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Midnight Mass is the third horror series from Mike Flanagan after the two seasons of The Haunting, individually titled Hill House and Bly Manor. The show is also his sixth project developed for Netflix after Hush (2016), Before I Wake (2016), Gerald’s Game (2017), and both seasons of The Haunting.
This new limited series takes place on Crockett Island, an isolated island that is ever-so-slowly becoming a melting pot of different religions and ethnicities. However, the devout Christians of the island remain a tight-knit group with quite the hold over the majority of the island’s inhabitants. To make matters worse, after the arrival of a mysterious priest, this quiet and traditional town soon finds itself thrown into a world of supernatural and superstition.
A Slick Slow-Burn
Midnight Mass is a slow burn, and when I mean slow, I mean sloooooooow! The first three episodes suffer significantly from this. They hold mostly dialogue-heavy scenes that help introduce viewers to the characters and their island. It’s written so well that the scenes draw you into the world and eventually have you looking over every character’s shoulder, and not just for what might be lurking in the shadows, but for the villains that are standing in plain sight.
Although, don’t let the slowness stop you from enjoying the show. The majority of the pacing is relegated to the first three episodes, and it does not help that Episode 1 is the worst of the entire series. Despite this, many of these seemingly unimportant scenes become essential later on. Some will bookend others as we head towards the finale.
Check Your Windows
As the series develops, the plot thickens and unravels in frustrating, frightening, and all-around fun ways. Additionally, despite Episodes 1 to 3 being my least favourite, they happen to be the ones with the best scares.
Compared to some of Flanagan’s other works — notably The Haunting anthology series — the scares are far and few between and less scary overall. However, that doesn’t mean they’re any less effective. They are small and often short, but they possess an extra level of creepiness. When coupled with the foreboding atmosphere of this isolated and dimly lit island, well, it’ll be enough to unnerve many.
I highly advise you to watch this at night with no lights. It is indeed the kind of show that will have you checking your windows and locking your doors. In fact, don’t even look out of your windows…
Village of the Damned
As with most films and series from Mike Flanagan, Midnight Mass is exceptionally cast. No, it isn’t as well-cast as The Haunting of Hill House, which had some of the best castings of older and younger characters in any show or movie. (I will stand by the fact that the casting directors Tara Feldstein, Anne McCarthy, and Kellie Roy were Emmy-snubbed.) Still, McCarthy and Roy return and have done their absolute best because everyone in the series gives it their all.
The Damned
The cast is so great that it will be incredibly easy for viewers to immensely dislike certain characters. In fact, I have a feeling Samantha Sloyan’s Bev Keane will bear the brunt of most online negativity. As to why? I will leave you to find out. Let’s just say that Sloyan nails her role and gives such an outstanding performance that almost automatically makes her character one of those “fun to hate” characters. Hands down, one of my favourite performances in the series.
Zach Gilford co-leads as Riley Flynn, a former island resident who has returned after some time in prison. Riley is quiet and wants to keep to himself due to social stigma. However, his religious parents force him to attend mass and socialise. Riley is one of the most multilayered characters in Midnight Mass, and Gilford delivers a performance that matches that appropriately and perfectly.
Gilford is joined by “Flanagan regular” Kate Siegel, who co-leads the series alongside him. Despite his backstory, Siegel’s Erin Greene is as kind to Riley as she is to almost everyone on the island. She has a soft spot for most characters, even those written to be disliked, and Siegel’s performance is natural. This character lights up even the most emotional scenes. One particular scene shared between Gilford and Siegel will go down as one of the best scenes in any of Mike Flanagan’s work. I won’t specify, but you will know which one I’m referring to when you watch the show.
Saving the Surprises
To avoid spoilers, I’m only going to touch upon Annabeth Gish, Hamish Linklater, and Rahul Kohli’s performances. but you guessed it, they are great. Gish and Kohli portray Dr. Sarah Gunning and Sherrif Hassan. They are two town residents who are sceptical of the events that have transpired since the arrival of Linklater’s Father Paul.
Binge It!
Midnight Mass is a perfect series for Netflix’s traditional binge model. With that said, I would recommend that you try and get through at least the first two or three episodes back-to-back. I can see many people tuning out if it were released weekly, but don’t let that stop you. Midnight Mass is a fantastic horror mystery perfect for the Halloween season. It also further solidifies Mike Flanagan as television’s Stephen King and I can’t wait for his next venture – The Midnight Club.
Midnight Mass stars Kate Siegel (Gerald’s Game), Zach Gilford (Good Girls), Kristin Lehman (The Killing), Samantha Sloyan (Grey’s Anatomy), Rahul Kohli (The Haunting of Bly Manor), Annabeth Gish (The X-Files), Henry Thomas (E.T.), Hamish Linklater (Legion), Igby Rigney (F9), and Annarah Cymone (Caged).
All seven episodes of the series will be available from Friday, 24th September, exclusively on Netflix.
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