American novelist Stephen King hailed filmmaker Mike Flanagan as the Quentin Tarantino of horror, praising the latter’s 2023 film The Fall of the House of Usher over its ‘unique horror style’ presentation.

On Sunday, King, who watched the film recently, revealed on social media that he missed watching it two years ago after its release due to his hip surgery. He labelled his eventual viewing a case of “delayed gratification.”

“THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (Netflix): I missed this when it bowed due to hip surgery, but this is a case of delayed gratification. Scary, involving, with writing that's witty and moves the plot. There's a case to be made for Mike Flanagan being the Quentin Tarantino of horror,” King wrote on X.

The Fall of the House of Usher is a Netflix Gothic horror drama mini-series, which stars Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Willa Fitzgerald, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel and Mary McDonnell in lead roles.

The eight-episode series, which is loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe’s 1840 eponymous novel, revolves around the siblings Roderick (Bruce) and Madeline Usher (Mary), who have built a pharmaceutical company into an empire of wealth, privilege and power.

However, the story took a sinister turn after secrets came to light when the heirs to the Usher dynasty started dying.

Flanagan’s filmography includes other acclaimed horror fictions like The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass and Doctor Sleep.

Stephen King and Mike Flanagan earlier collaborated on the 2024 film The Life of Chuck. Based on King’s 2020 novella, The Life of Chuck, which stars Tom Hiddleston, follows the story of Charles ‘Chuck’ Krantz, who experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained around him.