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32-412: The Last Vampire series (later rebranded as Thirst ) consists of books written by Christopher Pike and chronicles the life of Sita, a 5,000-year-old vampire . The Last Vampire was published in 1994. Sequels were originally published as numbered "The Last Vampire" titles. The Last Vampire 2: Black Blood was published later in 1994, and The Last Vampire 3: Red Dice followed in 1995. 1996 saw

64-479: A character with pyrokinesis (psychic ability to start and control fire), which he later eliminated upon the request of his editor. The book was then re-written as a mystery thriller about a group of teenagers who encounter bizarre and violent events during a skiing weekend. His editor sold the book to Scholastic Press, which released it in 1985. Pike's next novel, Weekend , was also published through Scholastic. He would later publish one more novel through Scholastic,

96-525: A found footage film or rejected Flanagan's stipulation that he direct the feature-length adaptation. Flanagan directed Absentia (2011), which was financed through a Kickstarter campaign, in response to this rejection. Made for $ 70,000 and filmed in his Glendale, California , apartment, Absentia was released direct-to-video but gained popularity when Netflix offered it on its streaming service. After its surprise success, Flanagan continued to shop Oculus around. Intrepid Pictures took an interest in

128-552: A partner in Intrepid Pictures and that the duo had signed an exclusive overall deal with Netflix to produce television content. In July 2019, as part of that overall deal, Netflix ordered Flanagan's original horror series Midnight Mass . Flanagan wrote, directed and served as showrunner on the seven-episode series, which was released in September 2021 to critical acclaim after a production delay in 2020 caused by

160-519: A relationship with actress Courtney Bell, who starred in his film Absentia , and with whom he has a son. In February 2016, he married actress and frequent collaborator Kate Siegel , with whom he has a son and a daughter. Flanagan spent years studying various religions, later describing Midnight Mass as a passion project that was "deeply personal" and dealt intimately with his Catholic upbringing and his eventual atheism , as well as his sobriety. Executive producer Editor only Flanagan

192-473: A statement via his fan page on Facebook. He says, Michael Preger (Preger Entertainment LLC) is very interested in "The Last Vampire" and is keen to "keep the story and the character of Sita intact." Pike says "Since completing the deal with Michael, we’ve talked at length about the film and I’m even more confident than ever that he’ll do the books justice." The deal is reported to be valued in the mid to high six figures. Christopher Pike (author) McFadden

224-575: Is an American filmmaker, best known for his horror work. Flanagan wrote, directed, produced, and edited the horror films Absentia (2011), Oculus (2013), Hush , Before I Wake , Ouija: Origin of Evil (all 2016), Gerald's Game (2017), and Doctor Sleep (2019). He created, wrote, produced, and served as showrunner on the Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House (2018), The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), Midnight Mass (2021), The Midnight Club (2022), and The Fall of

256-420: Is slated to be released as a feature film. As of September 2010, FilmNation has acquired the screen rights to The Last Vampire series. As of April 2013, according to Pike's official Facebook page, the author has retrieved the movie rights from FilmNation and hopes to find a production company that will remain closer to his original vision of his main characters. On September 20, 2013, Christopher Pike released

288-521: The COVID-19 pandemic . In May 2020 it was announced that Flanagan would adapt numerous novels by Christopher Pike into a new series, titled The Midnight Club , for Netflix. Flanagan co-created the series and serves as executive producer and showrunner. In October 2021 it was announced that Flanagan would create The Fall of the House of Usher , an eight-episode limited series for Netflix based on

320-476: The rough cut . In 2018, Flanagan created, wrote, directed, produced, and edited the Netflix supernatural horror series The Haunting of Hill House , based on Shirley Jackson 's novel of the same name . In 2019, Flanagan wrote and directed the horror film Doctor Sleep , based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King , itself the sequel to his previous novel The Shining . Ewan McGregor stars as

352-400: The short story of the same name and other works by Edgar Allan Poe . Flanagan directed four episodes of the series, with the other four helmed by his longtime cinematographer Michael Fimognari . In May 2024, Flanagan left Intrepid Pictures to launch his own company, Red Room Pictures. In May 2023, it was announced that Flanagan would adapt King's drama novella The Life of Chuck from

