Mike Flanagan was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on May 20, 1978.[1][2] His family moved around often due to his father's job in the U.S. Coast Guard, at one point living on Governors Island.[3] Although he only briefly lived in Salem, it left an impression on him, and he retained an interest in both the Salem witch trials and associated topics such as ghost stories and horror fiction.[2]
Flanagan's student films were more oriented toward melodrama. He later characterized them as "unfit for public consumption" but called them "incredible learning experiences".[2] After graduating, he directed Ghosts of Hamilton Street (2003), filmed in Maryland with local actors,[5] including Scott Graham, whom Flanagan met at Towson. Graham would go on to star in Flanagan's 2006 short film, Oculus: Chapter 3 – The Man with the Plan, which he made for $1,500.[4]
Flanagan originally intended for the Oculus story to be told in a series of short films, but he could not find the financing. Instead, he shot the chapter that included a back story and used that to demonstrate that he could direct a horror film. The short proved popular at film festivals, and producers were interested in developing the concept. However, they either wanted to shoot it as a found footage film or rejected Flanagan's stipulation that he direct the feature-length adaptation. Flanagan directed Absentia (2011), which was financed through a Kickstarter campaign, in response to this rejection.[2] Made for $70,000 and filmed in his Glendale, California, apartment, Absentia was released direct-to-video but gained popularity when Netflix offered it on its streaming service.[6] After its surprise success, Flanagan continued to shop Oculus around. Intrepid Pictures took an interest in the concept and agreed to let Flanagan direct. The feature version of Oculus was filmed in 2012 and released theatrically by Relativity Media in 2014.[7]
Flanagan shot his next film, Before I Wake, in 2013. It was acquired by Relativity Media in 2014 and was originally scheduled for release on May 8, 2015, but was pushed back to September 25, 2015, and later pulled from the schedule entirely when the company filed for bankruptcy. After a year in bankruptcy court, Relativity announced that Before I Wake would be released on April 8, 2016, but missed that date as the company struggled to get back on its feet.[8] The film was then scheduled for September 9, 2016, but Relativity once again pulled the film three weeks ahead of this date, prompting a public argument between Flanagan and Relativity CEO Ryan Kavanaugh on Twitter; Kavanaugh claimed September 9 was a "bad date" while Flanagan suggested that Relativity was financially unable to release the film.[9] Relativity never released the film as Kavanaugh sold the company to Singaporean social network YuuZoo in October 2016,[10] with Netflix eventually acquiring the rights to the film and releasing it in January 2018.[11]
Flanagan wrote and directed Ouija: Origin of Evil, which starred Elizabeth Reaser, Henry Thomas, and Annalise Basso.[12] Production began in September 2015, and the film was released in October 2016, grossing over $81 million worldwide.[13] Around the same time, it was revealed that Flanagan had been working on a "secret project" called Hush. Written in 2014 and filmed in March 2015, the project was kept confidential until a screening at the Toronto Film Festival.[14] Written by Flanagan and lead actress Kate Siegel, and also starring John Gallagher Jr., Michael Trucco, and Samantha Sloyan, the film had its world premiere at SXSW in March 2016 and was released exclusively on Netflix on April 8, 2016 to positive reviews. In 2017 Flanagan directed, wrote, and edited the psychological horror film Gerald's Game, based on the 1992 novel of the same title by Stephen King. The film was released on Netflix on September 29, 2017 to critical acclaim.[15] King called the film "hypnotic, horrifying and terrific" after watching the rough cut.[16]
In July 2019, as part of that overall deal, Netflix ordered Flanagan's original horror series Midnight Mass.[23] Flanagan wrote, directed and served as showrunner on the seven-episode series, which was released in September 2021 to critical acclaim after a production delay in 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[24]
In May 2020 it was announced that Flanagan would adapt numerous novels by Christopher Pike into a new series, titled The Midnight Club, for Netflix. Flanagan co-created the series and serves as executive producer and showrunner.[25]
In May 2024, Flanagan left Intrepid Pictures to launch his own company, Red Room Pictures.[27]
In May 2023, it was announced that Flanagan would adapt King's drama novella The Life of Chuck from the short story collection If It Bleeds into a feature film starring Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill.[28] The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2024, where it won the People's Choice Award.
