Midnight Mass – Miniseries Review

An isolated island community experiences miraculous events – and frightening omens – after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest named Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater).

It is my personal opinion that Mike Flanagan is one of the best horror filmmakers of all time. Ever since he came out with Oculus, my eyes have been on Flanagan’s work and it’s truly been a blessing to see him blossom into somebody that the horror community almost all universally accepts because he is ahead of the game in so many ways. All of his works focus on deeply intriguing themes such as grief, trauma, and love while also being able to inject some genuinely terrifying scares in there along the way.

To this day, my favorite work of his is Doctor Sleep, an absolutely masterful sequel to Stanley Kubrick‘s classic The Shining that was executed with immaculate skill in all departments but namely the direction, writing, and acting. I’ve never been disappointed by any of Flanagan’s projects to date, and that’s why I’m so happy to report that his latest offering in the television realm – Midnight Mass – is definitely not an exception.

This is actually perhaps Flanagan’s most unsettling project to date, and one that is certain to make tons of viewers not only deeply uncomfortable but will force them to ponder over difficult life questions about our time here on our precious planet, but also what comes after. The entirety of Midnight Mass takes place in a small, isolated community on Crockett Island, which upon first glance, seems like an ordinary place that many people would be proud to call home.

During the first few episodes of the show, we watch the community as they do their day-to-day operations. We see how they talk to one another and mostly, we see that they are all religious and attend church regularly, which is now being held by a newcomer named Father Paul Hill, who replaces an aging Monsignor Pruitt. Midnight Mass is jam-packed full of incredibly brilliant dialogue that will certainly make you think long and hard about your life and your religious beliefs.

I do not personally identify as a religious person, but I am extremely familiar with quite a lot of Catholic and Christian beliefs and ideologies, as well as some of the Bible. This show tackles the concept of religion head-on and is truly not afraid to get down and dirty. One thing that I loved about the show is that it depicts just how far some individuals would be willing to go and how crazy the things they’d do just for the sake of religion. Or more specifically, justify these horrific actions simply because “God forgives”.

But those that are expecting an extremely fast-paced show where something insane happens every other scene are going to be majorly disappointed, but really, they shouldn’t be. After all, this is a Mike Flanagan project and he’s not exactly known for taking the conventional route when it comes to filmmaking. He absolutely loves the idea of building up suspense, that way when the terrifying things do happen, they legitimately get under your skin and refuse to leave.

That’s why in the later episodes of Midnight Mass when things really start to hit the fan, you feel the humongous impact and weight of these scenes so much more. The show has quite literally built up to it and so the payoff in tension not only feels earned but staggeringly gripping and breathtaking. Midnight Mass is honestly one of the only shows I have ever seen that I would classify as scary.

Does the show touch on topics such as vampirism and satinism? Absolutely. That’s pretty creepy, right? However, the most terrifying characters in Midnight Mass are human beings. As you watch the later episodes, you, too, will see just how scary a singular person can be when pushed too far.

It also features some of the best acting I’ve seen in years, in film, television, or otherwise. Zach Gilford is so good in this show that you’d swear his character Riley Flynn is a real person living on Earth alongside us, but alas, that’s not the case. But the real show-stopper here is without a doubt Hamish Linklater who seriously chilled my blood cold with his absolutely eerie and haunting performance as Father Paul Hill. If he does not get nominated for an Emmy Award next year, then I’d be truly baffled. Award shows have never been too fond of genre projects, but I can only hope that they acknowledge this show in any way.

Simply put, Midnight Mass is the stuff nightmares are made of. A show that depicts just how terrifying humans can be will definitely not be for everyone, but if you’re even remotely curious about this show, I implore you to check it out. I can almost assure you that you’ll feel emotionally drained yet swept off your feet by the end.