Mike Flanagan’s brand of horror is emotionally pervasive in the best way imaginable. This is evident in his storytelling masterpiece The Haunting of Hill House, a series loosely based on a novel by Shirley Jackson.
Hill House serves as the first season of an anthology; the next installment is The Haunting of Bly Manor. But for those viewers who felt so impacted by Hill House and are still looking for other horrors that can touch them on a personal level, then these are the ideal options.
Midnight Mass (2021)
Stream now on Netflix
Mike Flanagan created a Netflix original streaming horror series in 2021 called Midnight Mass. Unlike his other output for Netflix, including shows like The Haunting of Hill House, this was not based on a preexisting story. However, it shares a lot in common with the sort of horror Stephen King writes, a huge inspiration for Flanagan.
The series features a young man who returns to his hometown on an island after spending four years in prison. However, what he finds when he gets there is not the town he left, but something more horrific. Think of a mix between King’s Storm of the Century and Salem’s Lot.
The X-Files (1993)
Stream now on Hulu
While The Haunting of Hill House was a smaller self-contained series, it featured a strong ghost story and a mystery of what happened. This unravels throughout the series, perfectly plotted by Mike Flanagan. In a different format, The X-Files features a similar story playing out over a much longer period.
Both shows feature a strong mix of fear and mystery. However, both have a sense of family and loss as well. In Hill House, it was the death of their mother and in The X-Files, it was Fox Mulder losing his sister. In both, it was this devastation that pushed them into dark places in their lives.
Stranger Things (2016)
Stream now on Netflix
The two shows seemed very different when they started, but as Stranger Things moved through its seasons, it became darker. What Stranger Things has become now is much closer to the scares offered in The Haunting of Hill House than the bombastic first season.
Both shows featured kids put into a horrible situation they didn’t understand. Both also dealt with evil seeping under the surface, and while Stranger Things hits fans in the face with the evil harder than Hill House, both offer plenty of scares for horror fans.
The Outsider (2020)
Stream now on HBO Max
Mike Flanagan owes a lot of his horror tropes to Stephen King. Flanagan also often moves toward King stories that have more realistic horror that bleeds into a more supernatural twist. In The Outsider, that is exactly what happens as a child murder case turns into something much more evil.
Flanagan loves to show regular people thrown into horrific situations, one that threatens to consume them. In The Outsider, a beloved little league coach ends up arrested when one of his players ends up dead. All evidence points to him, but after someone kills him, a detective learns an ancient evil was responsible and is still a threat.
Ghoul (2018)
Stream now on Netflix
Ghoul is a lesser-known Netflix horror miniseries, but one that has more terrifying scares than its contemporaries. What made Hill House great was that many episodes only hinted at the evil, and it was the sense of dread that pushed people into the dark before springing the terrifying climax.
That is what makes Ghoul so scary. In this Indian horror miniseries, a fascist government rules the world. When a terrorist ends up arrested, a newly recruited military officer sets out to interrogate him. However, when supernatural horrors begin happening, her faith is shaken and eventually shattered.
The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
Stream now on Netflix
Flanagan’s The Haunting franchise expanded in 2020 with The Haunting of Bly Manor, which featured much of the same cast and crew from The Haunting of Hill House in a loose adaptation of Henry James’ work, including The Turn of the Screw.
The story follows an American au pair who comes to live in a British manor to take care of two children, though she soon begins to learn about the dark secrets of Bly Manor in a worthy successor to the original hit Netflix series.
Marianne (2019)
Stream now on Netflix
Another terrifying Netflix show that horror fans should check out immediately is 2019’s Marianne, a French series that follows a young writer who vows to be done with horror, though she soon discovers that horror isn’t quite done with her.
Emma (played by Victoire Du Bois) returns home to explore her past while she deals with the horrors from her stories made real. The series is filled with homages to classic horror films while utilizing newfound tricks of the trade to create an effectively spooky series.
Lovecraft Country (2020)
Stream now on HBO Max
Shows like The Haunting of Hill House succeeded by creating a largely original story using a classic literary work, which is something Lovecraft Country (based on Matt Ruff’s book of the same name) did well by using classic Lovecraftian stories and monsters to explore racism in 1950s America.
The series followed Atticus Freeman (played by Jonathan Majors) as he travels across the country in search of his father with Jurnee Smollet’s Leticia and Courtney B. Vance’s Uncle George as they survived Eldritch horrors and Jim Crow-era America.
Castle Rock (2018)
Stream now on Hulu
Hulu’s Castle Rock series was set in the connected world of Stephen King and explored a number of characters and storylines in the fictional town from the master of horror’s huge literary catalog, which was planned as an anthology series.
The first season blended a number of different stories to tell an original tale, while the second season introduced Lizzy Caplan as Annie Wilkes, the murderous nurse and literary super fan from Stephen King’s hit novel Misery as she finds herself in the Maine town of Castle Rock.
American Horror Story (2011)
Stream now on Hulu & Prime Video
Another horror anthology series that has explored similar elements as shows like The Haunting of Hill House is American Horror Story, the long-running hit FX show from Ryan Murphy that launched with a demonic haunted house story that has featured in later seasons.
The series features quite a few returning cast members who take on new roles as each American Horror Story season explores a new trope of horror that range from twisted hospitals in Asylum to feuding witches in Coven and even classic slashers in 1984, with a tenth season on the way for new fans to work towards.
