It’s no secret that acclaimed horror writer and directorMike Flanaganprefers to collaborate with the same group of select actors for most of his projects. Even before he started taking over Netflix’s fall programmingwith his masterful miniseries, he had begun cultivating his desired network of actors to cast in his projects. Familiar faces are almost guaranteed to appear in a film or television show Flanagan works on.
Bruce Greenwood, Carla Gugino, Samantha Sloyan, and Henry Thomas are just a few of the many actors who are frequently involved in what fans call the Flanaverse. Flanagan has worked with only one other actor more than the rest: his incredibly talented wife,Kate Siegel.
Siegel and Flanagan first collaborated on the supernatural horror filmOculusin 2013. However, it wasn’t until their slasher adjacent filmHushwas released that Flanagan’s ability to master any subgenre of horror was further proven and established Siegel as a horror heroine. The dynamic couple have worked together on nine films and television shows to date, and have at least one more project lined up, aStephen King adaptation titledThe Life of Chuck. The couple’s work together has resonated with countless horror fans, so here is every Kate Siegel and Mike Flanagan collaboration (so far), ranked.
8Gerald’s Game (2017)
geralds game
Gerald’s Gameis a horror thriller adapted from a Stephen King novel of the same name. It follows a couple who take a weekend trip to a remote lake house to spice up their marriage. When their supposedly innocent game goes awry, Jessie (Carla Gugino) is left handcuffed to the bed and forced to survive and confront her inner demons.
Related:How to Watch Mike Flanagan’s Netflix Shows in Order
Kate Siegel’s Role in Gerald’s Game
Jessie experiences multiple dreams about her childhood when her family also stayed at a lakefront home during a solar eclipse. Siegel plays Jessie’s mother, Sally, in those dreams. Jessie’s flashbacks are focused mainly on her difficult relationship with her father, so we don’t see much of Sally. In those few scenes, we do get to see how strained Jessie’s relationship with her mother was because of the secrets her father made her keep.
Stream Gerald’s Game on Netflix
7Oculus (2013)
Haunted by the violent deaths of their parents 10 years prior, adult siblings Kaylie (Karen Gillan) and Tim (Brenton Thwaites) are now struggling to repair their strained relationship. Kaylie suspects thatthe antique mirrorfrom their childhood home is behind the tragedy and contains a supernatural force that infects the mind of anyone who gazes into it.
Kate Siegel’s Role in Oculus
Siegel had a bigger role in her first project with Flanagan,Oculus. There is indeed a sinister force behind the mirror in the Russell family’s house, and Sigel portrays that evil entity, Marisol Chavez. Marisol was the last victim the mirror claimed before the Russell sibling’s parents, and so she torments Kaylie and Tim through the mirror.
Rent Oculus on Prime Video
6Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)
Ouija: Origin of Evil
A prequel to the 2014 movieOuija,Ouija: Origin of Evilis a much-improved addition to its predecessor thanks to Flanagan’s direction. Set in 1967 Los Angeles, it follows a widowed mother and her two daughters as they implement a new stunt to bolster their seance scam business. In doing so, they unknowingly invite a malevolent spirit into their home that infects the youngest daughter, Doris (Lulu Wilson).
Kate Siegel’s Role in Ouija: Origin of Evil
In this movie, Siegel plays Jenny Browning, one of Alice’s (Elizabeth Reaser) seance clients. Jenny and her husband, Mr. Browning (Sam Anderson), leave the reading less than thrilled when they are frightened in the Zander home. Doris makes it a point to involve Jenny in her tale of terror.
Stream Ouija: Origin of Evil on Netflix
5The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
The Haunting of Bly Manor
After the tragic death of their family’s au pair, wealthy Englishman Henry Wingrave (Henry Thomas) hires an American nanny named Dani (Victoria Pedretti) to care for his niece and nephew after they fall into his care. Soon after arriving, Dani begins to experience strange occurrences and haunting memories as a grim history begins to unravel.
