Mike Flanagan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Flanagan at the2024 Toronto International Film Festival | |
| Born | (1978-05-20)May 20, 1978 (age 47) Salem, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, editor, screenwriter, producer |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | mikeflanaganfilm |
Mike Flanagan (born May 20, 1978) is an American filmmaker, best known for hishorror work. Flanagan wrote, directed, produced, and edited the filmsAbsentia (2011),Oculus (2013),Hush,Before I Wake,Ouija: Origin of Evil (all 2016),Gerald's Game (2017),Doctor Sleep (2019), andThe Life of Chuck (2024). He created, wrote, produced, and served as showrunner on theNetflix horror seriesThe Haunting of Hill House (2018),The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020),Midnight Mass (2021),The Midnight Club (2022), andThe Fall of the House of Usher (2023), also directing and editing some if not all episodes of each.
Flanagan often works with the same cast and crew members. His most frequent collaborators include his wife, actressKate Siegel, who has been featured in most of his works sinceOculus and co-wrote the screenplay ofHush. Other frequent collaborators includeSamantha Sloyan,Carla Gugino,Rahul Kohli,Bruce Greenwood,Michael Trucco,Annalise Basso,Henry Thomas,Stephen King andMark Hamill.
Mike Flanagan was born inSalem, Massachusetts, on May 20, 1978, from parents Timothy and Laura Flanagan.[1][2][3] He has a youngernon-binary sibling, Jamie.[4][5] Their family moved around often due to his father's job in theU.S. Coast Guard, at one point living onGovernors Island.[6] Although they only briefly lived in Salem, it left an impression on Mike, and he retained an interest in both theSalem witch trials and associated topics such as ghost stories and horror fiction.[2]
He later lived inMaryland, where he was a student atArchbishop Spalding High School, becoming involved in the drama department and the president of the school's Student Government Association, before attendingTowson University.[2] He graduated with aBA, majoring in Electronic Media & Film and minoring in Theater.[3][7]
Growing up, Flanagan made amateur short films with his family's video camera.[3] He was a fan ofStephen King, whose work he would later adapt to the screen, readingIt infifth grade, which he claimed "absolutely traumatized me", andGerald's Game, which he would later adapt, in college.[3] He described himself growing up as "a very scared kid" who "couldn’t watch horror movies at all."[3]
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 directedGhosts of Hamilton Street (2003), filmed in Maryland with local actors,[8] 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.[7]
Flanagan originally intended for theOculus 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 directedAbsentia (2011), which was financed through aKickstarter campaign, in response to this rejection.[2] Made for $70,000 and filmed in hisGlendale, California, apartment,Absentia was releaseddirect-to-video but gained popularity whenNetflix offered it on its streaming service.[9] After its surprise success, Flanagan continued to shopOculus around.Intrepid Pictures took an interest in the concept and agreed to let Flanagan direct. The feature version ofOculus was filmed in 2012 and released theatrically byRelativity Media in 2014.[10]
Flanagan shot his next film,Before I Wake, in 2013. It was acquired byRelativity 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 thatBefore I Wake would be released on April 8, 2016, but missed that date as the company struggled to get back on its feet.[11] 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 onTwitter; Kavanaugh claimed September 9 was a "bad date" while Flanagan suggested that Relativity was financially unable to release the film.[12] Relativity never released the film as Kavanaugh sold the company to Singaporean social network YuuZoo in October 2016,[13] with Netflix eventually acquiring the rights to the film and releasing it in January 2018.[14]
Flanagan wrote and directedOuija: Origin of Evil, which starredElizabeth Reaser,Henry Thomas, andAnnalise Basso.[15] Production began in September 2015, and the film was released in October 2016, grossing over $81 million worldwide.[16] Around the same time, it was revealed that Flanagan had been working on a "secret project" calledHush. Written in 2014 and filmed in March 2015, the project was kept confidential until a screening at theToronto Film Festival.[17] Written by Flanagan and lead actressKate Siegel, and also starringJohn Gallagher Jr.,Michael Trucco, andSamantha Sloyan, the film had its world premiere atSXSW 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 filmGerald's Game, based on the1992 novel of the same title byStephen King. The film was released on Netflix on September 29, 2017 to critical acclaim.[18] King called the film "hypnotic, horrifying and terrific" after watching therough cut.[19]
