Top 5 Mike Flanagan Shows
I am a huge fan through and through of all of Mike Flanagan’s work. Gathering what was my top favorite show was a hard decision. On the chopping block we have the Haunting of the Hill House series, Midnight Mass, Fall of the House of Usher, and Midnight Club. Now, this is not to say the ones that are not number one are bad. This is just my personal opinion of what I enjoyed most!
Here are my final deciding rankings for the 5 shows. WARNING THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS
5. Midnight Club
A group of terminally ill young adults develop friendships while dealing with end-of-life at a treatment center called Brightcliffe. The group begins to meet at midnight to exchange supernatural stories and become closer each night. Eventually, a dark history unravels itself at Brightcliffe and what used to be safe no longer feels safe. The show involves some twists and turns, jump scares, and catching character depth.
The Mystery of the Paragon Cult
The mystery in the show lies within the Paragon Cult. Illonka finds “the Paragon Diaries” and discovers a 1930’s cult that started right within the basement of Brightcliffe. The cult commits horrendous sacrifices to stay young and obtain eternal life. We start to believe the cult never ended and the eternal members are still committing sacrifices within the walls of Brightcliffe. Potentially taking the lives of the terminally ill as a cover.
Who is Julia Jayne?
Julia Jayne, attended Brightcliffe and mysteriously disappeared in the woods for weeks and returned cured. She says that she was cured holistically but we aren’t too sure if that is what really happened in the woods… Illonka was familiar with this story drawing her to Brightcliffe, and remains optimistic of healing. She later befriends Shasta, who believes in the same remedies and gathers her medicinal herbs in the neighboring woods of Brightcliffe. We later find out that Shasta is Julia Jayne and cons Illonka into a ritualistic situation. Showing that eternal life in the Paragon Cult is still relevant and is very dangerous. Especially to the residents of Brightcliffe.
The plot thickens.. and ends?
In the end, we discover that Dr. Stanton (the amazing Heather Langenkamp aka Nancy from A Nightmare on Elm Street) has been wearing a wig all along and has a tattoo of the Paragon symbol on the back of her neck. We are left to wonder if she was possibly the daughter of the cult leader wanting to undo her past, or if she may have taken over leadership of the cult and was hiding a dark secret all along.
There are many conspiracies to what happened at the end or what could happen if there were to be a season two. However, it is left to interpretation. The show was incredibly made but left very open-ended. Overall, the show was a great series to follow with heartbreaking character developments and unexpected turns of events.
4. The Haunting of Bly Manor
I watched Bly Manor after Haunting of the Hill House and was already going into the series excited. The previews looked just as creepy as Hill House and the storyline drew me in immediately. The series begins with Dani who is being haunted by her ex-fiancé, desperately looking for a new life and to escape the endless visions. She finds an ad for a family at an estate called Bly Manor in London looking for a nanny. Dani is able to convince the employer, Henry Windgrave, to hire her and she begins a new life.
Now here is where it gets crazy…
Dani starts to see apparitions of a man and a woman in the house which we find out to be Peter and Rebecca. The lovers whose toxic relationship and greed took their lives inside Bly Manor. We are then introduced to the lady in the lake whose spirit haunts the home. Every night, she mercilessly kills anyone who is in her path.
And CRAZIER…
Peter realizes he can possess Miles which explains his aggressive behavior and his deep hatred for Hannah (the caretaker). It is revealed that Hannah was pushed down a well by possessed Miles and is caught in an endless loop (limbo). We also find out that Dani’s ex-fiancé was tragically killed immediately after she realizes that she does not love him. I mean, how could you not want to binge the rest after finding all these unveiling parts?
A perfectly- splendid ending…
Dani sacrifices her body to the ghost of Viola (the lady in the lake) as an offering to spare Flora’s life. However, the selfless act resulted in haunting consequences including attempting to harm Jamie (the love of her life). Dani accepts she is a danger to others and drowns herself in the lake to end the torment of the lady of the lake once and for all. Ending with the narrator of the story (who was Jamie all along) returning to her hotel room waiting for Dani’s ghost to return.
A true masterpiece by Flanagan beautifully done from start to finish. This show was binge-worthy and followed up very well next to watching Haunting of Hill House. Not realizing Hannah was a ghost and the sacrifice Dani made at the end was insane! This was captivating to watch all the way through!
3. Fall of the House of Usher
I can’t tell you how excited I was once I heard that Mike Flanagan was making this show. I could not wait to binge this and talk about it. The inspiration by the one and only Edgar Allen Poe and a Mike Flanagan series! Who wouldn’t be thrilled to watch this?!
From the beginning, you are aware that all six of Roderick Usher’s children die. However, you don’t quite understand what led up to the moment. What kind of curse was set upon the family for such a tragedy?
Each episode involves a creative spin-off of an Edgar Allen Poe tale. Such as The Tell-Tale Heart and Murder in the Rue Morgue. As a Poe fan myself, I could really appreciate the way Flanagan ties them together.
