Midnight Mass Review: Mike Flanagan Another Original And Intense Drama | Misa De Medianoche

Cast: Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Hamish Linklater

Creators: Mike Flanagan

Streaming Platform: Netflix (watch from here)

Ratings: 4/5 (four stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Midnight Mass is the new web series written and directed by American author Mike Flanagan, who has already created two successful shows such as The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor. Since Netflix acquired the rights to the notable ‘Hush’ , Mike Flanagan has repeatedly collaborated with the streaming platform. He already left a good feeling with ‘Gerald’s Game’ , an adaptation of the eponymous book by Stephen King , but it was with ‘The Hunting of Hill House‘ that he literally swept everything away.

Midnight Mass Review: The Story

The original Midnight Mass story is set on a small island called Crockett Island, where only 127 people live. Crockett Island’s economy has always been based on its main resource, which is fishing. But after an accident that resulted in oil spilling into the sea and killing some of the local wildlife, the fishing boats struggled to keep going.

The opening of the series is represented by the arrival of a new young priest in the only church on the island, St. Patrick. Father Paul has arrived on Crockett Island to replace the elderly and sick Monsignor Pruitt who – after being in the Holy Land for two weeks – is being treated in a hospital far from the island. The advent of the new priest coincides with the beginning of some mysterious inexplicable events, which however give new vigor to the community. The communicative power of Father Paul therefore manages to bring the inhabitants of the island together under the guidance of God and to bring them closer to the church as a place of meeting and prayer.

The Review and Analysis

‘Midnight Mass‘ is one of those series that serves to remind you that Netflix is ​​also capable of putting out great proposals with its own voice. From its powerful start, everything in it feels like an evolution consistent with what has been seen, even when it opts for surprising twists that get their effect without being free or depending on them to keep you hooked. Here everything simply fits, seduces and engages.

To understand what to expect from Midnight Mass it is good to know the author Mike Flanagan who directed all 7 episodes of the show. Flanagan’s business card is undoubtedly Hill House, an incredibly well written, moving series with a poignant ending. Flanagan’s ability in the mystery / horror genre is to know the times , or to know how to build a scary or disturbing scene with a rhythm that is not based only on a banal and simple jumpscare but on multiple levels of reading. The “fear” that is, must also be sought in the dialogues and not only in the scary images. In this Flanagan is a teacher who remembers the best Stephen King (of which he is also a huge fan).

Midnight Mass then takes the viewer to the next level in Flanagan’s production scale. After the “family” series Hill House and Bly Manor comes a story that concerns an entire community. Flanagan came out of the “shell” of family (and couple) love and devoted himself to more complex relationships, involving people who have little in common. As a screenwriter, Flanagan managed to give all the characters the right space: to each his existential problems, his skeletons in the closet and above all his own way of living the faith.

It takes a few minutes of the first episode of Midnight Mass to realize that the concept of faith will be important for the duration of the show. The verses of the Bible are a constant inspiration for both Father Paul and most of the inhabitants of the island. It should be especially emphasized that an important key to reading the series is the interpretation of the verses of the sacred text used by Flanagan. A first important clue to this is related to the titles of the Midnight Mass episodes, which are named after the books of the Bible:

In Midnight Mass the interpretation of the verses of the Bible can be different for each person on the island but also – and above all – for each spectator. The sensitivity and reception of certain messages can vary according to the real faith of those who are watching Midnight Mass. In this sense it could be said that unlike a simple horror, the Netflix TV series is interactive as it leads the viewer to participation active mental.

Director and Other Department

Technically, Midnight Mass has an Emmy photograph. The scenes are equally well done and lit both day and night and at dusk, both outdoors and indoors. The colors, the shades, are even important for the plot: the red of the blood like that of the end (the sunset), the blue of the sea and the darkness of the night like hope and oblivion. The direction of Flanagan is essential: it is not lost in “sleight of hand” but places the right importance both on the places and on the performances of the actors and actresses.

Midnight Mass Review: The Final Verdict

Midnight Mass is an original and very well written series that has multiple levels of reading. Far from a horror classic, the story is worthy of the best Stephen King. In conclusion, Midnight Mass will appeal to fans of Flanagan (there are all the themes dear to the author) and those of Stephen King. Lovers of mystery and the supernatural will find a dense array of concepts and material to discuss. For those who love horror: don’t expect a particularly scary series. In fact, the two anthological series of The Haunting House are closer to the horror genre than Midnight Mass which, from a certain point of view, is more based on philosophical / religious concepts.