While most horror fans know Mike Flanagan as the creator of Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House, Flanagan established himself as a director of independent horror films long before the anthology series came along. The Haunting of Bly Manor, the much-anticipated follow up to The Haunting of Hill House, arrives on Netflix soon. Flanagan has also received additional mainstream attention with his big-screen adaptation of Stephen King's sequel to The Shining: Doctor Sleep.
Flanagan's horror ventures are intimate tales of terror that often explore the close relationships between characters. Flanagan combines the very real traumas people experience with supernatural twists and turns, making for emotionally evocative storytelling.
8 Absentia (2011) - 5.8
Flanagan's first feature-length film, Absentia dives headfirst into a scary story marked by expectant mothers, lost lovers, and supernatural returns. Courtney Bell stars as Tricia, a pregnant woman whose husband mysteriously reappears seven years after disappearing.
With the help of her younger sister Callie, played by Katie Parker, Tricia links her husband's time gone to a strange tunnel near her home; soon, the women are targeted by a terrifying creature living in the tunnel. Despite its small budget, Absentia oozes with moody situations and slow-burning terror.
7 Ouija: Origin Of Evil (2016) - 6.1
A prequel to 2014's Ouija, which was produced by Blumhouse, this film is set in 1967 Los Angeles. Considered a vast improvement over its predecessor, the film stars some of Flanagan's frequent collaborations: Elizabeth Reaser, Annalise Basso, Henry Thomas, and Lulu Wilson.
In Ouija: Origin of Evil, Reaser plays a widowed mother with two daughters who works as a spiritual medium. When Reaser's character Alice introduces an Ouija board into her home, it carries with it an unexpected guest: a demonic spirit that possesses her younger daughter.
6 Before I Wake (2016) - 6.2
Although it debuted at the Fantasia in 2016, Before I Wake wasn't released to wider audiences until Netflix distributed it in 2018. The movie stars Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane as the adopted parents of a young boy with a special ability: whatever he dreams manifests itself in the real world.
Jacob Tremblay, known for playing Brie Larsen's son in the Oscar-winning Room, plays the boy, Cody, whose visions are expressed on screen through stunning special effects. As Before I Wake progresses, Cody comes to terms with his gift and tries to find ways to control it.
5 Oculus (2013) - 6.5
Considered Flanagan's breakout feature, Oculus is a unique take on the haunted mirror trope in horror. Based on a short film Flanagan produced in 2006, Oculus tells the story of a young woman who traces her family's misfortune to an antique mirror in their new home.
Instead of relying on gore and blood, Oculus is an emotional rollercoaster fueled by dread. The film's success rides on the stellar, powerful performances from the cast, and its ending leaves room for sequels. While no follow-ups have been released so far, Flanagan did produce an Indian remake of Oculus in 2017, a film entitled Dobaara: See Your Evil.
4 Gerald's Game (2017) - 6.6
Flanagan showed off his skills helming this adaptation of a Stephen King novel long thought to be unfilmable. Released by Netflix, Gerald's Game stars Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood. The actors play a married couple who become wrapped up in a psychosomatic nightmare during a vacation in an isolated home.
Sexual and perverse, Gerald's Game includes supporting performances from Henry Thomas and Flanagan's wife Kate Siegel. Critics hailed the film as a tour-de-force, praising Gugino especially for her acting and emotional range.
3 Hush (2016) - 6.6
An exercise in generating fear without resorting to extreme depictions of carnage, Hush is a home invasion film starring Flanagan's wife Kate Siegel. Siegel gives a harrowing performance as Maddie Young, a deaf and mute author targeted by a masked madman who believes she's easy prey.
This assumption couldn't be farther from the truth. An epic, tense battle ensues between Maddie and her assailant, one that forms an entertaining, compelling narrative about overcoming any obstacle.
2 Doctor Sleep (2019) - 7.4
Flanagan pays tribute to another Stephen King work with his biggest venture to date: an adaptation of King's sequel to The Shining: Doctor Sleep. Ewan McGregor stars in the film as the adult Danny Torrance, who possesses a special psychic ability known as shining. While diving into Danny's life in the wake of what he experienced with his parents at Colorado's Overlook Hotel, the film and the book open up the narrative to a slew of other psychic characters.
Kyliegh Curran plays Abra Stone, a young woman with psychic abilities who recruits Danny to help her defeat a cult that preys on children who shine. At two and a half hours, Doctor Sleep faired poorly with mainstream moviegoers because of its slow pacing and emphasis on character development over jump scares.
1 The Haunting of Hill House (2018) - 8.7
The Haunting of Hill House is Flanagan's episodic reimagining of Shirley Jackson's beloved mid-century novel of the same name. What turns out to be the first season in an anthology horror series focuses on a large family who moves into a haunted mansion and never recover from what they experience.
The ensemble drama follows two narratives: the family's experiences in the mansion and the present, adult lives of the five children still grappling with their pasts. The same actors will return for the next season, The Haunting of Bly Manor.
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