One of the horror genre's greatest modern minds is arguably Mike Flanagan. While the filmmaker is especially notable for bringing terrifying concepts to movies like Doctor Sleep and television shows like The Haunting of Hill House without relying on the popular genre technique of jump scares, over the years, he’s made a habit of employing familiar actors into his work in ways that makes one want to take a double take.
With the Edgar Allan Poe adaptation The Fall Of The House of Usher set to bring in a number of his returning players, it’s time to answer the question of which actors have appeared in the most of Flanagan's movies and TV shows. Let’s dig in:
Kate Siegel (8)
When it comes to the actor who has been in the most of Mike Flanagan’s projects, the answer is currently actually tied between two great talents. The first one, who is arguably Mike Flanagan’s greatest muse, since she is also his wife in real life and the mother to two of his children, is Kate Siegel, who has been in eight of his projects. The actress first starred in Flanagan’s second feature film 2013’s Oculus as the movie’s main evil spirit, Marisol.
Siegel has since found roles in three other Flanagan movies, including by leading 2016’s Hush and has also been part of four out of five of his Netflix series: The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass and The Fall of the House of Usher. In the latest series, she plays a silver-haired PR lead named Camille L'Espanaye.
Henry Thomas (8)
The other actor involved in the tie for the most appearances in Mike Flanagan movies and TV shows is Henry Thomas. The actor, who's famous for playing Elliot as a kid in E.T., first collaborated with Flanagan in 2016’s Ouija: Origin of Evil as Father Tom Hogan. After that he has played two key roles in two other films: Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, the latter being the most notable considering he played The Shining’s most iconic character, Jack Torrance. Thomas also has the honor of finding a role in every Mike Flanagan Netflix series yet, including The Fall of the House of Usher, where he’ll play Frederick Usher.
Katie Parker (6)
Just behind Kate Siegel and Henry Thomas for the most appearances in Mike Flanagan movie and/or TV shows is Katie Parker with six thus far. Parker starred in the filmmakers first feature film ever, 2011’s Absentia in one of her own first roles. Since then, you can also find her as Silent Sarey in Doctor Sleep and four out of five Netflix series as well: The Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor, The Midnight Club and The Fall of the House of Usher. You might remember her haunting the halls of Hill House as Poppy Hill, Bly Manor’s attic ghost, or The Midnight Club’s founder of the Paragon, Aceso.
Carla Gugino (5)
Leading Mike Flanagan’s five-time club is Carla Gugino. The actress already had a massive list of credits when she first worked with Mike Flanagan as the lead of 2017’s chilling Gerald’s Game, but the pair clearly love working with each other considering she’s found a place in almost every Flanagan Netflix series since. From playing Hill House’s matriarch Olivia Crain, to The Storyteller in Bly Manor, the Judge in Midnight Mass, and leading Usher as Verna, Gugino is another clear favorite actress of the filmmaker.
Robert Longstreet (5)
The second five-timer of three is Robert Longstreet, who has been seemingly working on Mike Flanagan sets nonstop since his first project with him in The Haunting of Hill House. After playing Horace Dudley in Flanagan’s first Netflix series, he played one member of the True Knot, Barry the Chunk, in Doctor Sleep a year later. Longstreet then starred in Midnight Mass and The Midnight Club is supporting roles before making his way to House of Usher, where he plays a character named Mr. Longfellow.
Samantha Sloyan (5)
Samantha Sloyan first worked with Mike Flanagan in 2016’s Hush as the next door neighbor to Kate Siegel’s final girl before being part of all the Flana-verse Netflix shows except for Bly Manor. She played the wife of Steven Crain in Hill House before stealing the show with an incredible performance as Bev Keane in Midnight Mass. A year later, she played a completely different role in The Midnight Club as Shasta. Next, she plays one of the daughters of the Usher family once the 2023 Netflix TV show premieres.
