Midnight Mass

Netflix’s Midnight Mass is a rare breed of horror. It takes root under the skin and digs deeper after each episode. Both terrifying and addictive, the story eats away in your mind, spreading through your blood. If you have any personal ties to the Catholic Church — positive or especially negative — this show is an unforgettable watch.

Similar to Mike Flanagan’s other Netflix series, Midnight Mass is a limited series. It contains the entire story in just 7 episodes, and then it ends. There is no cliffhanger, no pitch for a bigger show or commercial products. It is a full, complete story that stands alone entirely. What a wonderful gift to have a story without loose threads or cliff hangers! Instead of anticipating future possibilities during the credits, your mind is left to ruminate on the experience itself. There is no hanging promise, only the very essence you are meant to witness on its own. And that is a beautiful thing.

Like all great horror classics, the iconic monster both hides in the shadows as a threat and a metaphor. The first episode is terrifying; real scares staring directly at you, face to face. But then it dips into a character drama. The debates over God, death, and truth lead to breathtaking soliloquies from every character as they spill their beliefs on the table, The true scariness comes more from the social themes between the characters than the spooky monsters.

The villains in this show are profoundly three-dimensional and eerily realistic. Their strongest weapon against the main characters and the audience is the very word of God. Catholic teachings are twisted for personal gain in a very authentic development, yet the supernatural spin makes it all the more predatory. Hamish Linklater gives the most human yet perverted performance of a priest I have ever seen, and Samantha Sloyan brings out the essence of a "virtuous ego" to guilt even the audience into her cult. The portrayal of the classic small-town, exclusive community holds no punches with Christ's teachings at the core of their prejudice. The plot takes it time to uncover the realist part of its horror; sometimes the holiest people you know are, in reality, the most unholy.

I do want to give a quick shoutout to an actor I had no idea was in this until I started watching. Rahul Kohli, who I only knew from video game streams on Youtube, plays as the muslim sheriff of the Catholic island. His character stays in the background for the most part, but he steals every scene he is in. Calm, understanding, but also hopelessly dangling off the edge as the few fragments of his life slip through his fingers episode by episode. Maybe his surprise appearance added a lot of personal investment into the show for me, but I do think the end of his arc will make you a fan of him just as much as I am.

Overall, this show might be my new favorite out of Netflix’s collection. It is exciting, emotional, personal, and most importantly, efficient. It breaks multiple Netflix-Original conventions in its storytelling, keeping the audience constantly on their toes with no idea where the story will end. I highly recommend watching it as a build up for Halloween. It has the right amount of scares and character to get in the spooky-season spirit.

Story Rating: 10/10

Character Rating: 9/10

Entertainment Rating: 8/10