In 2018, Flanagan created, wrote, directed, produced, and edited the Netflix supernatural horror seriesThe Haunting of Hill House, based onShirley Jackson'snovel of the same name.[20] In 2019, Flanagan wrote and directed the horror filmDoctor Sleep, based on thenovel of the same name byStephen King, itself the sequel to his previous novelThe Shining.Ewan McGregor stars as the older version of Danny Torrance in the film, which was released in November.[21][22] In February 2019,The Haunting of Hill House was renewed for astand-alone second season, titledThe Haunting of Bly Manor, based on the novelThe Turn of the Screw byHenry James.[23] It premiered in 2020.[24] Around the same time, it was also announced that Flanagan had signed an exclusive overall deal with Netflix to produce television content.[25]
In July 2019, as part of that overall deal, Netflix ordered Flanagan's original horror seriesMidnight Mass.[26] Flanagan wrote, directed and served asshowrunner on the seven-episode series, which was released in September 2021 to critical acclaim after a production delay in 2020 caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic.[27]
In May 2020, it was announced that Flanagan would adapt numerous novels byChristopher Pike into a new series, titledThe Midnight Club, for Netflix. Flanagan co-created the series and serves as executive producer and showrunner.[28]
In October 2021, it was announced that Flanagan would createThe Fall of the House of Usher, an eight-episode limited series for Netflix based on theshort story of the same name and other works byEdgar Allan Poe. Flanagan directed four episodes of the series, with the other four helmed by his longtime cinematographerMichael Fimognari.[29]
In May 2023, it was announced that Flanagan would adapt King's drama novellaThe Life of Chuck from the short story collectionIf It Bleeds into a feature film starringTom Hiddleston andMark Hamill.[30] The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2024, where it won thePeople's Choice Award.
In May 2024, Flanagan launched his own company, Red Room Pictures.[31] In July 2024, Flanagan was confirmed to write a segment forV/H/S/Beyond, which was released exclusively on Shudder on October 4, 2024.[32][33]
In December 2022, Flanagan signed a first-look overall TV deal withAmazon Studios.[34] Flanagan also owns the television rights toThe Dark Tower, a series of fantasy novels written byStephen King.[35]
By May 2024, Flanagan was in talks to direct the next film inThe Exorcist franchise.[36] Later that month, Flanagan was confirmed to be directing a newExorcist film as a reboot with plans for a new trilogy being scrapped following the reception ofThe Exorcist: Believer.[37] The film was scheduled for release on March 13, 2026,[38] but Flanagan revealed in aTumblr post that the film was not going to begin production until after he finished work on the miniseries adaptation ofCarrie and that there was "no way it's coming out next March."[39]
In October 2024, Flanagan announced he was developing a television series adaptation of Stephen King'sCarrie forAmazon MGM Studios.[40][41]
In December 2024, Flanagan was attached to a film based on theDC Comics characterClayface, a project he had initially pitched toDC Studios co-CEOsJames Gunn andPeter Safran in March 2023.[42] He is set to write the project while the studio searched for a director amidst his ongoing commitments toThe Exorcist reboot and theCarrie series.[43]Clayface was greenlit that month as a film set in Gunn and Safran'sDC Universe (DCU) franchise, with the pair producing alongsideThe Batman (2022) directorMatt Reeves and Lynn Harris from Reeves' studio 6th & Idaho Productions, scheduled for release on September 11, 2026.[44] By February 21, 2025,James Watkins was chosen to direct the film.[45] In May 2025, it was announced thatHossein Amini had been hired to rewrite the script and that Flanagan was no longer involved in the project and said he expected Watkins to "make it [his] own", but he hoped the film would remain true to the spirit of what he originally wanted it to be.[46][47]
Flanagan's favorite films areCasablanca andJaws, although he considers the films that influenced him the most to beThe Haunting,The Changeling,The Shining andThe Exorcist;The Haunting was notably based on the same novel as Flanagan's seriesThe Haunting of Hill House, while he would directDoctor Sleep, a direct sequel toThe Shining.[3]
