By Andrew Thrift
From the creator of Netflix’s “The Haunting of Hill House” and “The Haunting of Bly Manor” is this year’s fall horror show “Midnight Mass.”
Released on the streaming platform on September 24, the seven episode series covers the arrival of a charismatic young priest.
The priest brings glorious miracles, ominous mysteries and renewed religious fervor to a decaying town desperate to believe. Set on Crockett Island, creator Mike Flanagan brings a new horror for viewers to binge watch.
Starring Zach Guilford, Hamish Linklater and “The Haunting of Hill House” and “The Haunting of Bly Manor’s” Kate Seigel. The show picks up as Guilord’s character, Riley, returns home after four years in jail for a hit-and-run that killed a woman, Like the Haunting series, Riley is now haunted by her ghost. With his arrival and that of Hamish Linklater’s character, Father Paul, it feels like fate that the sinner and the savor arrive at the same time.
Flanagan has worked on projects like The Haunting series and Doctor Sleep. His newest project, Midnight Mass, dives into some of Flanagan’s most ambitious elements. Flanagan plays with the idea that The Bible is a horror story.
The show doesn’t have much character development like Flanagans other characters in The Haunting series.
There are many monologues throughout the show about God, religion, the afterlife, addiction and alcoholism mostly coming from Father Paul and Kate Seigels character Erin.
These almost rambling monologues are either intriguing or too long.
“The storyline is very different from what I’ve watched before.,” sophomore Casey Bellsaid. “In terms of the cinematic aspect, the weird jumpscares, and the overall color of the show it is very similar. The newer actors are not up to par with what I’ve seen and it makes the show seem like it’s actually a television show and not an actual story,” she said.
Most of the show feels almost too wordy, like Flanagan was trying to be different from The Haunting series. What made The Haunting series so great for some viewers was that a story was being told even if the characters weren’t speaking. Figures were always seen in the background and would mysteriously disappear.
Viewers were drawn into the characters of The Haunting series by their development. Viewers got to see them grow and flourish only to have our hearts ripped out at the end.
With the ending of Hill House having viewers heartbroken to see Victoria Pedretti’s character Eleanore turning into the very thing that haunted her since she was a child.
Midnight Mass falls short of drawing the viewer into the character’s growth and the ending doesn’t resolve any of the problems faced throughout.
Midnight Mass’ seven episodes run a little over an hour long each, so viewers are able to binge the whole series in just a matter of hours. The series is a good watch and leaves the viewers genuinely scared.
