10 Best Characters From Mike Flanagan’s Netflix Series
When it comes to spooky TV, one man has reigned supreme on Netflix for the past five years: Mike Flanagan, who has delivered a deluge of fantastic characters across five captivating series.
Starting with The Haunting of Hill House in 2018, Flanagan caught viewers’ attention with his jaw-dropping directing and emotionally engaging adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s original story. He then took on Turn of the Screw with his interpretation of the story via The Haunting of Bly Manor in 2020. In 2021, Flanagan tackled religion and the potentially devastating consequences of blind following with Midnight Mass. In 2022, he translated some of Christopher Pike’s stories in the series The Midnight Club. And most recently, he dazzled with his fifth and final outing at Netflix, The Fall of the House of Usher, which pulls from the library of Edgar Allan Poe for inspiration.
Within all of these works are fantastic characters, some of which simply stand out more than others. For that reason, we’re shining a light on 10 of the best characters brought to the screen in the Flanaverse. Did your favorites make the cut? Let us know in the comments section, below.
Nell Crain (Victoria Pedretti) from The Haunting of Hill House
The emotional core of Flanagan’s first Netflix series, Nell, a.k.a. Eleanor Crain, is haunted by the traumas of her childhood growing up in Hill House, similar to her siblings, but when a specter from her past reappears, it leads her to her death. In one of Flanagan’s most mind-bending episodes of television, Nell learns she is actually the “bent-neck lady” she has seen through the years since she and her family took up residence at Hill House. While the show is about family and the Crain siblings, Nell’s story drives many of their actions, making her a pivotal character in the Flanaverse.
Theo Crain (Kate Siegel) from The Haunting of Hill House
Nell’s older sister, Theo, a.k.a. Theodora Crain, has a special ability, or rather, sensitivity through touch. Often wearing gloves like her mother Olivia (Carla Gugino) taught her as a child, Theo can sense what has happened in certain spaces and through certain people by touching them. She tests it on her sister’s corpse with devastating results as she feels nothing. By the end of the show, she lets go of the gloves, deciding against closing herself off from the world and its feelings. Oh, and her elbow-length gloves spawned a Halloween costume to die for.
Hannah Grose (T'Nia Miller) from The Haunting of Bly Manor
The housekeeper at Bly Manor, Hannah Grose is one of the individuals to greet Dani (Pedretti) upon her arrival at the titular home and has a history with the Wingrave family who lives there. Caring for the Wingrave children with Dani, she also has a sweet connection with the in-house chef Owen (Rahul Kohli). As the series plays out, peculiarities about Hannah’s time at the home begin to reveal themselves, and in a twist not dissimilar to Nell Crain’s, Hannah learns she’s a ghost, having been pushed down a well by Miles Wingrave (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), who is possessed by Peter Quint’s (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) ghost. The revelation is horrifying and sad, but she doesn’t let the afterlife take her down without a fight.
Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater) from Midnight Mass
Arriving on Crockett Island, Father Paul (played by a showstopping Hamish Linklater) informs the congregation that he’s been sent to lead the church in place of their elderly priest Monsignor John Michael Pruitt. His zeal seems to inspire and ignite a new passion for religion among the island’s inhabitants. As the church grows more crowded each passing week, Father Paul’s true intentions start to become clearer. The truth about Father Paul is that he isn’t who he claims to be, and having brought back an “Angel” to the island, he’s sealed everyone’s fate in an incomprehensible way. Linklater’s magnetic performance makes it easy to see how so many dutiful parishioners could be led so astray, but it does nothing to wane the ensuing horror.
Bev Keane (Samantha Sloyan) from Midnight Mass
Easily Flanagan’s best villain from any season, Bev Keane works in Crockett Island’s school system as well as at the church alongside Father Paul. Bev’s the perfect example of someone who twists well-intentioned ideas to fit her own agenda. She misinterprets, pushes to control, and ultimately is the big bad of the show. Oh, and she’s especially nasty to the Island’s sheriff due to his Muslim faith. As horrid as she is, there’s no denying we love to hate her, and for that reason, she’s a must-see character of the Flanaverse.
Sheriff Hassan (Rahul Kohli) from Midnight Mass
Considered an outsider among his fellow Crocket Islanders, Sheriff Hassan is further removed from the community for his Muslim beliefs, and still, he never backs down from helping those who need it. Taking his job seriously, he’s there whenever new situations arise, and he’s not deterred by challenges, despite the growing number of them on the island amid Father Paul’s impact on the community. He’s a stand-up guy who does his best, and in the world of Midnight Mass and the Flanaverse in general, that’s just the marker of a good character.
Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford) from Midnight Mass
Returning to Crockett Island after serving prison time for killing someone in a drunk driving incident, Riley Flynn is dealing with the scrutiny of his community and working to address his addictions through meetings with Father Paul. Riley is an example of Flanagan’s focus on characters who struggle with sobriety, which was seen in his previous works, but most notably with Luke Crain (Jackson-Cohen) in Hill House. Unlike Luke though, Riley doesn’t have the same path to recovery. Haunted by visions of the girl he accidentally killed, he reconnects with old flame Erin Green (Siegel), which is a small sliver of light that is quickly snatched during a chance encounter at the church with Father Paul’s “Angel.” Realizing what’s happened to himself, Riley does his best by warning Erin and sacrificing himself, and in turn, he’s absolved of his guilt, unburdened by his past demons. His arc is a short but crucial one that still stands out in the Flanaverse.
Anya (Ruth Codd) from The Midnight Club
The Midnight Club‘s premise is a dark one, to say the least, as teens living in a youth hospice house experience varying degrees of medical decline. Anya is introduced as Ilonka’s (Iman Benson) roommate, who is less than friendly upon her arrival. Over time, we learn the reasons for Anya’s harshness, and as time goes on, she begins to soften to Ilonka, revealing that she cares deeply for the people around her. A former ballerina, she and her parents immigrated to the U.S. for her career, but one night while Anya was out partying, her parents got into a car accident and died. This leads her to spiral into a deep depression and drug addiction. Eventually, she is forced to have her leg amputated after being diagnosed with bone cancer. Despite her sad story, Anya’s solace in the stories she and her friends share around a firelit table at midnight helps make up for the sorrow. Codd‘s performance is among the best in one of Flanagan’s most divisive series.
Madeline Usher (Mary McDonnell) from The Fall of the House of Usher
Helping make the Usher family into what it is when viewers are first introduced to them, Madeline isn’t afraid to make power moves. She pushes her brother Roderick (Bruce Greenwood) to chase after the Fortunato company, ultimately landing them in the position of power. She even helps devise a plan to kill the man in charge for the sake of granting her brother an easier ride to the top of the ladder, alongside herself. Her cutthroat nature is exhibited when she and Roderick make a deal with Verna (Gugino) to sacrifice any of their heirs, who will die when they do, in exchange for their dreams of wealth and promotion coming true. As someone without children, it’s an easy call for her to make, but choosing for her brother, who does have kids, is pretty ballsy. Either way, she’s a definitive highlight of the dark series.
Verna (Carla Gugino) from The Fall of the House of Usher
Symbolized as the raven, Verna is the deliverer of dreams and death in The Fall of the House of Usher. Appearing to Roderick and his children as his deteriorating health worsens, she’s a woman who sticks to promises. Gugino is always a highlight in the Flanaverse, but she has an utter ball in this series, going toe-to-toe with Roderick’s kids, delivering beautiful monologues, and transforming her look for each brutal demise. What’s not to love?
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