimate passion project, and dealt intimately with his personal upbringing in the Catholic Church and subsequent sobriety and atheism.
Critics praised the show’s top-notch performances, Flanagan’s directing, and its unique approach to the vampire genre, withRolling Stone commending the visionary and writing, “It’s the way that he carefully sets everything into place in anticipation of a bigger-picture nightmare that makes the payoffs so satisfying.”
3/11 The Midnight Club
Mike Flanagan’s horror mystery miniseries The Midnight Club is his latest spine-tingling project for Netflix, landing on the streaming giant just in time for spooky season. Following a group of tight-knit, terminally ill teenagers as they reside in Brightcliffe Hospice and meet up to tell scary stories at midnight, the show chronicles the characters’ experiences with the supernatural after one of them passes away from their illness. Based on Christopher Pike’s young adult novel of the same name, the highly-anticipated series is already making history despite having just premiered, breaking the Guinness World Record for the most scripted jump-scares in a single episode with 21 terrifying scares.
Both fans and critics alike all seem to agree that The Midnight Club is another home run for the decorated creator and filmmaker, as the series currently holds a perfect audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 87% critics’ rating. In their glowing review, Empire Magazine wrote, “A departure in some ways and classic Flanagan in others, The Midnight Club is another affecting entry into the prolific filmmaker’s array of stories that make us think differently about mortality and morality.”
2/11 Gerald’s Game
The 2017 psychological horror thriller Gerald’s Game is a big-screen adaptation of the Stephen King novel, and stars Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood as a married couple who decide to rent an isolated cabin in an effort to spice up their marriage. Things take a traumatic turn when the husband dies of a sudden heart attack, leaving his wife handcuffed to the bed without a key or any hope of rescue; she must fight to both survive and keep her sanity.
Gugino delivers an engrossing portrayal as the despairing yet determined Jessie in what many have called a career-defining performance. Gerald’s Game debuted to rave reviews, and after watching the rough-cut Stephen King called the film “hypnotic, horrifying and terrific.” The thriller is without a doubt one of the best Netflix original movies created thus far, and has one of the most gruesome scenes ever put to film.
1/11 The Haunting of Hill House
Loosely based on the Shirley Jackson novel of the same name, 2018’s supernatural horror drama The Haunting of Hill House alternates between two timelines focusing on five adult siblings whose traumatic paranormal experiences at Hill House continue to plague them in present day. The ensemble miniseries features an impressive cast including Elizabeth Reaser, Kate Siegel, Victoria Pedretti, and Carla Gugino, who portray the colorful members of the Crain family. The show depicts flashbacks leading up to the fateful night in which the family fled from the malevolent mansion.
The Haunting of Hill House was a massive hit for Netflix, and was heralded for its production values, directing and compelling performances of its gifted cast. Both horror author Stephen King and filmmaker Quentin Tarantino raved about the miniseries, with the latter calling it his favorite Netflix series hands-down. The chilling ghost story is undeniably one of the greatest creations Mike Flanagan has put forth so far, and Newsweekproclaimed, “The Haunting of Hill House is a new high watermark for episodic horror, not just standing up to past adaptations…but demonstrating that a show can be both dramatically complex and relentlessly scary.”