Fall is arguably Mike Flanagan season. Many of his shows grace my fall list, because the atmospheric setting, cinematography, and gorgeous settings — especially in Bly and Hill — set the mood for my fall. They’re spooky, but not particularly scary, and eerie in a way that really scratches an itch for me.
But I need to get this off my chest: I struggle with his work, and it’s mainly, MAINLY, the cheesy-as-fuck acting.
Flanagan is extremely loyal to the actors close to him, including his wife, the gorgeous Kate Siegel, who might be the only person I will exclude from this categorization. Every other actor — in particular, Victoria Pedretti and Carla Gugino — are fucking terrible actors.Caveated heavily with: IN MY OPINION.
The phrase that keeps coming to mind for me is that it feels like they’re acting through sand. It’s like they’re attempting to force the meaning through to us, like they can’t trust that we, as the viewer, will understand. Overpronouncing, slack-mouthed portrayals of wistful, empty-brained characters spewing thesaurus- and simile-riddled monologues in terrible accents.
And in fact, maybe my beef might actually lie nearly exclusively with Victoria Pedretti, whose role, even when vocal, shatters any faith I had in a show. The most recent example being the fantastic Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen, where she appears in the first episode vocally as the survivor of a serial killer in a podcast the couple listens to in the car. EVEN THEN, I find myself irate at her failure to perform convincingly.
If the acting were in a play or onstage, I would applaud it. But in a TV show, that just doesn’t translate well for me. I’m sure others may disagree, and that’s their prerogative.
But another point that is much more specific is that Hush is a terrible movie. I’ll direct you to this Reddit thread from the deaf community, but to recap: Members of the deaf community have said her ASL isn’t horrible, but not great. But other issues: At many points in the movie, people are banging on windows and walls, which the deaf community argues the protagonist should be able to feel, were she really deaf. And it pains me to say it, but did Siegel get the role because she’s married to Flanagan? I don’t know. And I’m sure many would argue that the point of the movie is to entertain, and not be entirely accurate. But if the attempt was to portray a disability as an asset, at least construct an accurate portrayal, and have respect for the community you’ve built the concept around.
To end this, I’ve just started Carrie. It’s an interpretation, and as a King die-hard, I’m sure I’ll have qualms. But the man himself called it “brilliant” and helped produce it, so I’ll withhold judgement. And I have a soft spot for some other Flanagan work, like Oculus, Midnight Mass (I LOVE YOU HAMISH LINKLATER), and Gerald’s Game. Plus, I had the privilege of seeing his upcoming The Exorcist: Martyrs trailer, which alone gave me the actual chills. But my tenderness for his work is not without some serious beef and frustrations.
He’s not a horror god and his work is often up its own ass. That’s all I’ll say.
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