Mike Flanagan is among the top names when it comes to the horror genre. From his numerous movies to TV shows, the filmmaker has shown how versatile the horror genre can be. Also a screenwriter, Flanagan has shown how to craft emotionally resonant yet psychologically complex tales while keeping the element of horror at the center.
Known best for his versatility, the director has numerous entries to the multiple most-watched horror series list.
Mike Flanagan Overtakes Henry Cavill And David Fincher For Best Netflix Series
Owing to Mike Flanagan‘s intricate storytelling and wide fan base, the director has successfully dethroned Henry Cavill and David Fincher for the best series in Netflix’s history. Cavill’s The Witcher and Fincher’s House of Cards are both critically acclaimed shows, once ranking among the top most-watched shows on the OTT platform.
However, with Flanagan’s unique vision and consistency, he has managed to overtake the platform’s best series title with The Haunting of the Hill House. With deep emotional sentiments woven into horror elements, the show is among his best works.
But The Haunting of the Hill House isn’t his only best work, here are Mike Flanagan’s five best shows:
5. The Midnight Club
Based on the novel by Christopher Pike, the series received exceptional praise for its deeply emotional yet horrifying storyline. With multiple twists and turns the series is based on a group of terminally ill teenagers.
Marked by its iconic starting line, ‘To those before, to those after; to us now, and to those beyond; seen or unseen; here, but not here’, the show features all the kids assembling in a hospice and telling horror tales. The Midnight Club can be streamed on Netflix.
4. The Haunting of Bly Manor
With multiple scares and twits, the show was praised for its artistic approach. From an exceptional cast to a satisfying storyline, this 2020 Mike Flanagan series was praised for the way it explored themes like faith, morality, love, and grief.
The series is based on the story of a wealthy family, the Wingraves, and their haunted mansion. It features a young American woman who run away from her past to take care of two orphaned children as an au pair in their English Bly Manor. It is available on Netflix.
3. The Fall of the House of Usher
Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s work, The Fall of the House of Usher, Mike Flanagan brilliantly retells the story of a wealthy pharmaceutical CEO Rderic Usher. It entwines elements of greed, and capitalism, with horror ones, in a fashion never seen before.
A miniseries, it was praised for its fresh storyline and adaptation of Poe’s literary works into a modern setting. The series can be watched on Netflix.
2. Midnight Mass
A chilling TV series, it is typical of the talented filmmaker’s usual storytelling of combining complex human emotions with terrifying horror ones in his sophisticated way. Extremely throught-provoking, it explores faith and morality through the supernatural.
The Netflix series features a small isolated religious community on Crockett Island that starts to experience unnatural miracles once a charming new priest arrives in their vicinity. Fans have been praising it for its theatrical monologues and slow-burn storyline.
1. The Haunting of the Hill House
Last but definitely not the least, Mike Flanagan’s 2018 masterpiece The Haunting of the Hill House, is a captivating story of five siblings as they explore unexplainable past terrors and present traumas. An intricate storyline, it has more than effective scares, making it stand out from the rest of Flanagan’s creations.
Filled with long yet emotionally daunting monologues and a bone-chilling atmosphere, it would almost make you believe that there are definitely ghosts lurking in the shadows only if you look hard enough. It can be streamed on Netflix.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
