Mike Flanagan’s noble effort to get his Netflix films a physical release has reached some headway. While most of the horror director’s beloved works remain only accessible to subscribers, his 2016 feature, Hush, has finally made its way to digital. While this release won’t include special features, it is still a victory. Flanagan fans can own his early film in earnest, and no streaming service can ever take it away.
Hush is notable because it is an early collaboration of Flanagan and his wife, Kate Siegel. Siegel is commonplace in many of her husband’s limited series, including The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher. Siegel pulled double duty for Hush, not just acting, but co-writing the film with Flanagan. It also has an appearance of Samantha Sloyan, who would go on to portray everyone’s least favorite Midnight Mass character, Bev.
Hush was a precursor to Flanagan’s rise to the top of the horror genre. It paved the way for The Haunting of Hill House, which put him on the map. He went on to create some moving series for Netflix as well as being the go-to filmmaker to direct Stephen King’s most challenging works. Adapting the allegedly unadaptable Gerald’s Game made him a horror director to look out for.
Mike Flanagan’s Limited Series Deserves a Physical Release
Netflix has had a notoriously tight grasp on its streaming content. And it isn’t a surprise as to why. Why should fans shell out for a monthly subscription to watch Stranger Things when they can wait for it to hit DVD or Blu-ray? However, the demise of physical release is so widespread that it has damaged the entertainment industry. Without a physical release, commentaries and special features are a thing of the past. Which is a genuine shame for Flanagan’s magnum opus.
Midnight Mass aired on Netflix on September 24, 2021, and has eclipsed essentially all vampire stories before and after. The entirely original story follows Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford), who returns to his secluded island home after a stint in prison. He witnesses a new preacher come to town who appears to be performing miracles, only for the citizens to come to understand the reason is much more Satanic. Midnight Mass is a meditation on guilt, redemption, religion, and grief. If there is one Flanagan project that deserves a physical release, it is the Netflix limited series. Because Flanagan has moved on from Netflix to Amazon Prime, it seems unlikely that this series will ever be free. Flanagan has promised on X (formerly Twitter) to keep trying “until they change their minds or I am dead.” No news on that front, but viewers can enjoy Hush, now available to rent or purchase digitally.
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