The Midnight Club (2022– )

A group of young people suffering from terminal illnesses maintain a pact that they will contact the others if they die, a pact that is the basis of the storytelling club they belong to.

'The Midnight Club' is a dramatic horror series created by Mike Flanagan for Netflix, one of their many collaborations. Almost every episode has at its center a short story "made up" by the club members, which are macabre, sci-fi or just meaningful stories, but almost always supernatural. The film has a lot of teenage drama and more, interesting characters, built really well in quite a lot of detail, and a natural evolution of the viewer's expectations that are not fully satisfied, however it doesn't fail to deliver the desired message to its destination.

Director:  Mike Flanagan and others   

Production:  Netflix   

Creator:  Mike Flanagan, Leah Fong   

Duration:  1 season of 10 episodes (1 hour each)   

With: Iman Benson, Igby Rigney, Ruth Codd, Annarah Cymone, Samantha Sloyan, Zach Gilford, Heather Langenkamp, Katie Parker

Rating: 8/10

Midnight Mass (2021)

A recovering alcoholic returns to his parents' house, on an isolated island, where the community is going through a lot of change with the arrival of a new charismatic priest.

'Midnight Mass' is a new miniseries made by Mike Flanagan, with no connection to 'The Haunting of Hill House' or 'The Haunting of Bly Manor'. It is again inspired by the supernatural, but it is merely a pretext to enrich a faithful and rich depiction of human nature when it's under the control of religious fanaticism and in a desperate need of new chances from life. Some stylistic but perfectly understandable choices (such as choosing young actors in older roles) will (probably) cause some accidental spoilers.

Director:  Mike Flanagan   

Production:  Netflix   

Creator:  Mike Flanagan   

Duration:  1 miniseries of 7 episodes (7 hours and a half in total)   

With: Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Kristin Lehman, Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, Annabeth Gish, Henry Thomas, Hamish Linklater

Rating: 8/10

Doctor Sleep (2019)

Danny Torrance a crescut si devenit un aparator al copiilor asemanatori lui ce sunt in pericol de a deveni victimele unor supranaturali ce ii consuma pentru a-si prelungi existenta.

Un film de groaza bazat pe un roman de Stephen King ce e diferit de restul. Se indeparteaza frumos de The Shining dar ofera un context global pentru acest mit al stralucirii supranaturale. Elementele fanteziste arata darul lui Stephen King pentru a infiripa povesti fascinante si originale dar, ca de obicei, sunt insotite de suferinta inocentilor in diverse forme, adesea cea mai intensa sursa de asa-zisa oroare a genului de groaza. Multe idei sunt prezentate, multe actiuni au loc, si personaje dezvoltate ca la carte se perinda pe ecran, dar ceva ceva ii lipseste pentru a atinge un nivel cult de capodopera, poate atentia/obsesia pentru detalii este propriul obstacol. Foarte entertaining de altfel.

Regia:  Mike Flanagan    

Cu: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Cliff Curtis

Rating: 8/10

Also read in English

The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)

Dani este o guvernanta americana ce are in grija doi orfani in Anglia, si locuiesc cu totii in conacul familiei la Bly Manor, ce include o echipa de ajutoare.

Al doilea sezon dupa The Haunting Of Hill House, complet independent si de sine statator, fara nici o legatura cu primul decat prin fetele familiare ale actorilor. Bazat in mare pe nuvela The Turn Of The Screw a lui Henry James, The Haunting Of Bly Manor este modernizat, adaptat la era anilor '80, si imbogatit cu multe personaje complexe si interactiunile acestora ce urmeaza fire narative secundare de mare interes si complet originale. Dialogul este adesea foarte subtil si plin de subinteles, contribuind imens la constructia personajelor si a impresiei generale asupra privitorului. In mare, acest sezon este mai putin concentrat pe elementele de groaza, accentele fiind indreptate catre mister, dezvoltarea unor personaje complexe si usor de simpatizat de public si in cele din urma povestea de dragoste ce umple finalul sezonului.

Regia:  Mike Flanagan   

Productie:  Netflix   

Creator:  Mike Flanagan   

Durata:  sezonul 2 a cate 9 episoade (45-60 minute fiecare)   

Cu: Victoria Pedretti, Amelie Bea Smith, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Henry Thomas, Carla Gugino, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Amelia Eve, T'Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli, Tahirah Sharif

Rating: 8/10

Also read in English

Hush (2016)

A deaf-mute writer living in isolation is attacked by a masked killer.

A horror film of the slasher/home invasion flavour that bears the signature of the man who gave us The Haunting Of Hill House and Gerald's Game. With well-constructed suspense and original ideas, its watching is not without frustrations related to certain choices the main character makes, imposed only for stylistic reasons rather than logical or viewer satisfaction. The film is a little disappointing because of the high expectations but overall a successful one that manages to be real without pushing the limits of plausibility.

Director:  Mike Flanagan    

With: John Gallagher Jr., Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan

Rating: 7/10

Gerald's Game (2017)

Un cuplu petrece un weekend la casa de vacanta, unde un joc intim ia o intorsatura neasteptata cand sotul are un atac de cord in timp ce sotia este legata de pat.

Un film oarecum horror, dar mai mult analiza psihologica, bazat pe un roman de Stephen King. Posibil mai eficient decat un film de groaza obisnuit datorita freneziei paranoice atat de palpabila, cauzate de sentimente umane atat de naturale intr-un context neobisnuit dar posibil ce forteaza personajul principal sa initieze o serie de etape introspective. Acestea au loc fie ca reactii naturale a statului in loc, fie sunt consecinte ale activitatii subconstientului animat de instinctul de supravietuire. Carla Gugino este minunata in rol.

Regia:  Mike Flanagan   

Cu: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Chiara Aurelia, Carel Struycken, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel

Rating: 8/10

Also read in English