Midnight Mass (miniseries)

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Midnight Mass
Midnight Mass Poster.jpg
Poster art
Genre
Created byMike Flanagan
Directed byMike Flanagan
Starring
Theme music composerThe Newton Brothers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes7
Production
Executive producers
  • Mike Flanagan
  • Trevor Macy
  • Jeff Howard
CinematographyMichael Fimognari
Running time60–71 minutes
Production companyIntrepid Pictures
Release
Original networkNetflix
Original releaseSeptember 24, 2021 (2021-09-24)

Midnight Mass is an American supernatural horror streaming television miniseries created and directed by Mike Flanagan and starring Zach Gilford, Kate Siegel, Hamish Linklater, Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli and Henry Thomas. The plot centers on an isolated island community that experiences supernatural events after the arrival of a mysterious priest.[1] It was released on Netflix on September 24, 2021,[2] and received positive reviews.

Synopsis

The series is about "a small, isolated island community whose existing divisions are amplified by the return of a disgraced young man and the arrival of a charismatic priest."[3]

Cast and characters

The cast for Midnight Mass consists of:[4][5]

Main

  • Kate Siegel as Erin Greene, Riley's childhood sweetheart, is now a schoolteacher on Crockett Island and expecting a child.
  • Zach Gilford as Riley Flynn, a former venture capitalist who returns to his hometown of Crockett Island after spending four years in prison for killing a woman in a drunk driving accident.
  • Kristin Lehman as Annie Flynn, Riley's devout, forgiving mother.
  • Samantha Sloyan as Bev Keane, a zealous and overbearing member of St. Patrick's Church and an influential figure in the community.
  • Igby Rigney as Warren Flynn, Riley's teenage brother who serves as an altar boy at the church.
  • Rahul Kohli as Sheriff Hassan,[6] Crockett Island's Muslim sheriff, who finds it difficult to fit in with the town's predominantly Christian population.
  • Annarah Cymone as Leeza Scarborough, the mayor's devout daughter who uses a wheelchair following an injury.
  • Annabeth Gish as Dr. Sarah Gunning, the town's local doctor, and Erin's close friend.
  • Alex Essoe as Mildred Gunning, Sarah's aging mother who has dementia.
  • Rahul Abburi as Ali Hassan, the sheriff's son and friend of Warren and Ooker.
  • Matt Biedel as Sturge, the island handyman
  • Michael Trucco as Wade Scarborough, the mayor of Crockett Island.
  • Crystal Balint as Dolly Scarborough, Wade's wife, and Leeza's mother.
  • Louis Oliver as Ooker, Warren and Ali's friend who also serves as an altar boy at the church.
  • Henry Thomas as Ed Flynn, Riley's father who works as a fisherman and is reluctant to welcome his son home.
  • Hamish Linklater as Father Paul Hill, the enigmatic new priest at St. Patrick's Church, who arrives to replace the aging Monsignor Pruitt temporarily.

Recurring

  • Robert Longstreet as Joe Collie, the town drunk
  • Carla Gugino as Judge
  • Quinton Boisclair as The Angel[7]
  • Ebony Booth as Tara-Beth, the teenage girl killed by Riley in a drunk driving accident
  • John C. McDonald as Bowl, a local drug dealer