In July 2024, Flanagan was confirmed to write a segment for V/H/S/Beyond, which was released exclusively on Shudder on October 4, 2024.[29][30]
Upcoming projects
In April 2021, Flanagan was announced to be developing a film for Universal Pictures based on the Christopher Pike novel The Season of Passage.[31] In December 2022, Flanagan and his partner production company, Intrepid Pictures signed a first-look overall TV deal with Amazon Studios. Flanagan also owns the television rights to The Dark Tower, a series of fantasy novels written by Stephen King.[32]
By May 2024, Flanagan was in talks to direct the next film in The Exorcist franchise.[33] Later that month, Flanagan was confirmed to be directing a new Exorcist film as a reboot with plans for a new trilogy being scrapped following the reception of The Exorcist: Believer.[34] The film is scheduled for release on March 13, 2026.[35]
In October 2024, Flanagan announced he was developing a television series adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie for Amazon MGM Studios.[36][37]
Recognition
Flanagan's work has attracted praise from figures such as William Friedkin, Stephen King, and Quentin Tarantino for his directing style and lack of reliance on jump scares.[38][39][40][41][42] Ironically, the first episode of his series The Midnight Club (2022) set a new Guinness World Record for the most jump scares in a single episode of television with 21.[43] However, Flanagan stated that this jump-scare sequence was in direct response to studio notes requesting more jump scares, and he designed this 21-scare scene so that the "jump scare(s) would be rendered meaningless."[44]
Personal life
Flanagan was formerly in a relationship with actress Courtney Bell, who starred in his film Absentia, and with whom he has a son.[45] In February 2016, he married actress and frequent collaborator Kate Siegel, with whom he has a son and a daughter.[46][45][47]
Flanagan spent years studying various religions, later describing Midnight Mass as a passion project that was "deeply personal" and dealt intimately with his Catholic upbringing and his eventual atheism, as well as his sobriety.[48]
Flanagan is known for his recurring collaborations with certain actors.[51][52][53][54][55][56][57] When asked about this tendency, and the recurring collaborator section on his Wikipedia page, he described such collaboration (including having other directors on his shows) as being "something that's very necessary as our company has grown and as our shows have grown". Of career-long DP Michael Fimognari, along with directors Axelle Carolyn and Morgan Beggs he said "I trust those people with my life".[58]
Frequent actor collaborations (2 or more projects)
Henry Jackson Thomas is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor and had the lead role of Elliott Taylor in the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), for which he won a Young Artist Award and received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and Saturn Award nominations. Thomas also had roles in other films, including Cloak & Dagger (1984), Fire in the Sky (1993), Legends of the Fall (1994), Suicide Kings (1997), All the Pretty Horses (2000), Gangs of New York (2002), 11:14 (2003), and Dear John (2010). Thomas was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for his role in the television film Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1997).
Oculus is a 2013 American supernatural psychological horror film co-written, edited, and directed by Mike Flanagan. It is based on his short film Oculus: Chapter 3 – The Man with the Plan, and stars Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites as two young adult siblings who are convinced that an antique mirror is responsible for the death and misfortune that their family had suffered.
The Exorcist is an American horror media franchise that originated with William Peter Blatty's 1971 horror novel of the same name and most prominently featured in a 1973 film adaptation of the novel, and many subsequent prequels and sequels. All of these installments focus on fictional accounts of people possessed by Pazuzu, the main antagonist of the series, and the efforts of religious authorities to counter this possession.
Before I Wake is a 2016 American dark fantasy horror film directed and edited by Mike Flanagan, and co-written by Flanagan and Jeff Howard. The film stars Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane, Jacob Tremblay, Annabeth Gish, Topher Bousquet and Dash Mihok. Before I Wake premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 31, 2016, and Netflix released it in the United States on January 5, 2018. The film grossed over $4.9 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics.
Rahul Kohli is an English actor. He is best known for his television roles as Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti in iZombie (2015–2019), Owen Sharma in The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), Sheriff Hassan in Midnight Mass (2021), Napoleon Usher in The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), and Sunil Bhandari in Death and Other Details (2024).
Hush is a 2016 American slasher film directed and edited by Mike Flanagan, and starring Kate Siegel, who also co-wrote the film with Flanagan. The film co-stars John Gallagher Jr., Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan, and Emilia "Emma" Graves. It was jointly produced by Trevor Macy through Intrepid Pictures and Jason Blum through Blumhouse Productions.
Kate Gordon Siegelbaum, known professionally as Kate Siegel, is an American actress and writer. Dubbed a scream queen for her extensive work in the horror genre, Siegel is known for her collaborations with her husband, Mike Flanagan. She has starred in the films Oculus (2013), Hush which she co-wrote, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Gerald's Game (2017), and The Life of Chuck (2024), and the television series The Haunting of Hill House (2018), The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), Midnight Mass (2021), and The Fall of the House of Usher (2023).
Intrepid Pictures is an American independent film and television production company dedicated to producing elevated commercial content for global mainstream audiences. It was founded in 2004 by Trevor Macy and Marc D. Evans, and is currently run by Trevor Macy. The company is based in Los Angeles, California.