Flanagan spent years studying various religions, later describingMidnight Mass as a passion project that was "deeply personal" and dealt intimately with hisCatholic upbringing and his eventualatheism, as well as his sobriety.[48]
A lifelong fan ofStephen King, who would go on to strongly praise Flanagan's work, Flanagan finds King "extraordinarily difficult to adapt": "His attention to character development, to humanity, and to narrative structure are some of his most defining traits, and those are very difficult to translate into a medium that tends to jettison those kinds of nuances in favor of shock, blood, and scares. Too many of his adaptations stray too far from what makes his work so special, and they suffer for it. But at the heart of his work is a conversation about the human condition, about flawed people in extraordinary situations, and about the darker corners of our nature."[3] Speaking of his first King adaptation, the 2017 filmGerald's Game, whoseoriginal novel had long been thought to beunfilmable, he said: "I would joke that it's the only one of his works that could never, ever be made into a movie. And I spent the next half of my life thinking about ways to adapt it."[49][3] After King sent him an email praising the film, Flanagan printed it and framed it on his office wall.[3]
In a 2019 interview, when asked "if a studio came to you tomorrow and said, 'You can pick any book in the world to make a film out of and we'll give you an unlimited budget,' what book would you choose?", Flanagan picked King'sThe Dark Tower series, stating "I dreamed of spending a decade making those films". He mentionedDan Simmons'Hyperion,Robert R. McCammon'sBoy's Life and King'sThe Stand as other candidates.[3]
Flanagan's work has attracted praise from figures such asWilliam Friedkin,Stephen King, andQuentin Tarantino for his directing style and lack of reliance onjump scares.[50][51][52][53][54] Ironically, the first episode of his seriesThe Midnight Club (2022) set a newGuinness World Record for the most jump scares in a single episode of television with 21.[55] 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."[56]
In 2025, Flanagan was invited to join theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a member.[57]
In February 2016, Flanagan married actress and frequent collaboratorKate Siegel, with whom he has a son and a daughter.[58][59][60] Flanagan was formerly in a relationship with actress Courtney Bell, who starred in his filmAbsentia, and with whom he has a son.[59] His younger sibling, Jamie, has worked as a screenwriter, producer and actor on several of Mike's series.[4][5] As of October 2025, Flanagan is 7 years sober.[61]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Editor | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Makebelieve | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2001 | Still Life | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2003 | Ghosts of Hamilton Street | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2011 | Absentia | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2013 | Oculus | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2016 | Hush | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Before I Wake | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Ouija: Origin of Evil | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2017 | Gerald's Game | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2019 | Doctor Sleep | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2024 | The Life of Chuck | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2026 | Clayface | No | Yes | No | No |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Editor | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Oculus: Chapter 3 – The Man with the Plan | Yes | Yes | Uncredited | Yes | |
| 2024 | Stowaway | No | Yes | No | No | Segment forV/H/S/Beyond[33] |
Executive producer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Dobaara: See Your Evil | Also story writer Indian remake ofOculus |
| 2024 | Shelby Oaks | [62] |
| TBA | The Room Returns! | Also actor Role: Peter[63] |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Editor | Executive producer | Creator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The Haunting of Hill House | Yes | 4 episodes | 1 episode | Yes | Yes |
| 2020 | The Haunting of Bly Manor | 1 episode | 1 episode | 4 episodes | Yes | Yes |
| 2021 | Midnight Mass | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2022 | The Midnight Club | 2 episodes | 9 episodes | 6 episodes | Yes | Yes |