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Book I: Genesis"Mike FlanaganMike FlanaganSeptember 24, 2021 (2021-09-24)
Riley Flynn returns to his hometown of Crockett Island, a tiny offshore fishing village, after serving four years in prison for a drunk driving crash that killed a young woman. Having lost his faith during his incarceration, Riley struggles to reintegrate with the town's devout Catholic community, which includes his parents Annie and Ed, teenage brother Warren, childhood sweetheart Erin Greene (who has returned to Crockett Island pregnant and is now working as a schoolteacher), zealous parishioner Bev Keane, and Father Paul Hill, a newcomer who is temporarily replacing the aging Monsignor Pruitt (whose whereabouts only Father Paul seems to know). The town is reeling economically after an oil spill that crippled its fishing industry. While out at night to drink and smoke marijuana with his friends Ooker and Ali, Warren spots strange movement in a remote island area populated by feral cats, which are later mauled by an unseen entity. The following night, Riley sees the figure of Monsignor Pruitt walking along the beach amidst a raging storm, but the figure soon vanishes. The next morning, hundreds of dead cats are discovered along the beach.
2"Book II: Psalms"Mike FlanaganMike Flanagan, James Flanagan, Elan GaleSeptember 24, 2021 (2021-09-24)
The townsfolk cannot determine a cause of death for the cats found along the beach. Bev covers the church perimeter with 1080, hoping to fend off potential predators. Father Paul learns that Leeza Scarborough, the Crockett mayor's daughter who uses a wheelchair, was paralyzed after being accidentally shot by the town drunk Joe Collie. During the island's annual Ash Wednesday "Potluck" Festival, Joe's dog suddenly dies after eating food off the ground. Joe suspects Bev, whom he personally despises, for extracting church donations from the townsfolk after convincing them to accept a settlement with the oil company that poisoned the bay's waters, knowing it would benefit the church. Erin witnesses a mysterious creature stalking through her property. Riley attends a one-on-one AA meeting with Father Paul, where he expresses his contempt for the doctrine of theodicy, owing to his guilt over the fatal car accident. During Mass that Sunday, Father Paul insists that Leeza rise from her wheelchair to accept the eucharist; to everyone's shock, Leeza stands and walks.
3"Book III: Proverbs"Mike FlanaganMike Flanagan, James FlanaganSeptember 24, 2021 (2021-09-24)
Crockett Island begins experiencing a religious revival after Leeza's sudden recovery, which the residents believe was a miracle. Leeza visits Joe, who witnesses her recovery for the first time, and tearfully expresses the years of hatred she has harbored towards him for causing her life-ruinous injury, only to ultimately forgive him. A moved Joe decides to attend an AA session with Riley and Father Paul. Sheriff Hassan, whose Muslim faith puts him against the town's mostly Christian population, learns that his son Ali is studying the Bible. Later, he makes an unsuccessful attempt to get Bev to stop handing out Bibles to public school children at a town meeting. Father Paul collapses in front of Bev and the Scarboroughs and dies after coughing up blood, only to suddenly spring back to life. In a flashback taking place the night before his first sermon on the island, Paul sits in a confession booth. He reveals the true story of Monsignor Pruitt: near Jerusalem, Pruitt was caught in a sandstorm and discovered an ancient ruin, where he was attacked by a winged, blood-sucking humanoid creature (which Pruitt asserts is an Angel) that fed him its lifeblood. Pruitt awoke the next morning to discover he had regained his youth, revealing Father Paul's true identity as a revitalized Monsignor Pruitt.
4"Book IV: Lamentations"Mike FlanaganMike Flanagan, Dani ParkerSeptember 24, 2021 (2021-09-24)
During Erin's routine pregnancy checkup, Crockett Island's resident doctor Sarah Gunning discovers that Erin's fetus has mysteriously disappeared from her uterus and concludes that she has miscarried. Distraught, Erin spends the day with Riley, grieving her unborn child and discussing their respective childhoods and views on the afterlife. The following morning, Erin goes to the mainland to seek a second opinion, where a doctor questions whether or not Erin was ever really pregnant at all. Meanwhile, Father Paul begins to experience mysterious vampiric symptoms, including burning in sunlight, as Bev deduces his true identity. Unable to perform his duties in broad daylight, Father Paul performs an in-home evening eucharist with Dr. Gunning's elderly mother, Mildred, who recognizes Paul as Monsignor Pruitt. Later, at the rectory, Father Paul is visited by Joe, who witnesses Paul drinking the Angel's blood, which he has bottled and has been diluting with communion wine. Father Paul hugs Joe tightly, and Joe falls and hits his head on the floor, causing him to bleed profusely. Paul drinks Joe's blood. Bev, Mayor Scarborough, and local handyman Sturge discover Joe's corpse and a weary Father Paul the following morning. Bev elects to cover up the murder, believing Father Paul to be justified in his actions and his resurrection to be an omen of the Second Coming of Christ. Father Paul and Riley meet that evening for AA, and Paul explains to Riley that Joe is absent, visiting his sister on the mainland. However, Riley knows this to be untrue, as Joe had confided to him that his sister had died months prior. Riley returns to the rec center that night to confront Father Paul, only to be attacked by the Angel, who is seen shedding its blood into a decanter.