Dead of Summer (2016)
Buy now on Prime Video
In a Midwestern summer camp during the late 1980s, a diverse group of teens signs up for some sun and fun. What should have been an unforgettable summer for these counselors is soon turned into a deadly one, though. Camp Stillwater houses a dark, lurking secret waiting to be set free.
When Dead of Summer started, audiences expected a garden-variety slasher akin to MTV’s Scream. What they actually got was much better and more original. The characters’ backgrounds are explored in conjunction with the overarching story and the big twist is game-changing. Dead of Summer is the kind of stirring, coming-of-age horror that deserves a bigger audience.
The Returned (2012)
Stream now on AMC+
The lives of people in a small town are turned upside down when those presumed to be dead reappear without logical explanation. They’re not zombies, and they haven’t aged a day either. They also don’t know why they’ve returned, or if this is all merely temporary.
This series is an English-language remake of the French show Les Revenants, which in itself is a spin-off of the 2004 movie of the same name. This adaptation fared rather well with critics, but A&E canceled the series after one season. Nevertheless, The Returned is a carefully plotted and somber saga, perfect for fans who like shows like The Haunting of Hill House.
The Enfield Haunting
Not currently available to stream
The year is 1977. A family living in a council house in Enfield, North London experiences a series of unexplained, frightening incidents. A grieving investigator named Guy Lyon Playfair looks into the situation, which he initially writes off as a scam. The more he examines the evidence, the more Playfair believes the house is being haunted by a malevolent spirit.
The infamous Enfield Poltergeist was a real-life claim of paranormal phenomena. It’s been the subject of some movies for decades. Whether there’s any validity to the haunting isn’t entirely important here, as this 2015 miniseries is assuredly well-acted and produced.
You (2018)
Stream now on Netflix
Beck is a struggling grad student who doesn’t realize she’s being stalked. Joe is a deceptively mild-mannered bookstore clerk who is enamored with Beck. Or rather, he’s obsessed with the idea of Beck. In time, Joe inserts himself into his victim’s life with her being none the wiser.
You went unnoticed when it aired on Lifetime, but its subsequent Netflix run sealed its fate as the perfect water cooler thriller. It’s an uncomfortable drama soaked in tension; audiences can’t always guess what’s about to happen. In the end, You is both an unpleasant and rewarding suspenser that dissects the warped mind of evil hiding in plain sight.
Room 104 (2017)
Stream now on HBO Max
Over the years, many visitors have stayed in room 104 at a small American motel. The decor and fixtures change, but the stories remain intriguing and personal. Creators Mark Duplass and his brother Jay brought the traditional anthology format back to HBO, home of Tales from the Crypt.
In Room 104, fans dive deeply into the psyches of various guests. The intimate inner workings of these characters are put on full display for audiences to behold. Room 104 dabbles in all genres, including horror and suspense. Yet in the end, the categories don’t matter. The writers can conceive terror just as well as incredible poignancy.
Inside No. 9 (2014)
Stream now on britbox
This anthology series explores various tales of the unusual. Each story takes place inside buildings marked in some way with the number nine, and the genres range from dark comedy to horror. Usually, the creators — Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton — star in every episode.
Inside No. 9 is a marvelous anthology that tackles many genres. It has humor and thrills in spades, but there are dramatic episodes that will tug at the heart, too. One particular installment called “The 12 Days of Christine” is especially gut-wrenching. While not overtly supernatural, the episode is heart-rending in the same way as shows like The Haunting of Hill House.
Dark (2017)
Stream now on Netflix
The disappearance of two children in a small German town sets off a mystery. In turn, the secrets of four families — as well as the town itself — are exposed as the search for the missing kids endures.
Initially, the international sci-fi series Dark on Netflix was likened to Stranger Things in reviews. As people watched more of the series, they realized Dark was in fact less about nostalgia and more about probing the lives of flawed people. In addition, critics found the show to be more similar to Twin Peaks. Dark finished after a third and final season.
The Terror (2018)
Stream now on Hulu
In the first season, the Royal Navy enters uncharted territory during their pursuit of the Northwest Passage. Once they are stranded, they encounter a horrifying and ancient entity. The second season — subtitled Infamy — follows the paranormal events taking place inside a WWII internment camp.
The Terror is a model example of how to pull off pensive period horror. The first season is based on Dan Simmon’s 2007 novel The Terror, but Infamy stems from an original concept. Both seasons incite horror by being crafty and taking the long route. The scares are less jumpy and more measured, a good comparison to shows like The Haunting of Hill House.
Twin Peaks (1990)
Stream now on Paramount+
The tragic loss of a teenager in the logging community of Twin Peaks affects everyone, from her parents and friends to people who didn’t realize they knew her. When an FBI special agent is called in to investigate the victim’s murder, he then uncovers a web of lies and secrets tied to the teen’s death.
David Lynch’s Twin Peaks is the definition of a cult television show. It was originally canceled after two seasons, but this mystery series has stayed relevant for nearly three decades thanks to devoted fans. A revival in 2017 was met with positive reviews, too.
Channel Zero (2016)
Stream now on AMC+
In this seasonal anthology series based on creepy stories originating online, different casts of characters come across unspeakable evils. In Candle Cove, a children’s show could be connected to one man’s brother’s disappearance in the first season. A group of young people’s lives are forever changed after visiting a haunted attraction in the second season’s No-End House.
Sisters investigate a series of disappearances in the third season’s Butcher’s Block and newlyweds discover a secret door in their new home in season 4’s The Dream Door. Channel Zero surpassed all expectations when it was announced Syfy was producing a show inspired by creepypasta. It became one of the most dramatic and heady horrors to grace cable television in ages.
