Mike Flanagan Names His Favorite Nineties Horror Movies, From ‘Candyman’ to ‘Ghostwatch’
Few filmmakers are as closely tied to modern horror as Mike Flanagan. The creator behind ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ has spent years building a reputation as one of the genre’s most devoted fans as well as one of its most respected storytellers.
This Halloween season, he is sharing that fandom directly with viewers. Tumblr has been rolling out a 31-film HalloWatchlist curated by Flanagan, with a new batch of his all-time favorite scary movies arriving every Monday in October. Each title comes with a few words from him and a piece of fan art.
The latest installment arrived on October 19 and covers the 1990s, and it is packed with cult favorites and underrated gems. Flanagan picked 6 films: ‘The Exorcist III’, ‘Jacob’s Ladder’, ‘Candyman’, ‘Ghostwatch’, ‘Wes Craven’s New Nightmare’ and ‘In the Mouth of Madness’. It’s a list that skips the obvious blockbusters and leans toward dread, mind-bending imagery and horror that turns on itself.
Mike Flanagan has recommended six of his favorite 1990s horror movies. The list includes: Wes Craven’s New Nightmare Candyman Ghostwatch In the Mouth of Madness Jacob’s Ladder The Exorcist III Source: Tumblr https://t.co/mV0e2Qbv6J
— Bloody Disgusting (@BDisgusting) October 21, 2026
Two of the picks open the decade. ‘The Exorcist III’, released in 1990, earns his praise as a “wildly underrated sequel,” and he singles out its performances and one of the best scares in horror history. ‘Jacob’s Ladder’, also from 1990, is described as mind-bending existential horror with unforgettable imagery and a final act that has fueled discussion for decades.
From 1992, he chose ‘Candyman’, which he calls one of the greatest examples of urban folklore he has ever seen. Alongside it sits ‘Ghostwatch’, the BBC Halloween special staged as a live investigation of a haunted house in suburban London. His advice to anyone who hasn’t seen it is simple, to “read nothing about it.”
The decade closes with a pair from 1994, both about horror turning on itself. ‘Wes Craven’s New Nightmare’ is praised for deconstructing the franchise Craven created before the era of ‘Scream’, and ‘In the Mouth of Madness’ is called John Carpenter’s apocalyptic masterpiece and one of the most underrated films of the decade. All of those comments appeared in the Tumblr post that revealed the list.
Looking at the six together, a thread emerges. Several of the films are about stories that slip loose from the people telling them, whether it’s a fictional show that blurs into reality, a franchise that collapses in on itself, or a book that bends the world around it. That idea runs through much of what Flanagan has made himself, including his eight-episode ‘Carrie’ for Prime Video.
‘Ghostwatch’ may be the most unusual choice on the list, and also the one that fits best with what horror has become. Its fake-live format is the same style that modern horror keeps borrowing back.
The list lands at a big moment for the filmmaker. ‘Clayface’, a DC Studios body horror movie built on a script he wrote, hits theaters on October 23. Flanagan has stressed that the finished film belongs to director James Watkins and has said he hadn’t even seen it yet.
He also has ‘The Exorcist: Martyrs’ on the way, which he has called the scariest movie he has ever made. At Blumhouse’s New York Comic Con panel, he singled out ‘The Exorcist III’ as one of the most underrated and underappreciated films in the franchise, and said it came up while developing the new movie. That makes his decision to include it on this list feel especially fitting.
His love for ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ is also no secret. He has said he would love to take on the Freddy Krueger franchise someday, which makes the inclusion of ‘Wes Craven’s New Nightmare’ a natural pick.
Tumblr has already shared Flanagan’s picks from the 1960s and 1970s, which include ‘The Exorcist’, ‘Don’t Look Now’ and ‘Kwaidan’, along with his 1980s selections like ‘The Shining’, ‘The Thing’ and ‘Hellraiser’. The 2000s are next, and Tumblr has teased that they are “thirsty.”
If you want a Halloween watchlist handpicked by one of horror’s biggest fans, this is a good place to start. Most of the titles lean toward atmosphere and dread over splatter, which matches Flanagan’s own taste.
Which of Flanagan's six picks would you watch first this Halloween?
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!