| 2023 | The Fall of the House of Usher | 4 episodes | 7 episodes | 4 episodes | Yes | Yes |
| TBA | Carrie | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Editor only
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Untold Stories of the E.R. | Associate, documentary series |
| 2007 | Bone Detectives | Documentary series |
| 2008 | Your Place or Mine? | Reality series |
| Super Swank | Documentary series | |
| 2008–2009 | Machines of Malice | |
| 2009 | Pinks: All Out | Reality series |
| Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles | ||
| 2009–2010 | Most Daring | |
| 2010 | Design School | |
| Hot in Cleveland | Episode: "Behind the Hotness" |
Flanagan is known for his recurring collaborations with certain actors.[64][65][66][67][68][69][70] 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 DPMichael Fimognari and 1st A.D. Morgan Beggs he said "I trust those people with my life".[71]
Work Actor | Absentia (2011) | Oculus (2013) | Hush (2016) | Before I Wake (2016) | Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) | Gerald's Game (2017) | The Haunting of Hill House (2018) | Doctor Sleep (2019) | The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020) | Midnight Mass (2021) | The Midnight Club (2022) | The Fall of the House of Usher (2023) | The Life of Chuck (2024) | Carrie (2026) | Total roles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selena Anduze | Does not appear | Paige | Anne "Apron Annie" Lamont | Does not appear | 2 | ||||||||||
| Saidah Arrika Ekulona | Does not appear | Mrs. Walker | Does not appear | Andrea | Does not appear | 2 | |||||||||
| Crystal Balint | Does not appear | Dolly Scarborough | Maggie | Morella Usher | Does not appear | TBA | 4 | ||||||||
| Annalise Basso | Does not appear | Young Kaylie Russell | Does not appear | Lina Zander | Does not appear | Janice Halliday | Does not appear | 3 | |||||||
| Courtney Bell | Tricia Riley | Auctioneer | Does not appear | Andrea Morgan | Does not appear | 3 | |||||||||
| Matt Biedel | Does not appear | Sturge | Tim Pawluk | William "Bill-T" Wilson | Doctor Winston | Does not appear | 4 | ||||||||
| Ruth Codd | Does not appear | Anya | Juno Usher | Does not appear | 2 | ||||||||||
| Kyliegh Curran | Does not appear | Abra Stone | Does not appear | Lenore Usher | Does not appear | 2 | |||||||||
| Annarah Cymone | Does not appear | Leeza Scarborough | Sandra | Does not appear | 2 | ||||||||||
| Patricia Drake | Does not appear | Joanie | Cataract Woman | Does not appear | 2 | ||||||||||
| Alex Essoe | Does not appear | Wendy Torrance | Charlotte Wingrave | Mildred Gunning | Poppy Corn | Court Witness | Does not appear | 5 | |||||||
| Jamie Flanagan | Jamie Lambert | Tobin Capp | Does not appear | Court Clerk | Funeral Director | Diesel Doug | Does not appear | Group Leader | Does not appear | 6 | |||||
| Aya Furukawa | Does not appear | Natsuki | Beth "Tina" | Does not appear | 2 | ||||||||||
| Vincent Gale | Does not appear | Howie Hobbs | Does not appear | Boss | Does not appear | 2 | |||||||||
| Zach Gilford | Does not appear | Riley Flynn | Mark | Young Roderick Usher | Does not appear | 3 | |||||||||
| Karen Gillan | Does not appear | Kaylie Russell | Does not appear | Felicia Gordon | Does not appear | 2 | |||||||||
| Annabeth Gish | Does not appear | Natalie Friedman | Does not appear | Clara Dudley | Does not appear | Dr. Sarah Gunning | Does not appear | Eliza Usher | Does not appear | 4 | |||||
| Justin Gordon | Det. Lonergan | Mark | Does not appear | Dr. Tennant | Does not appear | 3 | |||||||||
| Scott Graham | Dr. Elliot | Warren | Does not appear | 2 | |||||||||||
| Bruce Greenwood | Does not appear | Gerald Burlingame | Does not appear | Dr. John Dalton | Does not appear | Roderick Usher | Does not appear | 3 | |||||||
| Carla Gugino | Does not appear | Jessie Burlingame | Olivia Crain | Does not appear | Jamie Taylora.k.a. The Storyteller | Judge | Does not appear | Verna | Television Voiceover | Does not appear | 6 | ||||
| Mark Hamill | Does not appear | Arthur Pym | Albie Krantz | Does not appear | 2 | ||||||||||
| Oliver Jackson-Cohen | Does not appear | Luke Crain | Does not appear | Peter Quint | Does not appear | 2 | |||||||||
| Zak Jeffries | David Stone | Officer | Does not appear | 2 | |||||||||||
| Doug Jones | Walter Lambert | Does not appear | Ghoul Marcus | Does not appear | 2 | ||||||||||
| Rahul Kohli | Does not appear | Owen Sharma | Sheriff Hassan Shabazz | Vincent Beggs | Leo Usher | Bri | TBA | 6 | |||||||
| James Lafferty | Does not appear | Michael Dumont | Does not appear | Ryan Quale | Does not appear | 3 | |||||||||