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384-535: The 1986 Chain Letter , after which he engaged mainly with Simon and Schuster. Pike continued to write several young adult novels, and also juvenile novels comprising the series Spooksville , as well as several adult novels such as his 1990 book, Sati . Spooksville was adapted into a television series in 2013 for the Hub network (now known as Discovery Family ). On November 25, 1996, Pike's novel Fall Into Darkness

416-489: The House of Usher (2023), also directing and editing some episodes of each. Flanagan is married to actress Kate Siegel , who has been featured in most of his works since Oculus . They also wrote the screenplay of Hush together. Other frequent collaborators include Carla Gugino , Henry Thomas , Samantha Sloyan , Rahul Kohli , Bruce Greenwood , Zach Gilford , Michael Trucco , Annalise Basso , Lulu Wilson , Annabeth Gish , Katie Parker and Alex Essoe . Mike Flanagan

448-536: The Plan , which he made for $ 1,500. Flanagan originally intended for the Oculus story to be told in a series of short films, but he could not find the financing. Instead, he shot the chapter that included a back story and used that to demonstrate that he could direct a horror film. The short proved popular at film festivals, and producers were interested in developing the concept. However, they either wanted to shoot it as

480-510: The beginning of his next planned entry in the series, Thirst No. 6: Sita , which he intends to self-publish upon its completion. After stating in 2016 that the story would extend into a seventh and eighth book, Pike announced in 2020 that Sita's story will end with Thirst No. 7 , also to be self-published. According to the Simon & Schuster author page, the Thirst ( The Last Vampire ) series

512-465: The company filed for bankruptcy. After a year in bankruptcy court, Relativity announced that Before I Wake would be released on April 8, 2016, but missed that date as the company struggled to get back on its feet. The film was then scheduled for September 9, 2016, but Relativity once again pulled the film three weeks ahead of this date, prompting a public argument between Flanagan and Relativity CEO Ryan Kavanaugh on Twitter ; Kavanaugh claimed September 9

544-409: The concept and agreed to let Flanagan direct. The feature version of Oculus was filmed in 2012 and released theatrically by Relativity Media in 2014. Flanagan shot his next film, Before I Wake , in 2013. It was acquired by Relativity Media in 2014 and was originally scheduled for release on May 8, 2015, but was pushed back to September 25, 2015, and later pulled from the schedule entirely when

576-491: The film had its world premiere at SXSW in March 2016 and was released exclusively on Netflix on April 8, 2016 to positive reviews. In 2017 Flanagan directed, wrote, and edited the psychological horror film Gerald's Game , based on the 1992 novel of the same title by Stephen King . The film was released on Netflix on September 29, 2017 to critical acclaim. King called the film "hypnotic, horrifying and terrific" after watching

608-571: The film was released in October 2016, grossing over $ 81 million worldwide. Around the same time, it was revealed that Flanagan had been working on a "secret project" called Hush . Written in 2014 and filmed in March 2015, the project was kept confidential until a screening at the Toronto Film Festival . Written by Flanagan and lead actress Kate Siegel , and also starring John Gallagher Jr. , Michael Trucco , and Samantha Sloyan ,

640-409: The first episode of his series The Midnight Club (2022) set a new Guinness World Record for the most jump scares in a single episode of television with 21. However, Flanagan stated that this jump-scare sequence was in direct response to studio notes requesting more jump scares, and he designed this 21-scare scene so that the "jump scare(s) would be rendered meaningless." Flanagan was formerly in

672-576: The individual titles as "The Last Vampire," "Black Blood," and "Red Dice." In 2010, the next three novels were similarly republished as a single volume, Thirst No. 2: Deepest Desire, Instant Remorse , identified as consisting of "Phantom," "Evil Thirst," and "Creatures of Forever." When Pike wrote further novels in the series, they continued under the "Thirst" name and numbering: Thirst No. 3: The Eternal Dawn (2010), Thirst No. 4: The Shadow of Death (2011), and Thirst No. 5: The Sacred Veil (2013). On his Facebook page, Pike has shared different versions of

