Midnight Mass

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Flanagan told the New York Times that Midnight Mass is his most personal story yet, based on his own years of religious exploration and “a healthy Catholic upbringing” that was challenged by his personal study of the darker aspects of the Bible, until he ultimately found more affinity with atheism and science. Despite these self-professed doubts, however, there’s very little doubt in Midnight Mass. The show’s overtures toward critiquing America’s Christian majority fall by the wayside. Instead, Flanagan and his Midnight Mass co-writer, his sibling Jamie Flanagan, wrap a tale of religious zeal around a barely veiled allegory for the Covid-19 pandemic. Though Midnight Mass was conceived before the pandemic, it was produced during the pandemic, and inevitably reads as a pandemic-era cautionary tale — one that’s bolstered by an emphasis on individualized faith. There’s so much effusive Christianity here, so many rapt displays of faith, sermons, monologuing through Bible verses, and preaching to the lost, that the horror elements almost feel like window-dressing. Thrilling and horrific, with a dose humorous irony. Wilson's Midnight Mass is a return to the grisly, purely evil side of vampiric lore. And it's a welcome addition to a genre inundated with romanticized depictions. People aren't even safe from their own kind. Human 'cowboys' enlisted by the vampires herd other humans in return for the promise of the bite of eternal life - someday.

Is that a beautiful, moving ending for most of the series’ viewers? Most likely. It’s just that to so many horror fans, a belief in God isn’t a comfort: It’s the ultimate false hope. For me, Midnight Mass’s conclusion feels less like a soothing balm in a moment of crisis, and more like an outright lie. The combination of fear, misinformation, and disenfranchisement reveals itself as a potent mix that can lead to unspeakable acts under the guise of religious ideology. It’s a bleak idea that resonates with our present-day reality. But remember this is a Mike Flanagan joint: As dark and troubling as things get, he makes sure to imbue his characters with love and empathy, leaving traces of hope along the way. Midnight Mass is no different. A Rabbi who is prepared to wear a crucifix if it keeps vampires away. He was the only good guy I believed in.Midnight Mass was released on Netflix on September 24, 2021. [2] Reception [ edit ] Critical response [ edit ] Hamish Linklater received widespread acclaim for his performance as Father Paul. Hailu, Selome (August 6, 2022). " 'Abbott Elementary' Tops 2022 TCA Awards". Variety . Retrieved August 6, 2022. Fear, David (October 5, 2021). "The Most Terrifying Show on TV Right Now? It's 'Midnight Mass' ". Rolling Stone . Retrieved October 6, 2021. The official art book for the new Netflix/Intrepid Pictures horror TV series Midnight Mass, from creator Mike Flanagan. The best thing about 'Midnight Mass', the thing that kept me reading to the end, was the cleverness of the plot. The vampire strategy for taking over America was well thought-through, the vampire world-building was effective without getting mired in detail and I was constantly kept guessing about what the good guys would do to oppose the vampires and whether or not they would succeed.

He certainly succeeded in that. There is nothing to like about these vampires and a great deal to fear. They are some of the nastiest vampires I've read about: physically repulsive, merciless, predatory, aggressive, fundamentally selfish but organised, adept at psychological warfare and bent on world domination. Perhaps the scariest thing about these vampires is that they think the same way that the guys behind Bannon do. They set out to destroy hope and trust by weaponising the most violent and selfish elements of humanity and then use fear to keep control. The title of each episode is a book in the Bible. Each episode contains a scene referring to the Biblical book. [8] No. Squires, John (August 17, 2020). " "Midnight Mass": Filming Has Begun on Mike Flanagan's New Netflix Horror Series". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved August 18, 2020. Rotten Tomatoes spoke with Mike Flanagan and the cast to find out more about the series. Here are eight things you need to know about Midnight Mass. Unlike Flanagan’s Haunting series on Netflix, Midnight Mass isn’t embedded in the ghost story aesthetics the writer-director is known for. There is a different sort of insidious nature to the threats here. Wherever faith and religion are, fundamentalism and fanaticism are not far behind.

Cast & Crew

Is all this really horror? Midnight Mass was certainly marketed as horror. And Flanagan loves to slowly weave tonal qualities like atmospheric dread into a soft cocoon of meditations on life, love, and the human experience. He typically seems more concerned with the latter than the former, however, and his work nearly always rejects the fundamental core of most modern horror: the paradoxically comforting assertion that all hope is lost. Is a Mike Flanagan horror film ever really a horror film? I think no. Tinoco, Armando (August 12, 2022). "Saturn Awards Nominations: 'The Batman', 'Nightmare Alley', 'Spider-Man', 'Better Call Saul' Top List". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 15, 2022.