What caused the Fall of the Usher’s?
With each of Roderick’s children, there was some deep-rooted evil. Whether it was drugs, greed, or fame. However, they all had one thing in common when it came to an end. They all saw something that was in the form of an object that would drive them to their downfall. You could say it shape-shifted with each person’s weak spot. In the end, we realize that this shape-shifting person was a woman that Roderick and Madeline made a deal with back in 1979 on New Year’s Eve.
The family curse…
The two conspired to murder the head of Fortunato Pharmaceuticals and take over the company. Along with burying him behind brick and cement, they buried their secret. Or so they thought.. After going to a bar on New Year’s the two befriend Verna, the bartender. Verna knew their deep dark secret. She was also not human, she had power, and she could give them everything they wanted. All they needed to do was pay a price. Along with wealth and power, their entire bloodline would have to fall off. Not thinking it was a real deal, they selfishly accept and begin to live to see the deal pan out.
The Usher’s are Nevermore
Roderick and Madeline realize their turn is coming up next and they try to cheat death. However, the raven catches up to them. Roderick and Madeline fall under the wreckage of their child home finally ending the Usher bloodline. Roderick’s widow inherits the pharmaceutical company turning it into a rehabilitation program, ridding the evil of it all. The ending shares a poetic reading by Verna of Poe’s “Spirits of the Dead”. Concluding the series perfectly.
2. Midnight Mass
If you enjoy fantasy, vampires, and horror, you will love this show just as much as I did. Midnight Mass involves an almost cultish lust for eternal life by drinking blood. Not just any blood, the blood of the creature that transformed Father Paul into a young and healthy man again. The churchgoers were unknowingly being transformed all along when given “wine” at midnight mass.
Blood-thirsty town goes awry…
One night, Father Paul brings to the congregation his “angel” that will allow them to live their healthiest and youngest lives. Whatever ailments they had would be gone forever. Once the ones who decide to drink poison are rebirthed as infinite humans, they become THIRSTY. Not being able to control themselves, they start to kill almost the whole town. Father Paul is ashamed of what he created and realizes he lost all control.
Violent delights have violent ends
Some of the still-human characters decide they need to put an end to the chaos and burn all possible shelters. Only to result in letting the vampires burn upon sunrise. Showing no mercy to the ones that gave in to temptation. Ending in an action-packed and symbolic finale.
Normally, we are taught to follow the light, but the pastor, unfortunately, led them through darkness.
1. The Haunting of the Hill House
This show had me BINGING. I could not wait to finish the series. I jumped out of my seat so many times and the ghosts hidden in multiple scenes added some extra creepiness to the episodes. I watched this show about three times and each time I watch it, I find something new. It is so brilliant and very much worthy of number one.
The Curse of the Hill House
The moment the Crain’s move into the house of their dreams they begin experiencing paranormal activity. When Theo was grabbed by a ghost one night in bed, she then began wearing gloves. This was when she realized she could feel and see other’s memories and emotions by touch. As Theo’s was more a gift and a curse, some of the other children weren’t so lucky. Luke developed a drug habit and Nell was constantly haunted by the “bent-neck lady”.
As a true crime and paranormal fan, I remembered the bent-neck lady tale from The Conjuring House. If you did know this, it definitely adds more scare to the series.
Being revisited from their past
The oldest son, Steve, is estranged from the family after gaining royalties from his book about the Hill House. Ironically, Steve doesn’t believe in the paranormal. However, he would soon become a believer. One night, he is being visited by Nell when he gets a phone call from his father telling him Nell was found dead at the Hill house. The series goes between the grieving family and their lives growing up in the eerie home.
Brought back together by death
Although the Crain’s attempted to forget their past in the Hill House, they were reliving it all over again. As long as the Hill House remained, they would always be haunted by it. The family comes together at Nell’s funeral and the real truth comes out about the night they left the Hill House. Years later, Hugh reveals that their mother Olivia was possessed by the house. Olivia not only poisoned the neighbor’s daughter, but almost poisoned Nell and Luke. He quickly grabbed the children and left Olivia behind. Wanting to wake up from her “dream” she jumps off the staircase.
The Red Room
Now that the Hill House has taken two lives from the family, it wants the rest of them. They realize that Luke is at the Hill House and he may be next. They all return home, for the first time since the traumatic death of their mother. The surviving family members must try to conquer the hauntings and not give in to the bowels of the red room. Olivia’s ghost wants to selfishly keep them all in the house, but Hugh convinces her to free them if he promises to stay with her forever. She frees the children and Hugh tells his oldest son he will be forever with his mother at Hill House.
Life after Death
The family reconciles and celebrates Luke’s sobriety. Showing that they were able to leave the past behind. Closing the chapter with a somber yet happy ending.
This was very hard to rank but I do feel that all these shows were so well made. I think Mike Flanagan’s style of directing is dark and enchanting. He knows how to capture an audience and make us jump out of our seats.
Thank you for reading!
