Halloween Hauntings

 

It's my favourite time of year and I'm back with a new post. Two to be exact: details on the second post can be found at the end of this article.

This week, I'm going to be doing a ranking of the best Mike Flanagan TV shows. For those who might not be familiar, Mike Flanagan is a director who's made a name for himself adapting gothic novels into amazing shows. Every time a new Flanagan series is announced, I'm always excited to see what crazy ride the audience is in for. Flanagan has created a tantilising horror universe, usually having the same actors appear and having each show containing Easter eggs related to his past works. This article will showcase the best, in my opinion and, of course, will contain spoilers. Read on, if you dare...

5. Midnight Mass (2021)

At number 5, we have the TV series, Midnight Mass which was released on Netflix in 2021. Midnight Mass follows Riley as he returns home after spending time in prison for killing someone. His hometown of Crockett Island is not what it seems, however, especially with the arrival of the new, mysterious priest: Father Paul. Riley has to navigate his faltering beliefs, while coming up against his religious neighbours. The town seems to be captivated by Father Paul and his mass services; however, Riley soon notices mysterious events occurring. The first instance is the dead cats popping up on the beach, with each incident building until the true horror is revealed: the town's aging population decreasing due to the presence of a vampire-type creature. The town's newest priest, Father Paul, is actually the town's old priest Father Pruitt, who was believed to have taken off for a pilgrimage and now seems to be turning the whole population into his followers. It's up to Riley to try and save what has become of his hometown.

Midnight Mass was the third of Flanagan's Netflix series, following The Haunting of Hill House (2018) and The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020). Compared to the previous two shows, however, it is a much slower burn with the pace staying consistent throughout. This does not mean I was not hooked, I very much enjoyed the performances of Zach Gilford (Riley), Samantha Sloyin as the wicked and frustrating Bev, and Hamish Linklater who gave a captivating performance of Father Paul. It's just that compared to previous and future works of Flanagan, I feel this series would not warrant multiple viewings. The show has beautiful monologues, which could also be the downfall of the series; it felt more like a long drama than a horror series. The monologues were touching and moving, yet the reveal of the show's protagonist seemed a bit predictable to me. The series will be more remembered for the performances than the plot; however it is still quite superior compared to other horror series out there that aren't produced by Flanagan and is definitely worth the watch.

4. The Midnight Club (2022)

Next on the list is the adaptation of Christopher Pike's The Midnight Club. It's 1990 at Brightcliffe Hospice, and Ilonka, a teenager who's been diagnosed with terminal thyroid cancer, arrives. She's introduced to the other residents of the hospice: Kevin, a teen with leukaemia; Anya, a temperamental girl with bone cancer; Sandra, a religious girl with terminal lymphoma; Spencer, who has AIDS; Cheri, who appears to be a pathological liar; Natsuki, a girl with ovarian cancer; and Amesh who has glibostoma. Ilonka soon finds out the featured residents are part of a club: The Midnight Club, where each member tells a unique horror story each night, fittingly at midnight. Each episode features a different story with each main character playing someone different in the story told. Tensions heighten however, when Ilonka discovers a past residence who seems to have been cured from their terminal diagnosis, leading Ilonka determined to find the cure for herself. 

When I first heard that Flanagan was adapting The Midnight Club into an anthology series, I was so excited. Not only was I already a fan of Flanagan, but I was a huge fan of the author whose work was the inspiration for this show: Christopher Pike. I knew his works were in good hands with this production and I was not disappointed as a fan. The Midnight Club was a faithful adaptation and watching the series, it is obvious that Flanagan himself is a fan of Pike's. Each episode does a retelling of popular Pike's works; it was such a joy to see each story coming to life, with each adaptation mirroring my teenage imagination. Yet again, each performer was breathtaking, giving each character the nuance they deserved. Even though The Midnight Club was not necessarily a favourite book of mine, it works here as an anthology, introducing the audience to each unique story carved by the Master of Horror himself. The only disappointment with the show is that Netflix cancelled the series after the first season, meaning the audience never got to see further works being developed for TV. Flanagan himself has expressed disappointment for the decision and it is a shame, as a fan of both, that we will not get to see more of the mashups between the two. I do encourage you to seek out more of Pike's works that aren't featured in the series. It was very comforting to see Christopher Pike being adapted for the small screen by a masterful showrunner.

3. The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)

We're in the top 3 and this is where it starts to get tough. It was a hard pick but for the third choice, I went with 2020's The Haunting of Bly Manor. Adapted from the novel, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, the series stars Victoria Pedretti as the American au pair, Dani, hired to look after two youngsters in Bly, a manor in the English countryside. As per the course of a Flanagan series, soon unusual events start occurring with the two children acting erratically. With the help of the manor's staff, Dani discovers that not all is well or as it first appears, with twists revealing that some of the characters featured are trapped ghosts, held by a long curse that originated in the manor's origin of the 19th century. As the story goes, the main ghost haunting the manor is an angry spirit, who was done wrong in her life by her sister. Due to this, her anger has carried throughout the manor's history, causing for each resident to be afflicted with the curse, meaning that nobody could live a happily ever after. Dani finally breaks the curse, but in doing so she has to sacrifice her happiness as the consequences finally catch up to her.

