Mike Flanagan, the acclaimed creator behind modern horror staples like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, has signaled his support for a historical thriller he describes as “incredible.” Posting on the social media platform BlueSky in mid-September 2026, Flanagan admitted he was “very late to the party” in discovering the FX limited series Say Nothing, nearly two years after its original debut.
The nine-part series, which premiered on Hulu in November 2024, is an adaptation of Patrick Radden Keefe’s best-selling non-fiction book. While Flanagan is best known for supernatural horror, his endorsement of this historical drama aligns with his frequent thematic focus on trauma, memory, and the ways the past continues to haunt the present.
Say Nothing spans several decades of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, beginning with the 1972 disappearance of Jean McConville, a widowed mother of ten who was abducted from her home. The narrative follows various members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), exploring the radicalization of young activists and the long-term psychological toll of political violence. The series was a critical success upon its release, ultimately securing a prestigious Peabody Award for its nuanced portrayal of a complex historical period.
Despite its critical accolades, the series maintained a lower commercial profile compared to other FX hits like Shōgun or The Bear. Flanagan’s recent praise has sparked renewed interest in the production, which features a cast led by Lola Petticrew and Hazel Doupe as the Price sisters, alongside Anthony Boyle as Brendan Hughes. The performances anchor a story that balances the tension of a political thriller with the gravity of a true-crime investigation.
The series remains available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+. For viewers following Flanagan’s recommendation, the show offers a deep dive into the “Disappeared”—those who vanished during the conflict—and the decades of silence that followed. While it lacks the literal ghosts of Flanagan’s own filmography, the “haunting” nature of the historical events depicted provides a similar emotional resonance that explains the director’s high regard for the work.
