Flanagan’s career has been on a slow, yet steady rise since the early 2000’s, having started out directing largely self-funded independent horror features such as Absentia (2011), which gained traction for the writer/director when it was released on Netflix.
2016’s lean-n-mean high-tension slasher, Hush brought him some real critical and fan acclaim, but it was his extremely (ahem) taut King adaptation, Gerald’s Game (2017) that Flanagan seemed to find that rare, sweet-spot between mainstream success, and a downright auteur-istic approach to the themes/material (he has written, directed and edited all of his features to date).
While Flanagan’s 2019 rendering of King’s The Shining sequel, Dr. Sleep was mostly-loved across the board, it was regarded as something as a box office disappointment, grossing “only” $72.3 million (not exactly a “bomb” since its budget was $45 million, but such is Hollywood, hey).
The Revival news comes hot-on-heels of his recently announced (and previously covered by The Movie Sleuth) Netflix adaptation of the Christopher Pike novel, The Midnight Club, so it should be a busy next couple of years for Flanagan, if and when Hollywood studios start resuming “normal” operations again.
Theme-wise, the Revival story seems like a perfect fit for Flanagan, who takes quite well with often damaged and haunted protagonists/antagonists trying to pick up pieces of their shattered lives, only to run face first into more troubles (to put it mildly).
Disgraced mad-scientist preachers, miracle-cures, portals into gaping hellscapes and... electricity are all in the mix for Revival, and we at The Movie Sleuth are here for it!