Mike Flanagan’s five best movies and TV shows to watch before The Fall of the House of Usher

Acclaimed horror director Mike Flanagan will return to our screens with Netflix series The Fall of the House of Usher.

Horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan has spread fear among many households with his work, which is full of ghosts, thrills and scares.

With Flanagan’s latest Netflix series The Fall of the House of Usher receiving widely positive reviews, here here are his five best films and shows from the Haunting of Hill House to Hush to enjoy in the midst of Halloween.

The Haunting of Hill House

Flanagan’s 2018 Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House, loosely based on Shirley Jackson’s novel of the same name, focuses on the Crain family who move into an old mansion with the intent of renovating and selling it. However, paranormal occurrences see the family forced to linger in the home resulting in tragedy. The show debuted to widespread praise, earning 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Haunting of Bly Manor

The second part to Flanagan’s ‘Haunting’ anthology series, The Haunting of Bly Manor features much of the same cast as its predecessor. Released in 2020 the show follows Dani, an au pair hired to care for two children at the Bly country estate while apparitions haunt the grounds and is based on The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.

Hush

Hush follows a deaf writer as she fights for her life in silence when a masked killer appears in her window. Rated at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.

This 2016 horror film stars Flanagan’s wife Katie Siegel as Maddie Young, a deaf and mute writer who retreats to a cabin in the woods to write her novel. Maddie’s calm haven soon takes a turn for the terrifying when a masked killer appears in her window, stalking her. Largely without dialogue the film cleverly builds suspense through its use of sound.

Midnight Mass

Flanagan’s 2021 Netflix series Midnight Mass also features Siegel and is based on the novel written by Maddie in Hush. Following a young man who returns to his home on Crockett Island after serving time in prison. He arrives at the same time as a charismatic priest, and with them, miracles and mysteries spread around the mostly Christian town.

Gerald’s Game

This 2017 psychological horror, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, stars Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood as a couple arriving at an isolated house for a holiday. However, when Gerald dies of a sudden heart attack after cuffing his wife Jessie to bed, she must attempt to survive while trapped and hallucinating.