Pictured: The Midnight Club, Gerald’s Game, The Haunting of Hill House and director Mike Flanagan
To celebrate the release of the final We’ve ranked all Mike Flanagan’s movies and TV shows on Netflix.
From cursed objects, haunted families, houses, religious cults, and more, for several years the incredibly talented horror writer, director, and producer Mike Flanagan has been entertaining tens of millions of Netflix susbcribers around the world.
With the recent release of the The Fall of the House of Usher, Mike Flanagan’s exclusive television output deal at Netflix is officially over.
Despite the huge loss for Netflix, we’re still excited to see more of Flanagan’s work outside of the streaming service in the future. However, to mark the end of Mike Flanagan’s exclusive output deal with Netflix, we’ve ranked all of the Mike Flanagan movies and TV shows that have been exclusively distributed by Netflix.
Disclaimer: Projects outside of Mike Flanagan’s exclusivity deal with Netflix, and not exclusively distributed as a Netflix film by the streaming service have not been selected for this list.
9. The Midnight Club
Picture: The Midnight Club – Intrepid Pictures
Of all the movies and TV shows produced for Netflix by Flanagan, sadly The Midnight Club rests firmly in last place. It wasn’t a “bad” series by any means, but compared to the likes of Flanagan’s other work The Midnight Club failed to live up to incredibly high standards that had already been set by the incredible three limited shows that came before. The Midnight Club was the beginning of the end for Flanagan’s time on Netflix, leaving us with one final limited series, The Fall of the House of Usher.
The synopsis for The Midnight Club has been sourced from IMDb;
“A group of terminally-ill teenage patients resides at Brightcliffe Hospice, and together they create the Midnight Club. They meet in secret at midnight to tell horror stories. Together the group forms a pact, that whoever dies first would make the effort to contact the rest of the Midnight Club members from beyond the grave.”
8. Before I Wake (2016)
Picture: Before I Wake – Demarest Films
2016 was an incredibly busy year for Mike Flanagan. Starting in April with Before I Wake, in the span of six months, Hush and Ouija: Origin of Evil was released. The concept of a horror movie centered around nightmares is not new to the genre, but using the innocence of a child to bring terrifying nightmares to life is incredibly devilish, and for audiences at home, entertaining.
The synopsis for Before I Wake has been sourced from IMDb;
“A couple adopt an orphaned child whose dreams – and nightmares – manifest physically as he sleeps.”
7. Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)
Picture: Ouija: Origin of Evil – Universal Pictures
The obsession with Ouija boards has increased tenfold over the past ten years thanks to films such as Ouija, and its prequel Ouija: Origin of Evil.
The synopsis for Ouija: Origin of Evil has been sourced from IMDb;
“In 1967 Los Angeles, a widowed mother and her daughters add a new stunt to bolster their seance scam business by inviting an evil presence into their home, not realizing how dangerous it is.”
6. Gerald’s Game (2017)
Picture: Gerald’s Game – Intrepid Pictures
With a bibliography spanning over fifty years, we’ve seen dozens of adaptations of Stephen King’s work, plenty of which have been produced by Netflix. Gerald’s Game was a viral hit for Netflix, and arguably one of the best films Flanagan has worked on for the streaming service.
The synopsis for Gerald’s Game has been sourced from IMDb;
Netflix has made a habit of adapting the works of beloved horror and thriller author Stephen King,
5. The Haunting of Bly Manor
Picture: The Haunting of Bly Manor – Intrepid Pictures
After the incredible success of Hill House, there was a huge amount of anticipation for the release of The Haunting of Bly Manor, Flanagan’s adaptation of the classic story of The Turn of the Screw. Bly Manor may not have been as scary as Hill House, but what everyone will remember the series most for is its perfectly splendid love story.
The synopsis for The Haunting of Bly Manor has been sourced from IMDb;
“After an au pair’s tragic death, Henry hires a young American nanny to care for his orphaned niece and nephew who reside at Bly Manor with the chef Owen, groundskeeper Jamie, and housekeeper, Mrs. Grose.”
4. Hush (2016)
Picture: Hush – Intrepid Pictures
Starting around the mid-2010s, the past several years we’ve seen a rise in the number of sensory deprivation horrors. Films such as Bird Box, A Quiet Place, Don’t Breathe and Hush have paved the way for the sensory deprivation horror genre.
The synopsis for Hush has been sourced from IMDb;
“A deaf and mute writer who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window.”
3. The Fall of the House of Usher
Picture: The Fall of the House of Usher – Intrepid Pictures
There have been many attempts over the past century to adapt the works of the original goth horror novelist, Edgar Allen Poe. However, until Flanagan’s take on his work, we hadn’t seen any notable adaptations for many years. Once again, Flanagan would bring back familiar faces for the cast of The Fall of House of Usher, each putting in some fantastic performances.
The synopsis for The Fall of the House of Usher has been sourced from IMDb;
“To secure their fortune (and future) two ruthless siblings build a family dynasty that begins to crumble when their heirs mysteriously die, one by one.”
2. Midnight Mass
Picture: Midnight Mass – Intrepid Pictures
Four of the five television shows Mike Flanagan has created for Netflix have been adaptations of famous novels. Midnight Mass was the first, and only, series with an original story written by Flanagan, who had spent the last several years hiding Black Mass easter egg throughout other movies and TV shows. A fun, and terrifying take on the legend of the Vampire, it’s our belief that Midnight Mass is one of the most severely underrated limited shows on Netflix.
The synopsis for Midnight Mass has been sourced from IMDb;
“The tale of a small, isolated island community whose existing divisions are amplified by the return of a disgraced young man and the arrival of a charismatic priest. When Father Paul’s appearance on Crockett Island coincides with unexplained and seemingly miraculous events, a renewed religious fervor takes hold of the community – but do these miracles come at a price?”
1. The Haunting of Hill House
Picture: The Haunting of Hill House – Intrepid Pictures
Five years on since the debut of The Haunting of Hill House, the series still remains one of the best-limited Originals that Netflix has to offer. Hill House set the standard for every project Mike Flanagan has released since, but ultimately, by setting the bar so high so early, none have come close to beating his adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s beloved paranormal novel. Between, the cast, story, score, and the scares, The Haunting of Hill House is not only Flanagan’s best work on Netflix, but we would argue his best work to date overall.
The synopsis for The Haunting of Hill House has been sourced from IMDb;
“Explores a group of siblings who, as children, grew up in what would go on to become the most famous haunted house in the country. Now adults, and forced back together in the face of tragedy, the family must finally confront the ghosts of their past, some of which still lurk in their minds while others might actually be stalking the shadows of Hill House.”
What is your favorite Mike Flanagan movie or TV show on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