| Heather Langenkamp | Does not appear | Dr. Georgina Stanton | Does not appear | Vera | Does not appear | 2 | |||||||||
| Dave Levine | Det. Ryan Mallory | Robert Clancy | Does not appear | 2 | |||||||||||
| Matthew Lillard | Does not appear | Gus Wilfong | Henry Grayle | 2 | |||||||||||
| Hamish Linklater | Does not appear | Father Paul Hill | Does not appear | US reporter | Does not appear | 2 | |||||||||
| Robert Longstreet | Does not appear | Horace Dudley | Barry the Chunk | Does not appear | Joe Collie | Janitor | William Longfellow | Does not appear | 5 | ||||||
| Carl Lumbly | Does not appear | Dick Hallorann | Does not appear | C. Auguste Dupin | Sam Yarbrough | Does not appear | 3 | ||||||||
| John C. MacDonald | Does not appear | Bowl | Christopher Perry | Does not appear | 2 | ||||||||||
| Violet McGraw | Does not appear | Young Nell Crain | Violet Hansen | Does not appear | Lily | Does not appear | 3 | ||||||||
| Logan Medina | Does not appear | Jayden Harris | Library kid | Does not appear | 2 | ||||||||||
| T'Nia Miller | Does not appear | Hannah Grose | Does not appear | Victorine LaFourcade | Does not appear | 2 | |||||||||
| Katie Parker | Callie Russel | Phone Store Clerk | Does not appear | Poppy Hill | Silent Sarey | Perdita Willoughby | Does not appear | Aceso | Annabel Lee | Does not appear | 7 | ||||
| Victoria Pedretti | Does not appear | Nell Crain | Does not appear | Dani Clayton | Does not appear | 2 | |||||||||
| Molly C. Quinn | Does not appear | Mrs. Grady | Does not appear | Jenny | Mrs. Krantz | Does not appear | 3 | ||||||||
| Igby Rigney | Does not appear | Warren Flynn | Kevin | Toby | Does not appear | 3 | |||||||||
| Elizabeth Reaser | Does not appear | Alice Zander | Does not appear | Shirley Crain | Does not appear | 2 | |||||||||
| Natalie Roers | Jogger | Does not appear | Katie | Does not appear | Reporter | Does not appear | 3 | ||||||||
| Katee Sackhoff | Does not appear | Marie Russell | Does not appear | TBA | 2 | ||||||||||
| Sauriyan Sapkota | Does not appear | Amesh | Prospero "Perry" Usher | Ram | Does not appear | 3 | |||||||||
| Kate Siegel | Does not appear | Marisol Chavez | Madison Young | Does not appear | Jenny Browning | Sally | Theodora Crain | Does not appear | Viola Willoughby | Erin Greene | Does not appear | Camille L'Espanaye | Miss Richards | TBA | 10 |
| Samantha Sloyan | Does not appear | Sarah Greene | Does not appear | Leigh Crain | Does not appear | Bev Keane | Shasta | Tamerlane Usher | Miss Rohrbacher | Margaret White | 7 | ||||
| Fedor Steer | Does not appear | William Hill | Vito Giannelli | Does not appear | 2 | ||||||||||
| Carel Struycken | Does not appear | Raymond Andrew Jouberta.k.a. Moonlight Man | Does not appear | Grampa Flick | Does not appear | 2 | |||||||||
| Henry Thomas | Does not appear | Father Tom Hogan | Tom | Young Hugh Crain | The Bartender Jack Torrance | Henry Wingrave | Ed Flynn | Freedom Jack | Frederick Usher | Does not appear | 8 | ||||
| Jacob Tremblay | Does not appear | Cody Morgan | Does not appear | Bradley Trevor | Does not appear | Charles "Chuck" Krantz | Does not appear | 3 | |||||||
| Michael Trucco | Does not appear | John Stanley | Does not appear | Wade Scarborough | Frederick | Rufus Griswold | Dylan's Dad | TBA | 6 | ||||||
| Lulu Wilson | Does not appear | Doris Zander | Does not appear | Young Shirley Crain | Does not appear | Young Madeline Usher | Does not appear | 3 | |||||||
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Film | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival | September 18, 2011 | Best Feature (Jury Award) | Absentia | Won | [72][73] |
| Shriekfest | October 2, 2011 | Best Horror Feature Film | Won | [74] | |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | February 17, 2019 | New Series | The Haunting of Hill House | Nominated | [75] |
| Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | February 25, 2019 | Best Series | Won | [76] | |
| Saturn Awards | October 26, 2021 | Best Director | Doctor Sleep | Nominated | [77] |
| Best Writing | Nominated | ||||
| Best Editing | Nominated | ||||
| Bram Stoker Award | May 14, 2022 | Superior Achievement in a Screenplay | Midnight Mass ("Book VI: Acts of the Apostles") | Won | [78] |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | March 20, 2022 | Original Long Form | Midnight Mass | Nominated | [79] |
| Fargo Film Festival | March 25, 2023 | Ted M. Larson Award | — | Honored | [80] |
| Fantasia International Film Festival | September 6, 2024 | Cheval Noir Award | The Life of Chuck | Won | [81] |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
