Many horror aficionados have a debt of gratitude for the partnership between filmmaker Mike Flanagan and streaming giant Netflix. A plethora of chiller thrillers, like 'The Haunting of Hill House' and 'Bly Manor', and slow-paced gory dramas like 'Midnight Mass', have catered to the diverse tastes of genre enthusiasts. But which of Mike Flanagan's Netflix horror outputs are the best?
Every show has its charm, appealing to various viewers differently. This review not only covers the strengths of each Flanagan horror series available on Netflix but also offers a ranking, now that the filmmaker's last and latest Netflix project, 'The Fall of the House of Usher', is streaming. Flanagan fans need not despair about the end of his association with Netflix, for he will continue his filmmaking journey with Amazon Prime Video soon.
Starting at the bottom of the ranking, at number five, we have 'The Midnight Club'. Based on the 1994 novel by Christopher Pike, the series isn't inferior in quality per se, but rather lacks the appeal of Flanagan's other projects. The show's narrative is somewhat scattered, and over-reliance on jumpscares doesn't fulfill the audience's expectations of mature, complex horror narratives.
Next on the list is 'The Fall of the House of Usher', at number four. Consistently gory, this series sees Flanagan delve into dark humor while adapting Edgar Allan Poe's short. Although it's enjoyable to see the filmmaker's frequent collaborators in skilled performances, the series delivers little unexpected plot development and ends predictably.
At the third spot stands 'Midnight Mass'. This series successfully combines religious apprehension with supernatural horror, leading to a spectacularly bloody conclusion. Nonetheless, its existential and dialogue-rich subtlety does make it less intimate than Flanagan's previous works.
Coming in at number two is 'The Haunting of Bly Manor'. More emotional than terrifying, this series revolves around love and loss, despite being set in a haunted manor. While the scares are ample, the series chiefly expounds upon the idea that even fleeting love is worth the heartache it may cause.
Finally, at the top of the list is 'The Haunting of Hill House'. This series is a masterful blend of horror with an undertone of heartache, underscored by exceptional performances. It brilliantly reimagines Shirley Jackson's novel of the same name, demonstrating the long-term destructive consequences of living in a ghost-infested mansion.
To sum up, every single one of Mike Flanagan's shows is worth tuning into. Yet, when stacked against the exquisite 'The Haunting of Hill House', the rest, as the phrase goes, is just confetti. All these shows are currently available on Netflix for those who seek chills and thrills.
You must be logged in to post a comment!