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704-515: The older version of Danny Torrance in the film, which was released in November. In February 2019, The Haunting of Hill House was renewed for a stand-alone second season , titled The Haunting of Bly Manor , based on the novel The Turn of the Screw by Henry James . It premiered in 2020. Around the same time, it was also announced that Flanagan had joined frequent collaborator Trevor Macy as

736-410: The publication of three additional titles over a span of six months: The Last Vampire 4: Phantom , The Last Vampire 5: Evil Thirst , and The Last Vampire 6: Creatures of Forever . In 2009, the first three novels were republished in a new omnibus edition entitled Thirst No. 1: Human Urges, Fatal Consequences . The series' new branding drops "The Last Vampire" from all titles beyond the first, listing

768-562: The short story collection If It Bleeds into a feature film starring Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill . The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2024, where it won the People's Choice Award . In July 2024, Flanagan was confirmed to write a segment for V/H/S/Beyond , which was released exclusively on Shudder on October 4, 2024. In April 2021, Flanagan

800-509: The stories the kids tell [each other] will be other Christopher Pike books", with a plan for the series to last multiple seasons. However in December 2022 it was announced the series had been cancelled after only one season. (Christopher Pike only wrote one book of this forty-seven book series. Other writers of this series include Caroline B. Cooney and Diane Hoh .) Mike Flanagan (filmmaker) Mike Flanagan (born May 20, 1978)

832-539: Was a "bad date" while Flanagan suggested that Relativity was financially unable to release the film. Relativity never released the film as Kavanaugh sold the company to Singaporean social network YuuZoo in October 2016, with Netflix eventually acquiring the rights to the film and releasing it in January 2018. Flanagan wrote and directed Ouija: Origin of Evil , which starred Elizabeth Reaser , Henry Thomas , and Annalise Basso . Production began in September 2015, and

864-844: Was a student at Archbishop Spalding High School before attending Towson University . He graduated with a BA , majoring in Electronic Media & Film and minoring in Theater. Flanagan's student films were more oriented toward melodrama. He later characterized them as "unfit for public consumption" but called them "incredible learning experiences". After graduating, he directed Ghosts of Hamilton Street (2003), filmed in Maryland with local actors, including Scott Graham, whom Flanagan met at Towson. Graham would go on to star in Flanagan's 2006 short film, Oculus: Chapter 3 – The Man with

896-580: Was adapted into a television movie of the same name , produced by his company Christopher Pike Productions. His novels The Midnight Club and The Season of Passage have both been optioned, for a television series and movie, by movie-maker Mike Flanagan for Netflix . The Midnight Club was released on Netflix on October 7, 2022. Two days after the series' release, on October 9, Flanagan confirmed that Netflix had in fact optioned "28 books" of Pike's, and that he had advocated The Midnight Club television series as " ' The Midnight Club ' — but

928-475: Was announced to be developing a film for Universal Pictures based on the Christopher Pike novel The Season of Passage . In December 2022, Flanagan and his partner production company, Intrepid Pictures signed a first-look overall TV deal with Amazon Studios . Flanagan also owns the television rights to The Dark Tower , a series of fantasy novels written by Stephen King . By May 2024, Flanagan

960-537: Was born in New York City in 1955, but grew up in California . He attended college briefly before quitting and working various jobs such as house painting and computer programming. He initially tried writing science fiction and adult mystery , but later began writing teen thrillers due to an editor's suggestion. His first novel, Slumber Party , was written initially as a supernatural thriller containing

992-575: Was born in Salem, Massachusetts , on May 20, 1978. His family moved around often due to his father's job in the U.S. Coast Guard , at one point living on Governors Island . Although he only briefly lived in Salem, it left an impression on him, and he retained an interest in both the Salem witch trials and associated topics such as ghost stories and horror fiction. He later lived in Maryland , where he

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1024-773: Was in talks to direct the next film in The Exorcist franchise. Later that month, Flanagan was confirmed to be directing a new Exorcist film as a reboot with plans for a new trilogy being scrapped following the reception of The Exorcist: Believer . The film is scheduled for release on March 13, 2026. In October 2024, Flanagan announced he was developing a television series adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie for Amazon MGM Studios . Flanagan's work has attracted praise from figures such as William Friedkin , Stephen King , and Quentin Tarantino for his directing style and lack of reliance on jump scares . Ironically,

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