What a beautiful series this was, first starting out as a typical horror but then ending as a beautiful love story, throughout the ages. Each instance is filled with a sadness: Dani having her happy ending cut short, her predecessor having a tragic story, each staff member not being able to fulfil their happiness. The series serves more of a tragic tale above anything else, with each performance being given by the actors as stunning and mesmerising. Victoria Perdetti shines as Dani, with the supporting cast all helping to make the show memorable. Shoutouts must be given to Oliver Jackson-Cohen as the deeply troubled Peter Quint, almost making his character sympathetic; Carla Gugino as the narrator, who does a great job in doing a Northern English accent; Amelia Bea Smith and Benjamin Ainsworth as the Wingrave children, giving performances comparable to their adult co-stars; and T'Nia Miller as Hannah, another tragic character, brought to life by the actor's performance. The less said about Henry Thomas' English accent, the better, which is a shame as I do enjoy seeing Thomas pop up in each Flanagan series. I see The Haunting of Bly Manor more of a tragic love story than anything else, with a lot of unexpected twists peppered throughout.

2. The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)

Coming in at number two is Flanagan's latest adaptation, The Fall of the House of Usher. Adapted from Edgar Allan Poe's novels and poems, The Fall of the House of Usher centres on the Usher family, a rich, entitled, out of touch family whose members are not at all sympathetic. Strange things start happening, as each descendant of Roderick Usher starts getting killed off in the most unusual ways: starting with the youngest dying in an acid-related accident, and ending with the eldest meeting his due at an abandoned warehouse. All events are connected to the mysterious character, Verna (played brilliantly by Flanagan series regular, Carla Gugino) who is not at all who she appears, popping up in each child's demise. It turns out that the senior member of the family, Roderick (played by Bruce Greenwood) has made a deal-with-the-devil type of decision, with the reasoning behind this revealed in the shocking conclusion towards the end of the show. 

I cannot stop raving about this adaptation. Beautifully shot with each twist featured as more tense as the last, the show had me hooked from the start. Carla Gugino is outstanding as Verna, the devil-type character who may be Fate, or who may be Karma, depending on your interpretation. Gugino gets to showcase so many talents as Verna appears as a different iteration to each character. The series does well in adapting each of Poe's works, with the standout being episode 2's The Masque of the Red Death which has a shocking ending that will stay with viewers for a while to come. Each actor featured has been involved in previous works of Flanagan's, with familiar faces such as Rahul Kohil starring as the ill-fated Leo (previously seen as Owen in The Haunting of Bly Manor and Sheriff Hassan in Midnight Mass); T'Nia Miller as tragic, misguided Victorine, Samantha Sloyin as out-of-touch Tamerlane; Henry Thomas as the villainous Frederick (thankfully using his natural accent); The Midnight Club's Sauriyan Sapkota as the overly spoiled, youngest, Prospero; and Flanagan's staple star, Kate Siegal as the toxic Camille. Each episode focuses on each character and their untimely demise, with each death being as shocking as the next. The final episode wraps the series up well, with the audience finally understanding how Roderick Usher, and his twin sister Madeline Usher (played by Mary McDonnell) came to finalising such a tragic deal with the mysterious Verna. I honestly would have picked this series as number one, however each character was not at all sympathetic compared to the characters in my final choice. The absence of sympathetic characters would usually turn me off from enjoying a series, but here it works with some empathy being attributed to each character in their final moments. I highly recommend The Fall of the House of Usher for its gasping-out-loud moments amongst the many twists and turns of the show.

1. The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

Coming at number one, it's the series that kicked off all that is in the Flanagan TV Universe: The Haunting of Hill House. Like I said before, it was a tough decision to make and I'm going to tell you why The Haunting of Hill House is rated as my number 1.

We follow Hugh Crain, his wife Olivia and their children: Steven, Shirley, Theodora, and twins Luke and Nellie, as they arrive to their new house in 1992. The series switches back from that era to present day, allowing audiences to slowly piece events together that creates the whole mystery: what exactly is haunting Hill House? The Crains have moved to the house to renovate and sell on; however, more and more unusual events start to occur: leading to the Crain family never being the same again. In the present day, each child Crain has now grown and are living their own lives; until a tragedy brings the family together to confront their past at Hill House. 

I was so captivated watching this series, not only due to every performance featured (shoutout again to Victoria Perdetti who plays Nell and Kate Siegel who plays Theo) but the way the series is shot, making the house itself almost as a separate character. Even watching it on the second viewing, I found myself yearning for a different ending for some of the characters. All of the episodes are thrilling to watch, with good uses of jump-scares (look out for episode 8 in particular), some being really subtle, and others being very fitting for a TV series about haunted houses. The story is hauntingly beautiful with tragic twists throughout, making the audience root for each character. There are so many Easter eggs that are littered throughout the series, it makes the show perfect for multiple viewings. An example of such Easter eggs are the hidden ghosts in the background of the show: if the viewer is watching carefully, they may notice something shift slightly in the background. This shows that the series creators put so much considerate thought into each element, making the audience not able to look away. This is something I greatly appreciate in a TV series or a film, when it's clear the crew have put a lot of work into making the story come to life; there are many shows I've seen where it's clear they're making things up on the spot, especially with continuity throughout a show's run. Here, the people that have made The Haunting of Hill House are also clearly fans of the genre, resulting in a medium that gets people excitedly awaiting the next episode. All in all, it still stands up as one of Flanagan's best works.

There you have it, my top 5 of Mike Flanagan TV shows. You may disagree with my rankings, you may agree: feel free to voice which ones are your favourites. Stay tuned for my second post in analysing gothic literature adaptations...

Main Image