5"Book V: Gospels"Mike FlanaganMike Flanagan, James FlanaganSeptember 24, 2021 (2021-09-24)
Concerned over Riley's sudden disappearance, Erin files a Missing Persons Case with Sheriff Hassan, who hypothesizes that Riley may have relapsed or committed suicide. On the evening of Good Friday Mass, Father Paul delivers a sermon rife with militaristic rhetoric, urging the congregation to prepare for war as soldiers in God's army. The homily upsets Mildred Gunning, whose physical and mental state seems to be rapidly improving following Father Paul's visit. Later that night, Riley appears on Erin's doorstep and asks her to go offshore on a boat with him. Erin, while suspicious, agrees. Rowing far away from the island, Riley reveals to Erin what happened to him: After being attacked by the Angel, Riley rapidly recovered under the care of Father Paul. Father Paul reveals his true identity to him and tells him that he believes the Angel's blood is a gift from God and has been mixing it into Communion Wine to heal the residents of Crockett Island. Riley leaves the rec center, disgusted, and leaves notes for his family and Monsignor Pruitt behind before seeing Erin. Riley tells Erin he brought her on the boat to isolate himself, and declares his love for her. As the sun rises, Riley combusts and quickly burns away to ashes as Erin screams in horror.
6"Book VI: Act of The Apostles"Mike FlanaganMike Flanagan, James Flanagan, Jeff HowardSeptember 24, 2021 (2021-09-24)
Erin returns to the island after witnessing Riley burn to death and tells Sarah what is happening. Sarah shows Erin the de-aged Mildred and how her blood samples burn under sunlight, theorizing that Father Paul is inducing medical miracles via the wine at church. She relays her suspicions to Sheriff Hassan, who refuses to investigate the church, fearing further alienation from the locals. Erin discloses Riley's death to Annie, who refuses to believe her. Erin, Sarah, and Mildred attempt to get the ferry to the mainland, but discover Mayor Scarborough has sent the ferries away, and witness Sturge locking down the fishing boats. That night, before Easter mass, Sturge cuts power to the town and sabotages the cell tower. At Mass, Father Paul reveals that he is Monsignor Pruitt to the residents, before unveiling the Angel to an awestruck congregation. Pruitt informs the churchgoers that they all have the Angel's blood in their veins and encourages them to drink poison to die and be reborn. Several residents drink the poison, including Leeza's parents, Sturge, Ooker, and Ali. Mildred shoots Pruitt and is swooped out of the church by the Angel. The undead churchgoers resurrect and attack those who haven't drunk the poison. Ed is turned while Erin, Hassan, Leeza, Sarah, Warren, and Annie escape. Erin shoots Bev before the group flees into town. A resurrected Bev and Sturge unleash the undead churchgoers onto the remaining townsfolk.
7"Book VII: Revelation"Mike FlanaganMike FlanaganSeptember 24, 2021 (2021-09-24)
The now-turned Mildred reunites with Pruitt; the two were lovers years ago, and Sarah is their daughter. Pruitt confesses that he brought the Angel to the island to rejuvenate Mildred so that the two of them could have a second chance to be together. Meanwhile, the few remaining un-turned townspeople on Crockett Island set fire to the boats to prevent the turned churchgoers from leaving the island and spreading their contagion to the mainland. Bev leads the turned churchgoers on a crusade across the island, killing anyone they can find. Pruitt, horrified by the violence, denounces Bev, and she, in turn, denounces him as a false prophet. Bev orders her followers to burn down everything on the island except for the church and town recreation center, which she intends to use as a shelter for the turned churchgoers during the day. Sheriff Hassan, Sarah, and Erin attempt to burn down the church and rec center, but Sturge shoots Sarah, Bev mortally wounds Hassan, and the Angel attacks Erin. Erin repeatedly slashes its wings as she dies to prevent it from escaping to the mainland. Many of the churchgoers are appalled at what they have done to the town and abandon Bev's cause. Ali burns down the rec center, leaving no shelter for the turned churchgoers while Pruitt and Mildred burn down the church after their daughter's death. As dawn approaches, the remorseful townspeople, led by Ed and Annie Flynn, gather to be immolated by the rising sun. Ali and Hassan reconcile and perform one last salah, with Hassan finally succumbing to his wounds mid-prayer. Pruitt and Mildred hold hands and watch the sunrise, while Bev desperately attempts to dig a hole on the beach for shelter. Leeza and Warren, who rowed offshore to avoid the carnage, are the island's only survivors. They watch the Angel attempt to fly away but notice its wings are failing. As Bev, Ali, Pruitt, Mildred, and the rest of the island's inhabitants die, Leeza tells Warren that she can no longer feel her legs. Leeza and Warren watch the island succumb to the fires as ash begins to engulf the sea.