Annabeth Gish (4)
Now to the current four-timers of the Flana-verse. Annabeth Gish, who you might also recognize from Mystic Pizza or The X-Files, first starred in a Flanagan-helmed project in 2016 with Before You Wake. The horror project also starring Kate Bosworth and Jacob Tremblay follows a couple who adopt an orphaned child whose dreams and nightmares manifest physically when he sleeps. Since then, Gish played Clara Dudley in Hill House, Dr. Sarah Gunning in Midnight Mass and plays a character named Eliza in The Fall of the House of Usher.
Rahul Kohli (4)
Rahul Kohli has been a resident of Mike Flanagan’s Netflix shows since starring in The Haunting of Bly Manor as Owen Sharma, the resident’s cook. He’s been on a Flanagan set every year since, finding a powerful role of Sheriff Hassan in Midnight Mass in 2021 before being in the memorable episode “See You Later” in last year’s The Midnight Club. Next, he’ll play the role of Napoleon Usher in the latest of Flanagan Netflix series, which is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s works this time around.
Michael Trucco (4)
Michael Trucco, who is also noted for his recurring role in Battlestar Galactica, has also been cast in four roles by Mike Flanagan over the years. Like Sloyan, his first feature with the horror filmmaker was Hush where he played the boyfriend to Kate Siegel’s Maddie. Years later, Trucco reunited with the writer/director to play the mayor of Crockett Island, Wade Scarborough. In Midnight Club, he had a small role in Episode 5, titled “See You Later,” alongside Rahul Kohli, and he's also in The Fall of the House of Usher as Rufus Wilmot Griswold.
Bruce Greenwood (4)
Prior to Bruce Greenwood leading the cast of The Fall of the House of Usher as Roderick Usher in his latest role with Mike Flanagan, he’s been part of three other projects. Like Carla Gugino, his first role was in Gerald’s Game as Gerald himself. Then he jumped to another Stephen King adaptation of Flanagan’s by playing Dr. John Dalton in Doctor Sleep. The fourth appearance is rather difficult to find, but Flanagan did reveal it to Variety. Greenwood plays a ghost in Episode 5 of The Haunting of Hill House, but he was uncredited. The cameo was Flanagan’s way of creating a mini-Gerald’s Game reunion since Gugino and Thomas are also both in the scene.
Alex Essoe (4)
Rounding out Mike Flanagan’s four-timer club is Alex Essoe, who got to play the role of Wendy Torrance in Doctor Sleep following Shelley Long’s intense experience on The Shining playing the same character for Stanley Kubrick’s movie. Essoe then played the role of the late Charlotte Wingrave, the mother of Flora and Owen, whose death incites the children’s move to Bly Manor. Essoe’s frequency for playing mother figures continues in Midnight Mass where she plays Mildred Gunning, an old woman with dementia. Essoe also appeared in Episode 8 of The Midnight Club called “Road to Nowhere” as Poppy Corn.
Matt Biedel (3)
Let’s round out this list with two more notable actors who have each appeared in three of Mike Flanagan’s projects. Matt Biedel has found roles in both of Flanagan’s Midnight series, first playing Crockett Island’s handyman Sturge in Midnight Mass before playing Ilonka’s foster father Tim in The Midnight Club. Biedel finds another role in The Fall of the House of Usher as William "Bill-T" Wilson, a fitness influencer and the husband to Sloyan’s character.
Zach Gilford (3)
The 13th of the most recurring actors in Mike Flanagan projects is Zach Gilford of Friday Night Lights fame. Like Biedel, he’s been part of both Midnight series and is set to be part of the Edgar Allan Poe-inspired Netflix series coming this October 13. Gilford plays the lead role of Riley Flynn in Midnight Mass and The Midnight Club’s resident Nurse Mark. In Usher, he plays a younger version of Bruce Greenwood’s Roderick Usher.
Well, now you’re completely caught up on all the most recurring actors of Mike Flanagan’s horror projects across his career. There are more actors in The Fall of the House of Usher you might find to be familiar from the filmmaker's past projects, including Carl Lumbly (Doctor Sleep), T'Nia Miller (Bly Manor), Kyleigh Curran (Doctor Sleep), Ruth Codd (The Midnight Club) and Sauriyan Sapkota (The Midnight Club), but we’ll keep them here as honorable mentions. Enjoy The Fall of the House of Usher this Halloween season once it drops in October!
