Mike Flanagan is married to Kate Siegal. In Midnight Mass, Hush, The Haunting of Hill House, and in many more of his films and TV series, she stars. This pairing is a prime example of a married filmmaking team that works to its benefit. Kate Siegal is phenomenal. I can’t think of a role she has played where this wasn’t the case. It’s also safe to say, that Flanagan is someone horror and dark cinema fans get excited about whenever a new series or film gets announced. Midnight Mass is a TV mini-series that is streaming on Netflix. And while a small proportion of those who saw it didn’t like it, most thought it was awesome.
If you haven’t seen Midnight Mass, the horror series has only 7 episodes. The entire show has a runtime of only 7.5 hours overall. The story navigates its way around a community isolated by the ocean. It’s painfully obvious that much of the series’ disapproval swirls around the fact that religion plays a massive part in the narrative. I am not so much of a fan of religious plot devices. Religion used as a pivot to reign in a horror movie’s evil propriety is often a massive letdown. In this particular instance, the religious aspect makes the story more interesting. It also turns any preconceptions about the meanings of certain bible scripture on their head.
Mike Flanagan, Midnight Mass
Flanagan is often a quiet achiever in his body of work. Small but poignant details, slow-burn aesthetics, and the ability to wholeheartedly creep out the audience are among some of the written and directorial brilliance this filmmaker has put forth. Midnight Mass starts by ensuring we know everyone we need to know. Hamish Linklaters’ Father Paul had such a hypnotizing presence, that I was hard-pressed to dislike him as the story progressed. Even though his role dictated his intentions were not very palatable.
Having an ensemble cast of excellent performers is certainly a good start to such a character-driven universe. The concept of a corruptible church-revered group is not new. What is highly controversial though is the fact that it so convincingly portrays that the constructs of the Catholic Church were derived by an evil entity. This ancient being is the one responsible for miracles, not the God we assumed. Mother of Movies needs to warn you now, that there will be spoilers alluding to the big reveal if you read any further.
Devout Christians
If you can get past the opening few episodes feeling like a long session at Sunday Mass, the idea of what religion could be perceived as is both scary and believable. There is overwhelming hypocrisy stitched into the lives and fates of everyone in the town. Drink driving, alcoholism, abusive relationships, childbirth rights, life after death, and multitudes of other deep thematic elements are talked about. Believers and not-so-believers both play a part in prescribing what God can and does do for us all. Bible verses are bandied about by Crokett Islands’ most devout Christian, Bev. Firstly they serve as a reason for taking revenge on anything that Bev feels needs retribution. Before long they serve as fuel to defend the murderous nature of their new and improved Father Paul.
What I loved about Midnight Mass is that the show questions what we know about religion. How most of scripture is based on simple words that were written. Stories that were passed down from generation to generation. A historical artifact with no anecdotal hard evidence of its inherent truth followed by legions of followers all over the world. And these premises are all in varied versions which each group thinks is the holder of the original. To use the theme of Vampires as the heart and soul of Christian-based beliefs in a horror series is justifiably good here. An ostentatious view of faith that is impossible not to like. While the finale was my least favorite part of this excellent horror series, it didn’t take away from the impactful resonance of the story as a whole.
Best Horror Series, Streaming on Netflix
For more information about the ending of Midnight Mass and an explanation, check out this great article from The Wrap. Looking for other movies and television about vampires and churches? Watch Dead and Beautiful (Netflix) | Bloodsucking Bastards (Indie Horror) | Humanist Vampire | The Crucible (Low Budget Horror) or Vidar the Vampire (Comedy Horror) next.
I give Midnight Mass
4.5 heads buried in the sand out of 5
Jesus Won’t Save You, Midnight Mass On Netflix
