Summary
Having recently made her directorial debut with a celebrated anthology franchise, Kate Siegel is already eyeing her next project in the director’s chair with aStephen Kingshort film. Siegel is best known for her frequent collaborations with her husband Mike Flanagan, beginning with his breakout 2013 hitOculus,before eventually holding leading roles inThe Haunting of Hill House, Midnight MassandThe Fall of the House of Usher’s cast, among others. The star also made her directorial debut withV/H/S Beyond, the latest chapter in Shudder’s anthology horror franchise that’s set to release in October 2024.
During his Echoes From Hill House: A Haunting Panel atFAN EXPO Canada, for whichScreen Rantwas a media partner,Screen Rant’s Joe Deckelmeier spoke with Siegel to discuss her recent expansion into the world of directing. In addition to confirming she’s set to make a feature-length version of herV/H/S Beyondsegment, Siegel also teased that she’s teaming with Stephen King for a series of short films she’s producing for YouTube with other female filmmakers, though kept mum on further details. See what Siegel shared below:
Screen Rant: Speaking of directing, Kate, there is a VHS short that’s getting turned into a feature that you are going to direct. Can you talk about that for a little bit?
Kate Siegel: This fall, in October, VHS Beyond premieres, which is all Sci-Fi. I directed a short and I did a pretty good job. It looks like it’s going to get turned into a feature, and I’m going to direct it.
Screen Rant: But that’s not the only thing you’re going to be directing…
Kate Siegel: Yeah, I guess Kate got real jealous of what Mike was doing, and I was like, “Whatcha doing over there? I wanna do it. What you got going on over there.” And I also, with a group of female filmmakers, decided to produce a series of horror shorts for YouTube. And I’ll direct one of those as well.
Screen Rant: Yeah, could you tease any of the other people that are involved?
Kate Siegel: Yes. Some of your favorite horror writers. I’m not going to name names because deals aren’t fully closed, but they’re close to. But my favorite horror writer is, who isn’t sitting next to me, has written the short that I will direct. Oh, Stephen King, my favorite writer? [Audience reacts to her confirming that he wrote the short she will direct]
Siegel’s Genre History Makes Her Perfect For A King Adaptation
Siegel’s confirmation that King will be writing the short she’s directing marks an interesting detail as it’s a rare instance of the horror author writing a screenplay. In the early days of his adaptations,King did frequently pen the scripts for movies and showsbased on his novels, includingSilver Bullet,Pet SemataryandThe Stand, though as time went on, and he became focused on his books, other filmmakers and writers instead translated his work. The past decade has seen him pen a handful of scripts based on his work, including Apple TV+‘sLisey’s Storyadaptation and 2016’sCell.
King has also penned multiple original scripts, includingSleepwalkers, Storm of the CenturyandRose Red.
While it’s unclear whether Siegel’s teaming with King will be to adapt one of his short stories or an original story, her genre history alone makes this a dream collaboration for fans of the author. Across her 18-year career,Siegel has starred almost exclusively in horror projects, including Flanagan’s various Netflix shows and movies, with a few rare exceptions including acameo inThe Wrath of Beckyand a recurring role on HBO’sThe Time Traveler’s Wife, as well as guest appearances on multiple CBS crime procedurals.
Beyond Flanagan’s acclaimedHauntinganthology and original shows, Siegel also starred in his firstStephen Kingadaptation,Netflix’sGerald’s Game, in which he turned a seemingly unfilmable novel into an acclaimed movie. With her joking note of being “jealous” of Flanagan’s various projects and a desire to break into the director’s chair herself,Siegel certainly has the appropriate foundation for a King collaboration, be it an adaptation of one of his stories, or an original work.
The Haunting of Hill House
Cast
The Haunting of Hill House is a 2018 horror drama series that interweaves the past and present narrative of a family grappling with traumatic occurrences from their former residence. The story explores the psychological and supernatural elements of their experiences as they contend with haunting memories and events.