Kate Siegel’s Role in The Haunting of Bly Manor
The Haunting of Bly Manormay not be quite as masterful as Flanagan’s previous Netflix miniseries. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful and tragic story that is more than worthwhile. It also has some of themost creative jump scaresin the Flanaverse. Viola Lloyd, portrayed by Siegel, is the being responsible for the hauntings that occur at Wingrave’s countryside estate. Also referred to as the Lady in the Lake, Viola caused all the deaths of the ghosts roaming the halls of the mansion, going back centuries.
Stream The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix
4The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)
The Fall of the House of Usher
Incorporating many of poet Edgar Allen Poe’s literary works into the story,The Fall of the House of Usherfollows the ruthless Usher siblings Roderick (Bruce Greenwood) and Madeline (Mary McDonnell). They spend decades building their massive pharmaceutical empire, no matter the cost. Over 40 years later, Roderick’s six grown children begin to mysteriously and brutally die.
Kate Siegel’s Role in The Fall of the House of Usher
This is certainly one of their best collaborations to date. The way Poe’s poems and characters are intricately woven into the story is brilliant, and Siegel gives one of her most entertaining and effective performances in their many projects together. She plays Camille L’Espanaye, one of Roderick’s four illegitimate children and the PR head of the family business.
Camille is almost as ruthless as her father, never allowing morals to impede her ability to protect the Usher family image. Her death is, unfortunately, one of the most painful in the entire show.
Stream The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix
3The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
The Haunting of Hill House
Undoubtedly one of Flanagan’s best creations,The Haunting of Hill Houserevolves around the Crain siblings, who as children grew up in what would become the nation’s most famous haunted house. As adults, they are forced to go back after a family tragedy and face the ghosts of their past, some of which may still be lurking in the halls of Hill House.
Kate Siegel’s Role in The Haunting of Hill House
The Crain family consists of six siblings, and Siegel expertly portrays Theodora Craine, one of the older siblings. Throughout the limited series, Theo and her siblings try to understand what happened to their youngest sister, Nell (Victoria Pedretti), and end up uncovering disturbing secrets from their childhood. The show is gut-wrenching and stunning at the same time.
Stream The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix
2Hush (2016)
Both a psychological horror and a slasher film,Hushfollows a deaf and mute writer named Maddie (Siegel) who retreats to a secluded house in the woods to focus on her work. When a masked stranger shows up on her back porch, Maddie is forced to fight for her life in silence with no way to communicate with anyone.
Related:Mike Flanagan Movies and TV Shows, Ranked
Kate Siegel is a Horror Heroine
This film provided Siegel her time to shine as a resilient, resourceful final girl. Her ability to act with only her facial expressions and body language is superb. She also co-wrote the script with Flanagan, further showcasing that they are an epic duo in the horror space. Not only do Siegel and Flanagan work well together as an actress and director respectively, but they are also able to craft compelling stories together as writers.
Stream Hush on Netflix
1Midnight Mass (2021)
Midnight Mass
On Crockett Island, a small and isolated community, existing divisions among residents are amplified by the return of a disgraced young man and the arrival of a charismatic priest. When Father Paul’s (Hamish Linklater) appearance on the island coincides with unexplained and seemingly miraculous events, a renewed religious fervor takes hold of the community. As these miracles continue to occur, so do other unexplained events.
An Emotional, Nuanced Performance by Kate Siegel
Midnight Massis quite possiblyMike Flanagan’s most incredible projectand undoubtedly the best collaboration between him and Siegel. Everything about this show is captivating, enthralling, and devastatingly beautiful. It handles the religious themes and underlying sobriety storyline with grace, while still delivering a shocking and horrifying piece of art.
Siegel effortlessly portrays Erin Greene, one of the island’s two teachers and a woman with a troubled past. Erin has a renewed faith in the Catholic religion, but her deep connection with the island’s disgraced resident Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford) leaves her questioning the so-called “miracles” happening around them.
Stream Midnight Mass on Netflix
