Mike Flanagan is back with another scary Netflix release, The Fall of the House of Usher. A modern twist on a classic E.A. Poe tale, Flanagan once again brilliantly thrills this spooky season – and all with an already familiar cast.
Flanagan’s fans already know he likes to frequently work with the same actors, but “newbies” interested in his work might not be familiar with the fact. His knack for discovering and pushing talent is often what attracts viewers to return to his creations. Victoria Pedretti (The Haunting of Hill House) and T’Nia Miller (The Haunting of Bly Manor) are among the famous acting names who worked with Flanagan on two projects each. Other actors have reached higher milestones in the Flanaganverse – but who are they?
10 Igby Rigney
This young actor became notable in Flanagan’s dark horror series Midnight Mass as the younger brother of the main protagonist, Riley (Zach Gilford). Though Igby Rigney displayed brilliant acting chops in this series, he thrived in Flanagan’s teenage mystery horror The Midnight Club as one of the kids in hospice; in fact, many would argue that, among the ensemble cast, Rigney was often the lead.
Though The Midnight Club got prematurely canceled after ending on a cliffhanger, it was a stepping stone for numerous young talents, including Rigney. His total number of projects with Flanagan is three, with the third being The Fall of the House of Usher, where he plays a recurring role as Toby.
9 Michael Trucco
A heartbreaker in the 90s, Michael Trucco established himself in numerous recurring roles across various hit series – Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Beverly Hills, and 90210 are just some of those projects. Despite that, many science-fiction lovers will probably see Trucco and say “Hey, that’s Anders from Battlestar Galactica!”
While Trucco has a great resume, newer viewers will probably recognize him the best from four Flanaganverse projects – Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, Hush, and now The Fall of the House of Usher, where he appears as Rufus Griswold. And if someone’s watching all these projects because of Trucco, all the more power to him – he’s brilliant in each one.
8 Annabeth Gish
A teen actor who successfully transitioned into great acting projects as an adult, Annabeth Gish has a long list of projects to boast about. She honed her skills with Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza, Kevin Costner in Wyatt Earp, and was directed by Oliver Stone in Nixon. Gish was often the supporting actress that could easily outshine the lead.
Flanagan recognized her prowess, ultimately hiring her for four projects, starting with one of his bigger feature films, Before I Wake. Viewers could also see Gish in Hill House as Mrs. Dudley, in Midnight Mass as the intelligent doctor Sarah, and as of recently, in a smaller role in The Fall of the House of Usher as the mother of Roderick and Madeline Usher.
7 Rahul Kohli
Many a fan favorite, Rahul Kohli started getting more exposure on social media and in his acting career after he started working with Flanagan. This seems to be a match made in heaven, as the actor reaches new heights with his performances in the Flanaganverse. Kohli has starred in some of Flanagan’s best projects to date.
Kohli was previously known for portraying Ravi in iZombie but wooed even wider audiences after playing the kind chef Owen in The Haunting of Bly Manor. After returning as Sheriff Hassan in Midnight Mass, it became apparent Kohli was meant for the Flanaganverse. His total of projects done with Flanagan is five, with The Fall of the House of Usher as the latest, where he plays Napoleon Leo Usher.
6 Robert Longstreet
Fans may have seen Robert Longstreet in Flanagan’s series without even realizing it was him. In The Midnight Club and The Fall of the House of Usher, he’s barefaced, as opposed to his appearance in Midnight Mass, where he has a long, prominent beard. Despite this small but still significant change in appearance, Longstreet maintains the integrity of his performances throughout.
Bev Keane may be the villain of Midnight Mass, but Longstreet’s Joe Collie is the character audiences couldn’t help but root for. His gut-punching performance left a mark on fans, though his appearance as Mr. Dudley in Hill House didn’t pull any punches, either. His fifth project with Flanagan was the critically acclaimed Doctor Sleep, one of the best Stephen King adaptations made.
5 Samantha Sloyan
Midnight Mass is a profound and slightly infuriating character study with every actor giving it their all, but the hat must go off to Samantha Sloyan for her role as Bev Keane, the religious fanatic and the show’s undoubted villain. Sloyan has been pretty underestimated in the acting world, which will surely now change, thanks to Flanagan.
She also appeared in The Midnight Club as the mysterious woman in the woods named Shasta, in Hill House as Leigh Crain, and is now among the main cast in The Fall of the House of Usher as Tamerlane Usher. The future is bright for Samantha Sloyan after having appeared in four Flanagan projects; considering her massive talent, she’s bound to appear in more, which many fans of the director would surely not mind at all.
4 Carla Gugino
One of the most prominent names on the Flanaganverse roster, Carla Gugino reached new heights after finding her footing as a horror heroine. Gugino was often cast in smaller roles, but Flanagan saw potential and gave her the spotlight in Gerald’s Game. In a sea of unsatisfying Stephen King adaptations, Gerald’s Game is among the most successful and frightening ones.
Much due to Flanagan’s understanding and respect for the source material, but a lot due to Gugino carrying the film as the lead. Since then, she appeared in four other Flanagan projects: Hill House, Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and now, The Fall of the House of Usher. Silk Spectre from Watchmen is now a bona fide scream queen and a great one at that.
3 Katie Parker
Some might say Katie Parker got her big break thanks to Flanagan; his first, Kickstarter-funded horror feature, Absentia, sees Parker in the lead as a woman searching for her missing husband. On IMDb, her acting credits only have one thing before Absentia, but many other projects later, including five of Flanagan’s.
Longtime collaborators Flanagan and Parker joined forces in Doctor Sleep, Hill House, Bly Manor, and The Midnight Club. She appears for the sixth time, in The Fall of the House of Usher, and has a majorly iconic role – she’s none other than the titular character of E.A. Poe’s biggest poem, Annabel Lee.
2 Henry Thomas
It seems Henry Thomas was slightly forgotten after his childhood fame; the boy from E.T. has been a fantastic actor from a young age, but his career was once again the center of attention after his collaboration with Flanagan on Hill House. Thomas starred in eight out of thirteen Mike Flanagan projects, including all five of his Netflix series.
That’s no small feat for one actor, but Thomas always shows a different side to his talent in all these series. The two seemingly established an incredible working relationship, so much so that Flanagan’s projects might be hard to picture without Henry Thomas from now on. He plays Frederick Usher in The Fall of the House of Usher.
1 Kate Siegel
Some might be unfamiliar with this fact, but Kate Siegel and Mike Flanagan are husband and wife. Siegel is undoubtedly his muse, and she can pull off any role Flanagan devises for her. She played the lead in the home invasion horror Hush, the vulnerable and soulful Erin in Midnight Mass, and the tough Theo Crain in Hill House, to name just a few.
Siegel, much like Henry Thomas, brings something new and refreshing to each project Flanagan directs her in, giving her full permission to give it her all. This formula works, as Siegel and Flanagan worked together on eight projects; Siegel was even the co-writer on Hush. In The Fall of the House of Usher, she is in the main cast as Camille.
