It’s Halloween season, and we just realized we are not seeing The Life Of Chuck until next year. This is obviously a huge blow to people who want to see Mike Flanagan’s latest Stephen King adaptation. While I cannot help you get a secret screener of the film, I can do what I do best: make a streaming guide telling all of you Flanastans where all of your beloved filmmaker’s work is streaming. Hopefully, one of these 12 titles will help you get your Flanagan fix this fall. Or they’ll at least distract you from the indefinite wait for his newest King adaptation. So, clear your schedules, grab your Kleenex, and prepare for some emotional and haunting roller coasters.
Absentia
Where You Can Watch: AMC+ and Prime Video
Two sisters connect a mysterious tunnel to a series of disappearances that includes one of their husbands. Mike Flanagan’s first feature is streaming, and the Flanastans should rejoice. After all, his first movie was crowdfunded by people who knew he was destined for great things. Not only does his first film give a glimpse at the themes that would become a staple in his ongoing career, but it also proves aspiring filmmakers don’t need studios to make their art. So, in that respect, it’s an inspirational film even as it plays with your mind.
Before I Wake
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
A couple adopts a child whose nightmares manifest in the real world. Mike assembled a cast that includes Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane, Jacob Tremblay, Annabeth Gish, and Dash Mihok. He then lucked into getting Danny Elfman to do the music, so there would really be no way horror fans could pass this up. Imagine that soundtrack with a stacked cast breathing life into a Flanagan film. Now you understand why the Flanastans lost their minds over this eerie title. Excuse me while I put on Elfman’s infamously haunting music so I can live in the Before I Wake vibe.
Doctor Sleep
Where You Can Watch: Max and Prime Video
Danny Torrance is all grown up and still dealing with the fallout of what happened to his family at the Overlook all those years ago. However, he must now protect a child who shares his special gift from a cult that preys on children. I love to point out that this film had the difficult task of bridging the gap between the version of The Shining that Stephen King wrote and Stanley Kubrick’s movie. That’s not an easy feat because many fans pick one or the other. So, it was very bold of Mike Flanagan to ask, “Why not both?” On top of that, he gave us Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat, the ultimate stylish villain of her era.
The Fall of the House of Usher
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
Siblings running a prosperous pharmaceutical company find their success threatened as their secrets begin coming to light and the Usher heirs begin dying. This retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s works had the Mike Flanagan Fan Club levitating in front of their TVs. Obviously, they were able to get the emotionally charged horror they’ve come to expect from the filmmaker. More importantly, though, this is another time he brought back many of his favorite collaborators who just happen to be some of our favorite actors. Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, and Rahul Kohli are just a few of the familiar names that make this limited series a family affair.
Gerald’s Game
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
A couple attempting to spice things up in the bedroom find their plans going horribly awry when the husband dies, leaving the wife handcuffed to a bed in a remote cabin. I know Mike Flanagan is directing the bulk of the Stephen King adaptations we’re getting lately. However, I think this one is possibly one of my favorites. Do not get me wrong, it has a few problems, but it feels like the truest to the spirit of the novel. Also, Carla Gugino kills it in this role as the anxiety, fear, and PTSD begin to creep in. More importantly, the degloving scene is sick and makes the movie worth a watch if nothing else catches your attention.
The Haunting of Bly Manor
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
A man hires a new nanny to care for his niece and nephew. The highly anticipated follow-up to The Haunting On Hill House sent many fans into orbit. Mike Flanagan even managed to get most of the band back together to play different characters. Fans were relieved to see faces like Victoria Pedretti, Henry Thomas, and Kate Siegel return for another spin in a new creepy gothic setting. Viewers also had a lot to say about the tragic queer love story between Dani and Jamie. This show definitely had a moment on social media, so it’s heart-breaking that we won’t get another installment of the series.
The Haunting of Hill House
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
A fractured family must confront their haunting memories and the terrifying events that drove them from their old home. Where were you when you found out the identity of the Bent-Neck Lady? The Haunting On Hill House is arguably Mike Flanagan’s best project. I loved the build-up of episodes two through nine and still owe the series a rewatch just to track all the subtle ghost activity in the background. This was the first of many shows Flanagan would bestow upon Netflix subscribers as he continued cementing his horror legacy.
Hush
Where You Can Watch: AMC+ and Shudder
A Deaf and mute writer living in an isolated house must fight a masked killer harassing her in her own home. We love to see movies with Deaf lead characters, and people love a Flanagan thriller. So, clearly, this movie went over very well and was one of the best reasons to keep your Netflix subscription for a few years. This is also why the Flanastans were very vocal when this film disappeared from the streamer. So, I’m happy it’s available on Shudder and AMC+ in time for Halloween shenanigans.
The Midnight Club
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
Eight young hospice patients come together every night to tell each other scary stories. They also make each member promise that whoever dies next will contact the group from the afterlife. The Midnight Club is one of my favorite Christopher Pike books. It is equal parts heartbreak and horror. This is why it makes sense that Mike Flanagan would be drawn to this tragic tale. After all, he has the market cornered on sad and scary things. I was more surprised that he adapted the story into a series instead of a film, but his fans showed up and were upset there would not be a second season. It’s another example of when he was right to swing for the fences.
Midnight Mass
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
An isolated community begins to experience unexplainable events after a young priest arrives on the island. The Flanastans flipped for Midnight Mass, and many have never recovered. Mike’s ode to recovery, vampires, and Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot is still the talk of the town. The number of people pissed about the award show snubs was legion. I think it is safe to say that Flanagan really struck a chord with his audience with this limited series. After listening to so many people talk about it for all these years, I think it might be his most revered work.
Oculus
Where You Can Watch: Plex and Pluto TV
A man recently released from an asylum discovers that he didn’t commit the murders he was convicted for when his sister reveals supernatural entities were at play. Because Karen Gillan (Doctor Who, Guardians Of The Galaxy) and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) own very huge pieces of my heart, I knew I needed to watch this film. I finally crossed it off my list this year, and the ladies delivered. One of the things I enjoy about Flanagan’s work is that he gives feamle actors roles where they get to do stuff instead of being pushed to the sides. Oculus is no different, and I loved that Gillan was the sister taking charge to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Ouija: Origin of Evil
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
A woman and her two daughters run a seance scam in 1967 in Los Angeles. However, they decide to invite an evil presence into their home to bolster the business without understanding the grave consequences. Most people were initially shocked when Mike Flanagan was tapped to make a prequel to Ouija. However, most critics felt it was better than the original movie, and some even said it was Flanagan’s best film upon release. That just proves that even a film based on a board game can resonate with people if done correctly.
Are you plotting a Mike Flanagan marathon? Let me know which of his titles made it onto your list at @misssharai.
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