Fascinated by Stephen King, Brian De Palma, and Steven Spielberg, Mike Flanagan grew up making movies with friends. Around the time he got to college, he started making shorts, digital features, and skits until he realized his fascination with the horror genre.

As the creator of 'The Haunting of Hill House,' Flanagan wanted to create something unique for the streaming platform, Netflix. The description for the 10-episode series reads, “Flashing between past and present, a fractured family confronts haunting memories of their old home and the terrifying events that drove them from it.”

In this exclusive interview, Flanagan talks about creating a horror series on the foundation of a family drama, how to weave together complicated narratives, the twists and turns of the series, the necessity of rewatchability and Easter eggs, what’s next for the series in Season 2, and how he plans to approach 'Doctor Sleep,' which is Stephen King’s sequel to 'The Shining.'

The print version of this interview is also available on Creative Screenwriting’s website, and if you enjoyed this interview, join thousands of viewers for the new YouTube series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5