I’m not a big fan of horror movies or TV shows, because I’m not a big fan of jump scares. I’m generally way more into fantasy, sci-fi and dystopian fiction than any other genre – except perhaps some of Anne Rice’s works/adaptations. But every once in a while, a horror movie or TV show comes along that I do actually enjoy. Hannibal was such a case.

In more recent years, I’ve discovered the works of author/director Mike Flanagan, and after having watched 3 of his shows, I think what he does is absolutely brilliant. His works are not just horror for the sake of horror (jump scares, gore, body horror, etc.), but they’re actually all incredibly smart and mindbending.

My first experience with Flanagan’s works was the mini-series Midnight Mass (2021). This tells the story of a guy returning to the place where he grew up, which is a small island where no motorized vehicles are allowed. As he comes to the island, he encounter the new priest there stirring up things a bit in this very small community. I don’t want to say more because I think everything else would be a spoiler. Let’s just say that the plot twists in this show are very mindblowing and not what you would expect. It’s an engaging, sometimes thrilling, sometimes very emotional show.

When I heard about The Fall of the House of Usher (2023) I was doubly intrigued – an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s works, made by the guy who made the brilliant Midnight Mass? Count me in! I more or less binged this show over the holidays in 2023, and it was everything I expected it to be and more. It connects a lot of Edgar Allan Poe’s works in such a smart way, threading it all together in a coherent story. And even though you can kinda guess what’s gonna happen (if you know your Poe), its executed in such a brilliant, poetic way. This show is an absolute masterpiece and a definite 10/10.

After having watched two of Flanagan’s shows and finding them brilliant, I added his other mini-series to my watchlist, starting with The Haunting of Hill House (2018). This is probably the most “horror” of all his series, and the one I was the most scared of watching. This TV show is based on the 1959 novel of the same name, which had previously been adapted as movies several times. So I was vaguely familiar with the story… I thought. Flanagan expanded greatly on the story, but changing the setting to a family with a lot of kids moving around to renovate and sell old houses. The show jumps back and forth between the past and the present as the story unfold. The kids of grew up in that house are still haunted by it into adulthood, but the story is presented in a very heartfelt way. And there’s one plot twist in this show that absolutely blew my mind. I was just sitting there, astonished, at this marvelous, brilliant, and heartbreaking plot twist. The Haunting of Hill House is definitely horror, but like all of Flanagan’s works, it has so much more depths to it. I can highly recommend it, speaking as someone who doesn’t really like horror so much.

Finally, I have also attempted to watch Flanagan’s The Haunting of Bly Manor, which is an adaptation of the gothic novel The Turning of Screw. It was more similar to The Haunting of Hill House, but I felt it was a really slow burn, and I haven’t actually finished watching it, so I can’t really judge it fully. But the other three series I mentioned here are definitely all a 10/10 and highly recommended.

I recently read rumors that Flanagan is adapting The Dark Tower by Stephen King as his next project. That’s a book series that is still on my longlist to read, so I’m very excited to see an adaptation by such a talented director, if these rumors turn out to be true.