Mike Flanagan knows how to give the people what they want. Apart from creating some of the best horror series of the past decade and signing on to (at least attempt to) resurrect the increasingly haunted Exorcist franchise, the Haunting Of Hill House and The Fall Of The House Of Usher director is also just a really big fan of movies in general. He’s a great follow on Letterboxd, which he regularly updates (he currently has All That Jazz, Lawrence Of Arabia, The Shawshank Redemption, and Ikiru listed as his four favorite films), and he’s even joined in on the fun with the fans who’ve lovingly teased him for his obsession with long monologues over the years. Now, he has a new gift for cinephiles just like him.
“Ahh, the sweet nostalgia of visiting a movie rental store. It’s a memory that feels like a cherished relic from a bygone era,” he opens a clip introducing his new podcast, Directors Commentary. “Picture this: you walk through the doors, the smell of popcorn and plastic cases hits you... you walk through the aisles, your fingers brushing against the glossy covers until you find it, your favorite film. Now with a little sticker, ‘includes special features.’”
That’s right: Mike Flanagan is bringing back the bonus feature. Folks—we won. In each episode of the podcast, Flanagan will interview a director about their career and then watch one of their films with them for “a real-time watch-along commentary track that can be played with the film itself,” he wrote in a Twitter/X post announcing the show today. If you, like this author, grew up watching the Lord Of The Rings cast and crew commentary features more than the films themselves, this one’s for you. If you’re too young to have any idea what those are, this one’s really for you. Welcome.
“Long before I even got to go to film school, my education came from directors’ commentaries on DVDs,” Flanagan continues in his intro. “It was a thrilling and invaluable way to revisit movies I loved and gain a deeper appreciation, not only for the craft and the art of filmmaking but for the movies themselves.”
First on deck are Radio Silences’ Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the filmmakers behind the 2019 hit Ready Or Not. Parts I and II of their episode are currently already available on streaming services, and combined they contain over three hours of conversation between talented film nerds talking about just how much they love movies. They may have taken Blockbuster from us, but they can never take this.