Development

Series creator Mike Flanagan described Midnight Mass as a passion project, one that was "deeply personal" and dealt intimately with Flanagan's upbringing in the Catholic Church, and his eventual sobriety and atheism.[8] He conceived the idea first as a novel, then as a film script, then as a television series that he unsuccessfully pitched to various production companies (including its eventual distributor Netflix) in 2014. Flanagan planted a prop book bearing the title as an Easter egg in his films Hush (2016) and Gerald's Game (2017), as a means of "keeping the idea alive over the years."[9] Prior to the series' production, Flanagan created the critically acclaimed horror series The Haunting of Hill House for Netflix, which released in 2018, as well as its 2020 follow-up The Haunting of Bly Manor.

On July 1, 2019, Netflix announced that Midnight Mass would be a seven-episode miniseries, with Flanagan serving as its writer, director and executive producer.[10] In February 2020, Zach Gilford, Kate Siegel and Hamish Linklater were announced as lead roles for the series.[11]

Production was originally scheduled to commence in March 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] Midnight Mass entered production on August 17, 2020, in Vancouver, Canada and concluded on December 15, 2020.[13][14][15] Production built the town set at Garry Point Park, a seaside public area outside Vancouver, which stood in for Crockett Island.[16]

Music

Midnight Mass
Soundtrack album
ReleasedSeptember 24, 2021 (2021-09-24)
GenreSoundtrack
Length94:57
LabelMaisie Music Publishing

The soundtrack for Midnight Mass was released in September 2021. The music for the series was scored by The Newton Brothers, Andy Grush and Taylor Newton Stewart, who have worked with series creator Mike Flanagan on each of his projects since his 2013 film Oculus.[17] The soundtrack features reimagined Christian hymns, along with original pieces from The Newton Brothers.[18]

Midnight Mass track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Abide With Me"2:41
2."Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise"3:12
3."Holy Holy Holy"2:25
4."Lead Kindly Light"2:31
5."Come, Darkness"4:14
6."Were You There"2:56
7."O Sons and Daughters"3:35
8."Holy God We Praise Thy Name"6:02
9."Nearer My God To Thee"4:47
10."The Power of Faith"3:09
11."Mortuus Feles"3:58
12."Mercy"4:41
13."Aftermath"2:41
14."Dignity"6:02
15."The Sea"1:56
16."Angel of God"2:09
17."Lead Kindly Light (Instrumental)"2:50
18."Faith & Family Blood"6:01
19."Prayer"3:31
20."Act of Contrition"2:45
21."Hurt"3:02
22."12th Century Revenants"2:09
23."Communion"1:31
24."Nearer My God To Thee (Instrumental)"8:02
25."Body of Christ"2:42
26."Were You There (Instrumental)"5:24
Total length:94:57

Release

Midnight Mass was released on Netflix on September 24, 2021.[2]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 91% approval rating with an average rating of 8.40/10, based on 66 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "An ambitious meditation on grief and faith that is as gorgeous as it is unsettling, Midnight Mass's slow boil is a triumph of terror that will leave viewers shaking—and thinking—long after the credits roll."[19] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 21 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20]

The miniseries received largely positive reviews from critics. Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly gave it an "A–" grade and wrote that it "isn't perfect, but it is a keenly affecting, beautifully acted reflection on death, faith, guilt, addiction, and the power of free will."[21] Judy Berman of Time gave it a very positive review, calling it Flanagan's best series yet and praised the performances of Zach Gilford, Kate Siegel and especially Hamish Linklater.[22] David Fear of Rolling Stone also gave the series a positive review, further praising the performance of Linklater stating that "the three-layers-deep work that Linklater is doing over these seven episodes is extraordinary." Fear also praised Flanagan stating that "It’s the way that [he] carefully sets everything into place in anticipation of a bigger-picture nightmare that makes the payoffs so satisfying."[23]

