Mike Flanagan was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on May 20, 1978.[1][2] His family moved around often due to his father's job in the U.S. Coast Guard, at one point living on Governors Island.[3] Although he only briefly lived in Salem, it left an impression on him, and he retained an interest in both the Salem witch trials and associated topics such as ghost stories and horror fiction.[2]
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 directed Ghosts of Hamilton Street (2003), filmed in Maryland with local actors,[5] 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.[4]
Flanagan originally intended for the Oculus 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 directed Absentia (2011), which was financed through a Kickstarter campaign, in response to this rejection.[2] Made for $70,000 and filmed in his Glendale, California, apartment, Absentia was released direct-to-video but gained popularity when Netflix offered it on its streaming service.[6] After its surprise success, Flanagan continued to shop Oculus around. Intrepid Pictures took an interest in the concept and agreed to let Flanagan direct. The feature version of Oculus was filmed in 2012 and released theatrically by Relativity Media in 2014.[7]
Flanagan shot his next film, Before I Wake, in 2013. It was acquired by Relativity 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 that Before I Wake would be released on April 8, 2016, but missed that date as the company struggled to get back on its feet.[8] 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 on Twitter; Kavanaugh claimed September 9 was a "bad date" while Flanagan suggested that Relativity was financially unable to release the film.[9] Relativity never released the film as Kavanaugh sold the company to Singaporean social network YuuZoo in October 2016,[10] with Netflix eventually acquiring the rights to the film and releasing it in January 2018.[11]
Flanagan wrote and directed Ouija: Origin of Evil, which starred Elizabeth Reaser, Henry Thomas, and Annalise Basso.[12] Production began in September 2015, and the film was released in October 2016, grossing over $81 million worldwide.[13] Around the same time, it was revealed that Flanagan had been working on a "secret project" called Hush. Written in 2014 and filmed in March 2015, the project was kept confidential until a screening at the Toronto Film Festival.[14] Written by Flanagan and lead actress Kate Siegel, and also starring John Gallagher Jr., Michael Trucco, and Samantha Sloyan, the film had its world premiere at SXSW 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 film Gerald's Game, based on the 1992 novel of the same title by Stephen King. The film was released on Netflix on September 29, 2017 to critical acclaim.[15] King called the film "hypnotic, horrifying and terrific" after watching the rough cut.[16]
In July 2019, as part of that overall deal, Netflix ordered Flanagan's original horror series Midnight Mass.[23] Flanagan wrote, directed and served as showrunner on the seven-episode series, which was released in September 2021 to critical acclaim after a production delay in 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[24]
In May 2020 it was announced that Flanagan would adapt numerous novels by Christopher Pike into a new series, titled The Midnight Club, for Netflix. Flanagan co-created the series and serves as executive producer and showrunner.[25]
In May 2024, Flanagan launched Red Room Pictures.[27]
Upcoming projects
In April 2021, Flanagan was announced to be developing a film for Universal Pictures based on another Christopher Pike novel The Season of Passage.[28] In December 2022, Flanagan and his partner production company, Intrepid Pictures signed a first-look overall TV deal with Amazon Studios. Flanagan also owns the television rights to The Dark Tower, a series of fantasy novels written by Stephen King.[29]
By May 2024, Flanagan was in talks to direct the next film in The Exorcist franchise.[31] Later that month, Flanagan was confirmed to be directing a new Exorcist film as a reboot with plans for a new trilogy being scrapped following the reception of The Exorcist: Believer.[32]
Recognition
Flanagan's work has attracted praise from figures such as William Friedkin, Stephen King, and Quentin Tarantino for his directing style and lack of reliance on jump scares.[33][34][35][36][37] Ironically, the first episode of his series The Midnight Club (2022) set a new Guinness World Record for the most jump scares in a single episode of television with 21.[38] 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."[39]
Personal life
Flanagan was formerly in a relationship with actress Courtney Bell, who starred in his film Absentia, and with whom he has a son.[40] In February 2016, he married actress and frequent collaborator Kate Siegel, with whom he has a son and a daughter.[41][40][42]
Flanagan spent years studying various religions, later describing Midnight Mass as a passion project that was "deeply personal" and dealt intimately with his Catholic upbringing and his eventual atheism, as well as his sobriety.[43]
Flanagan is known for his recurring collaborations with certain actors.[46][47][48][49][50][51][52] 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 DP Michael Fimognari, along with directors Axelle Carolyn and Morgan Beggs he said "I trust those people with my life".[53]
Frequent actor collaborations (2 or more projects)