The Haunting of Hill House is an American supernatural horror drama television miniseries created and directed by Mike Flanagan, produced by Amblin Television and Paramount Television for Netflix, and serves as the first entry in The Haunting anthology series. It is loosely based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson. The plot alternates between two timelines, following five adult siblings whose paranormal experiences at Hill House continue to haunt them in the present day, and flashbacks depicting events leading up to the eventful night in 1992 when the family fled from the mansion. The ensemble cast features Michiel Huisman, Elizabeth Reaser, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel, and Victoria Pedretti as the siblings in adulthood, with Carla Gugino and Henry Thomas as parents Olivia and Hugh Crain, and Timothy Hutton appearing as an older version of Hugh.
John Andrew Grush and Taylor Newton Stewart, known collectively as The Newton Brothers, are American film score composers, record producers, and multi-instrumentalists. Their works include scores for several films with director Mike Flanagan, having composed for every project of his since Oculus (2013), as well as various other films and television series. Despite the name, they are not related.
Victoria Pedretti is an American actress. She gained wide recognition for starring in the Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House (2018) and The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), which established her as a scream queen. She earned further recognition for playing Love Quinn in the Netflix thriller series You (2019–2023). For these roles, she received nominations at the Critics' Choice and Saturn Awards.
The Haunting of Bly Manor is an American gothic romance supernatural horror drama television miniseries created by Mike Flanagan, and released on Netflix on October 9, 2020. The second entry in Flanagan's The Haunting anthology series, it mostly acts as an adaptation of the 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, but also includes other elements either based on James' other works or created for the show. It features much of Hill House's crew and some of the same cast, such as Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Amelia Eve, T'Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli, Tahirah Sharif, Amelie Bea Smith, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, and Henry Thomas. Although Pedretti, Jackson-Cohen and Thomas returned from Hill House as different characters, as did Kate Siegel, Carla Gugino, and Catherine Parker in recurring roles, the two series' narratives are not connected.
The Haunting is an American television supernatural horror anthology series created by Mike Flanagan, and produced by Amblin Television and Paramount Television for Netflix. The first series, titled The Haunting of Hill House, premiered on October 12, 2018, and the second, titled The Haunting of Bly Manor, followed on October 9, 2020. Both series star Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel and Carla Gugino, portraying different characters across the two seasons.
Midnight Mass is an American gothic supernatural horror television miniseries created and directed by Mike Flanagan and starring Zach Gilford, Kate Siegel, Hamish Linklater, Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, Kristin Lehman, and Henry Thomas. The plot centers on a devout and impoverished island community that experiences supernatural events after the arrival of a mysterious priest. It was released on Netflix on September 24, 2021, and received positive reviews.
The Exorcist: Believer is a 2023 American supernatural horror film directed by David Gordon Green, who co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Sattler from a story by Scott Teems, Danny McBride, and Green. The sixth installment in The Exorcist franchise, it serves as a direct sequel to The Exorcist (1973). The film stars Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett, Olivia O‘Neill in her film debut, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, and Ann Dowd. Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair reprise their roles from the original film. Its plot follows a photographer who must confront the nadir of evil when his daughter and her best friend are possessed.
The Midnight Club is an American horror mystery-thriller television series created by Mike Flanagan and Leah Fong, with Flanagan serving as showrunner, lead writer and executive producer. The series is set in a hospice and follows eight terminally ill young adults who form "the Midnight Club", meeting up each night to tell each other scary tales; it features an overarching story while also frequently depicting those tales on-screen. Although mostly based on the 1994 novel The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike, the series also adapts short stories from 27 other Pike books featured in the "Midnight Club" tales themselves.
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities is a horror anthology television miniseries created by Guillermo del Toro for Netflix. It features eight modern horror stories in the traditions of the Gothic and Grand Guignol genres. Two are co-written by del Toro himself, while the others are written and directed by various filmmakers. It premiered on October 25, 2022, and received positive reviews.
The Fall of the House of Usher is an American gothic horror drama television miniseries created by Mike Flanagan. All eight episodes were released on Netflix on October 12, 2023, each directed by either Flanagan or Michael Fimognari, with the latter also acting as cinematographer for the entire series.
Violet Elizabeth McGraw is an American child actress. She began acting at the age of five, with her debut credited role being a recurring role in the 2016 television series Love as Nina, and her first feature film being in 2018's Ready Player One. In 2019 she was nominated for an OFTA Television Award for Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Limited Series for The Haunting of Hill House. She is also known for her role as Cady in the 2022 horror film M3GAN.
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