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave another positive review, drawing parallels between Flanagan's work and Stephen King, calling it "The best Stephen King story Stephen King never wrote" and stating that "Even though this is an original work from Flanagan, it feels like a high-level adaptation of a particularly haunting King novel."[24] Jack Seale of The Guardian gave the series three out of five stars, praising Flanagan's filmmaking, but criticizing the series for its "bloated dialogue" stating that "When the end comes at last, there is a lot of fire and viscera, but no rapture."[25] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave the series two and a half stars out of five, further criticizing the dialogue and religious themes, stating that the series "can be a little exhausting in its preachiness." However "most of the lengthy conversations are well-scripted."[26]

References

  1. ^ Kennedy, Michael (January 22, 2020). "Midnight Mass: What We Know So Far". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Petski, Denise (August 9, 2021). "'Midnight Mass': Mike Flanagan's Netflix Horror Series Unveils First Trailer, Premiere Date". Deadline. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  3. ^ Squires, John (August 9, 2021). "[Trailer] Mike Flanagan's Netflix Horror Series "Midnight Mass" Will Premiere in September!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  4. ^ Gemmill, Allie (February 5, 2020). "Mike Flanagan's 'Midnight Mass' Cast Includes 'Hill House' Alums Henry Thomas & Kate Siegel". Collider. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  5. ^ Squires, John (August 17, 2020). ""Midnight Mass": Filming Has Begun on Mike Flanagan's New Netflix Horror Series". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  6. ^ Kohli, Rahul (October 8, 2021). "Rahul Kohli's Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  7. ^ Maas, Jennifer (September 27, 2021). "'Midnight Mass' Producers Break Down Biblical References to Father Paul's Heavenly Secret". The Wrap. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  8. ^ Flanagan, Mike (September 27, 2021). "The Deeply Personal Horror of 'Midnight Mass' – Guest Essay by Filmmaker Mike Flanagan". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  9. ^ King, Darryn (September 24, 2021). "Mike Flanagan Explores His Private Horrors in 'Midnight Mass'". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  10. ^ Roots, Kimberly (July 1, 2019). "Haunting of Hill House Creators' Horror Series Midnight Mass Greenlit at Netflix". TVLine. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  11. ^ Petski, Denise (February 5, 2020). "'Midnight Mass': Zach Gilford, Kate Siegel & Hamish Linklater To Lead Cast Of Netflix Horror Series". Deadline. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  12. ^ Hermanns, Grant (March 13, 2020). "Netflix Delays Production on Mike Flanagan's Midnight Mass". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  13. ^ Baxter, Joseph (August 17, 2020). "Mike Flanagan Netflix Series Midnight Mass Starts Production". Den of Geek. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  14. ^ Travis, Ben (August 17, 2020). "Mike Flanagan Marks First Day Of Shooting On New Netflix Horror Series Midnight Mass". Empire. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  15. ^ "DGC BC Production List" (PDF). Directors Guild of Canada. September 18, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  16. ^ St. Clair, Josh (September 24, 2021). "Is Crockett Island From Midnight Mass a Real Place?". Men's Health. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  17. ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (April 12, 2021). "From 'Doctor Sleep' to 'Midnight Mass': Mike Flanagan and the Newton Brothers Discuss Collaborative Magic". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  18. ^ Mithaiwala, Mansoor (September 24, 2021). "Every Song In Midnight Mass". ScreenRant. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  19. ^ "Midnight Mass (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  20. ^ "Midnight Mass". Metacritic. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  21. ^ Baldwin, Kristen (September 23, 2021). "Midnight Mass review: A deeply affecting tale of faith gone wrong". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  22. ^ Berman, Judy (September 20, 2021). "Netflix's Catholic Horror Story Midnight Mass Is One Hell of a Halloween Binge". Time. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  23. ^ Fear, David (October 5, 2021). "The Most Terrifying Show on TV Right Now? It's 'Midnight Mass'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  24. ^ Roeper, Richard (September 22, 2021). "'Midnight Mass': The best Stephen King story Stephen King never wrote". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  25. ^ Seale, Jack (September 24, 2021). "Midnight Mass review: blood-soaked horror loses the faith – and the plot". The Guardian. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  26. ^ Tallerico, Brian (September 24, 2021). "Midnight Mass". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved October 4, 2021.

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