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Any Other Fans?? Personal Top Flanagan Films

posted 3 years ago by acidraindrop (3055)
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I don't usually go out of my way to follow specific directors (except maybe like Nolan or Aronofsky—don't shoot me), but I've definitely been trying to follow Flanagan's work for a while, including going back and filling in the gaps with his older work.

The movie that really hit me was Oculus. Oculus sort of redefined, the second time in my life for me, what I thought a good horror movie could truly be: the nonlinear narrative, emotionally gripping narrative and strong character development OUTSIDE the spooks, while also being visually appealing all the same.

I don't pretend to be a well educated film buff or some curated for horror, but that's what Oculus did for me.

This is my personal top list. Not entirely speaking to their objective quality, like, I think Hill House is an objectively better series than Bly on multiple levels.

1. Oculus

2. Haunting of Bly Manor

3. Haunting of Hill House

4. Before I Wake

5. Absentia

6. Midnight Mass

7. Doctor Sleep

8. Hush

9. Gerald's Game

10. Ouija: Origin of Evil - This is the only film that I would say that I dislike. Frankly, it's a very competently made film, and comparing it to its peers makes it stand out. But I just felt like it unraveled by the time it got to the climax.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

big fan! think he's the best, most interesting & consistent horror director going.

i've been a little disappointed in his most recent output (bly manor, dr sleep), but as i said in the other thread, i've softened on midnight mass since i finished watching it, & now think pretty highly of it.

i would rate them like this:

1 absentia 5/5
2 oculus 5
3 hill house 5
4 hush 4
5 gerald's game 3.5
6 midnight mass 4
7 ouija 3.5
8 before i wake 3.5
9 dr sleep 3
10 bly manor 2

bly manor is the only thing he's done that i straight out did not like. i gave it a 2 at the time i watched it, and from what i recall from it, i might even go lower than that now.

absentia and oculus are among my favourite movies of any genre from the last 10 or so years.

[–] acidraindrop (3055) 3 years ago

Oh wow, you really did soften on Midnight Mass given your rankings there. Nice...

Without knowing your specific reasons why, I can see that Bly would be the one thing to dislike. It's kind of sloppy in the way the episodes flow and how the plot was put together. It's not as tightly put together as HH or MM for sure. I think it just got under my skin on multiple levels; it really tore at my heart over and over again (hell it even got me to sympathize with Peter Quint who I despite as an evil asshole). By the time I got to the final episode, the emotions had snowballed and I was totally engaged with everything was happening. Course...maybe Bly is just emotionally manipulative...lol but even so, it got me. XD

absentia and oculus are among my favourite movies of any genre from the last 10 or so years.

Oh wow. I knew you loved Absentia, but I didn't quite realize it stood out to that degree. Oculus is also among my favorites across all genres.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Yes, I like his films. My rating and ranking of his films that I have seen:

Oculus (2013) 8/10
Doctor Sleep (2019) 8/10
Gerald's Game (2017) 8/10
Before I Wake (2016) 8/10
Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) 7/10

[–] acidraindrop (3055) 3 years ago

Straight 8s, that's quite amusing :D Definitely check out Absentia. It's like his first full length film, I think. A bit rough around the edges in terms of filming/acting, I have to say, it was probably the last of his films that I finally got to watch, and I think it still holds up even after seeing his modern filmography.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

I will have to check it out.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

i definitely second that absentia recommendation from acidrain above.

[–] r5d4d2 (679) 3 years ago

"I think Hill House is an objectively better series than Bly on multiple levels."
2. Haunting of Bly Manor
3. Haunting of Hill House
- Did you list them incorrectly?

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

"This is my personal top list. Not entirely speaking to their objective quality, like, I think Hill House is an objectively better series than Bly on multiple levels."

there's a difference between favourite and best.

my favourite flanagan is absentia, even though it's a very flawed movie. it's almost definitely his worst in terms of tech qualities and acting. even the writing's a bit clunky at times. but i love it in a way i don't any of his other films except oculus.

[–] r5d4d2 (679) 3 years ago

I can relate to favorite vs best.

[–] r5d4d2 (679) 3 years ago

Really like Mike Flanagan.
Oculus put him on the map for me. I think Hill House is his best work.
1. Haunting of Hill House 8/10
2. Oculus 7/10 - Higher on the list because it introduced me to his work. Love how the flashbacks intertwine with the present day, just like in Hill House.
3. Doctor Sleep 8/10
4. Haunting of Bly Manor 8/10
5. Midnight Mass 7/10
6. Hush 7/10
7. Gerald's Game 7/10
8. Ouja: Origin of Evil 6/10
9. Before I Wake 6/10
10. Absentia 6/10 -Saw it but don't remember anything. But I gave it a 6 on IMDB.

[–] acidraindrop (3055) 3 years ago

I feel like HH was like the fulfillment with what he pulled off in Oculus with alternating between a past narrative and a present narrative so it was really cool to see that that was his approach to HH. I'd like to see him continue to do different things, but I'd also love to see him play with nonlinearity again. (But maybe he doesn't fetishize time like Nolan lol.) The stories he could tell with intertwining sequences from people's lives.

Cool that you ranked Doctor Sleep relatively highly. I feel like when I see people gush over Hill House, they don't necessarily rank Doctor Sleep similarly. I feel like that film would have stood out a lot more if anything Shining-related didn't have to fall beneath the shadow of the Kubrick film. And as an adaptation, I definitely think it did the book(s) justice while still being entertaining on its own.

[–] Rockman4 (1585) 2 years ago

Great director

1. Oculus
2. Midnight Mass
3. The Haunting of Hill House
4. Doctor Sleep
5. Absentia
6. Hush
7. Gerald's Game
8. Ouija: Origin of Evil
9. Before I Wake

I still need to finish Bly Manor. I've only seen the first episode and I got sidetracked with other shows so I need to continue one of these days

[–] acidraindrop (3055) 2 years ago

Oo, do report back. The fact that you've put MM above hill house...I'd be very interested to see how you feel about Bly.