It's no secret that horror fans have become spoiled over the last few years as filmmaker Mike Flanagan exploded onto the Netflix series scene with The Haunting of Hill House. The man responsible for elevating the TV side of the genre is behind film adaptations like Doctor Sleep and Gerald's Game. Utilizing the acting chops of his wife Kate Siegel and other stars, Flanagan has established franchise-like cast with his characters as fans now look for familiar faces with each adaptation he brings to the stream.
Pulling from classic works like Henry James' Turn of the Screw for The Haunting of Bly Manor and the upcoming The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe, gothic literature fans are anxiously waiting each year to see what he'll do next. With each series rivaling the last, Flanagan has yet to disappoint with his limited series horror adaptations. As for what's on the docket for this filmmaker, there are some literary pieces that have been done and are in desperate need of his touch and some that he could elevate with creative freedom.
'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier
Alfred Hitchcock's iconic film Rebecca found its roots in Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel of the same name. A recent remake by Netflix starring Armie Hammer and Lily James proves that Hitchcock's adaptation is the definitive one (for now). Rebecca (whichever version you refer to) is the tale of a young unnamed woman who marries a wealthy widower, the mysterious death and legacy of his first wife, Rebecca, looming heavily over their new life together.
Perhaps titled "Mrs. de Winter," Flanagan's crew of regular performers would settle into this gothic adaptation easily with Victoria Pedretti returning to embody either the new Mrs. de Winter or Rebecca. Oliver Jackson-Cohen would be a solid fit for Maxim de Winter if Flanagan chose to recast him for a third time alongside Pedretti. Netflix's first attempt at remaking this tale went south but could see rave reviews with Flanagan at the helm.
'Secret Window, Secret Garden' by Stephen King
While David Koepp already adapted a film version in 2004, this Stephen King novella has the potential to make for an intensely cinematic limited series at the hands of Flanagan. Secret Window, Secret Garden was part of a collection called Four Past Midnight that King released in 1990. In the midst of an ugly divorce, writer Mort Rainey is accused by another man of stealing his story. Rainey is determined to prove his story was published first, but soon all facts and those that can prove his innocence begin to disappear.
The film version starred Johnny Depp as Rainey and John Turturro as the accuser, John Shooter. Critics were not sold on the adaptation while Depp's loyal fans and audience members rated it higher. The mystery thriller short lacks a specific supernatural element Flanagan's fans search for, but it wouldn't be the first King adaptation the filmmaker tackled that relied solely on the tricks of the mind.
'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' by Robert Louis Stevenson
A classic literature tale in need of the right budget and filmmaker, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has a solid foundation for Flanagan to build on and plenty of flopped adaptations to see what went wrong. The first film adaptation came in 1931, but the version released ten years later in 1941 earned three Oscar nominations. Starring icons Ingrid Bergman and Spencer Tracy, the film was nominated three times at the 14th Academy Awards.
The original novella by Robert Louis Stevenson was published in 1886. It's the story of Gabriel Utterson, a legal practitioner, as he investigates a series of occurrences between his old friend Henry Jekyll and the sinister Edward Hyde, only to discover they are the same person. This gothic tale is perfect for Flanagan and his talented cast of regular actors and actresses. A limited series would do the classic tale justice, especially with Rahul Kohli returning to embody Utterson.
'The Minister's Black Veil' by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Not quite a horror or gothic tale, but audiences have seen what Flanagan can do with religious texts given the success of Midnight Mass. First published in 1836, The Minister's Black Veil is a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne about Mr. Hooper, a Connecticut minister, who one day donned a black veil, shielding his face for the remainder of his life. There appears to be no film or television version of the short story, giving Flanagan free rein to breathe a new life into this classic tale.
The original text alludes to the veil as an allegory for sin and that everyone wears black veils to hide their secret sins. There is so much room for interpretation with this text and an open-ended nature that Flanagan could easily weave in horror elements and modernize the text. Again, his success with biblical and religious themes in Midnight Mass makes this text an obvious choice.
'The Phantom Rickshaw' by Rudyard Kipling
There's no room for a singing Disney adaptation here. This 1888 gothic short by Rudyard Kipling follows the story's narrator, Jack, as he finds himself in a love triangle between the woman he had an affair with and his new love. When his spurned lover dies of heartbreak, Jack starts seeing her ghost and spirals into madness. This 19th-century tale would thrive with a Flanagan update.
To date, it doesn't appear that any filmmaker has tackled this story yet with a recognizable adaptation. Bringing to life The Haunting of Hill House reinvented a classic tale that had yet to have a cinematic version horror fans could instantly point to. Any of Flanagan's returning cast members could have the creative freedom to bring Kipling's characters to life for a limited series.