Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King Adaptation Can Rival James Wan’s Lovecraft Movie

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Mike Flanagan, known for his work adapting horror stories, has completed another movie based on the writings of Stephen King. This new film could be a strong competitor to James Wan’s upcoming adaptation of Lovecraftian horror.

Mike Flanagan has a perfect record when adapting Stephen King’s stories. While his adaptations haven’t always been blockbuster successes, critics and audiences consistently love them. That’s why fans are excited about his next Stephen King project.

The book he’s adapting now is heavily influenced by the style of H.P. Lovecraft, and the resulting film is expected to be a strong rival to James Wan’s planned Lovecraft adaptation.

Mike Flanagan Is Adapting One Of The Most Lovecraftian Stephen King Stories

Mike Flanagan is set to create a new version of Stephen King’s The Mist. While The Mist has been adapted for both film and television before, the movie version has gained a dedicated fanbase thanks to its dark and unsettling ending, which many compare to the style of H.P. Lovecraft. In fact, The Mist is often considered Stephen King’s most successful attempt at capturing the same kind of cosmic horror that Lovecraft is known for.

Novels such as Revival hint at cosmic horror, but The Mist really captures the essence of H.P. Lovecraft’s signature “fear of the unknown.” It includes classic elements like portals to terrifying dimensions and enormous, creature-like monsters, making it a truly Lovecraftian story.

Thematically, The Mist powerfully illustrates how small and vulnerable humanity is when faced with the immensity of the universe. It effectively blends elements from several classic HP Lovecraft tales, including From Beyond, At the Mountain of Madness, and The Call of Cthulhu, creating a truly terrifying experience.

Mike Flanagan, known for his skill in horror, hasn’t yet created a story fully based on the terrifying style of H.P. Lovecraft. His upcoming adaptation of The Mist will be his first venture into cosmic horror, letting him try something new while still showcasing his talent for directing scary content. He’s expressed interest in Lovecraft’s work before, telling Syfy he’d “love to do [H.P.] Lovecraft.”

Because of this, it will be fascinating to see his version of The Mist, particularly considering the existing adaptation is already so well-done.

Mike Flanagan’s The Mist Can Be The Perfect Rival To James Wan’s The Call Of Cthulhu

I’m really excited to hear that James Wan is also diving into H.P. Lovecraft! Apparently, he’s been quietly working on an adaptation of The Call of Cthulhu for a while now, and he’s always considered it his ultimate dream project. It’s cool that both he and Mike Flanagan are finally tackling pure Lovecraftian horror – it’ll be the first time either of them has directed something like this, as far as I know.

Now that two major horror studios are making movies based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, we might finally see truly epic, big-budget cosmic horror films.

The two movies might compete with each other, depending on when they’re released. But Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Mist appears to have a stronger chance of success. This is because King’s book only uses Lovecraftian ideas lightly and tells a relatively straightforward story. The Call of Cthulhu, on the other hand, is more focused on creating a mood and is very abstract, which makes it much harder to turn into a movie.

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2026-02-16 06:38