Midnight Mass - Netflix

Agent Coulson · 09-08-2021 3:40pm #1

From the creator of The Haunting of Hill House,

Drops September 24th,

MIDNIGHT MASS introduces Crockett Island, an isolated island community that experiences miraculous events - and frightening omens – following the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89UV8vmWXlY&ab_channel=Netflix

Nalz · 04-10-2021 7:01pm

What's the verdict?

[Deleted User] · 04-10-2021 7:06pm

I thought it was pretty good..

TheValeyard · 04-10-2021 8:25pm

I dunno.....

Ive made it through four episodes. Im debating whether to watch the rest.

I LOVED 'The Haunting of Hill House', the other one 'Bly Manor' was alright and watchable.

This is just endless monologues. Its so slow moving, literally one thing happens per episode and thats it.

oh yeah, I feel like ive actually been to mass, repeatedly.

cena · 04-10-2021 8:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117976600#Comment_117976600

This series has nothing to do with the previous series. It is a stand alone show

TheValeyard · 04-10-2021 11:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117976798#Comment_117976798

Well that's obvious. But same director and some of the same cast.

Was expecting more, as in something to actually happen.

8mv · 06-10-2021 7:04am

I'm enjoying it. Just finished episode five. I think Hamish Linklater is very impressive.

Nalz · 07-10-2021 1:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117977592#Comment_117977592

Yeah I had mixed emotions. I disliked the long unnecessary dialog at times and the plot bar one or two things was obvious to me.

I'm in the minority among my friends and family though.

sydthebeat · 07-10-2021 1:47pm

its the poorest of the loose trilogy of Blyth manor, hill house and this one. Monster horror doesnt really do it for me, and the slightly different view of vampirism just reminded me of "what we did in the shadows" obviously without the humour.

as already mentioned linklater was the best thing about it, though throwing an obscene array of Nice Cave vibes

coolisin · 07-10-2021 1:53pm

Might get taken apart for this but I loved it!

I loved the long dialogue scenes, the talk about death and the death monologue was so well acted.

Left me with a feeling I knew who all the characters where by the end, motivations where obvious and I cared who made it or who didn't

The set design and feeling overly lived and small, but a community all the same.

The music was so subtle in places and was great. Some of the relationships between characters was excellently acted, just undertones of dislike or mistrust.

I can see why some would not enjoy it, I was shocked my wife enjoyed it as usually anything too talky would rule her out.

Would I have liked a bit more Horror? Yes

But as a character show it was a surprise, the story was not what I expected at all. So maybe because it went in a direction I didn't see from the trailers had me forgiving its mistakes.

Homelander · 08-10-2021 10:41pm

Loved it, easily a solid 9/10 for me. A religious supernatural horror that touches on grief, loss, acceptance, faith and just about every human weakness going.

Not scary, yet entirely horrifying and thought provoking. I'd be of the mindset that it's close to a masterpiece of TV.

s8n · 09-10-2021 12:57pm

fantastic show. best of the Netflix horror shows and loved the way it adapted the bible passages to fit the narrative.

[Deleted User] · 11-10-2021 1:15pm

poor. first few weren't bad but angels flying around churches and the long boring chats. Far too unbelieveable for me . Good acting though

8mv · 11-10-2021 1:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118004213#Comment_118004213

But it wasn't an angel, SW. And where would we be without monologues? I thought is was ambitious and thought-provoking - it didn't deliver 100% but I enjoyed watching it have a damn good shot at it...

[Deleted User] · 11-10-2021 6:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118004304#Comment_118004304

i understood it to be an angel. I could never believe in something like that too far out for me. Psychological thriller yes, its based in some reality but i don't believe in angels. the parts with Neil Diamond over the interludes were nice

joe40 · 11-10-2021 6:14pm

I thought the show was great, slow moving but really absorbing.

Coming from Ireland and like many here no doubt, been familiar with catholic mass etc it struck me that I never really saw that represented as accurately before in a TV show.

The sense of a small town mass was something that was very familiar, even though based in America. The similarities were stark

Obviously without the vampires...

[Deleted User] · 11-10-2021 8:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118005863#Comment_118005863

familiar with catholic mass etc it struck me that I never really saw that represented as accurately before in a TV show

That is true actually. Well made and well acted

The Raging Bile Duct · 12-10-2021 11:37am

Thought this show was the strongest offering I've seen on Netflix in a long time. Thought Hamish Linklater was fantastic as the priest and the supporting cast were all great in it too. I loved the monologues and the exploration of theology and morality within them - I'm an atheist that came from a very strongly catholic family so a lot of the themes within the dialogues and conversations resonated with me. Bev Keane's ability to quote scripture to justify any and all actions they took was a great way of showing how religion can be twisted to suit any agenda - a definite nod towards how the right wing in the US use religion for their own ends.

I thought there was a nice little nod to Salem's Lot as well when the girl, after being cured, tapped on the window of the Riley's brother to get him to go outside.

Skyrimaddict · 13-10-2021 4:28pm

It was a good show to be fair, not the best one I have watched but very good all the same.

Great acting from Hamish Linklader and the lady who played Bev Keane ( I wanted to smash her smug face in)

The overall plot was OK, I liked how it was given as a basic vampire plot, but viewed through a religious zealot and a priest who even found his faith tested ( again after fathering a child)

Some bits were silly, like the ending, I mean could someone not have hidden in any one of the smaller boats over turned or in even some of the fridge units etc.

I really liked poor Joe also, he was the best one for me.

Zak Flaps · 14-10-2021 3:33am

I thought it was ok. After 3 episodes i was really enjoying it but i thought it went slowly downhill afterwards.

I didn't like the drawn out conversations.

Agree with those earlier praising Hamish Linklater and Samantha Sloyan.

pixelburp · 15-10-2021 4:06pm

Caught the first 3 episodes of this, and hot damn I'm hooked. I speculated in the Film forum if Mike Flanagan is the inheritor to John Carpenter's throne as a master of horror - and I'd be hard pressed to find a compelling reason to say not.

I could see why the drawn-out, moribund atmosphere might frustrate those looking for more straightforward thrills and scares. For sure I wasn't expecting so much actual mass in Midnight Mass; but it's a credit to what I've seen so far that if there wasn't a monstrous element, this island's story would remain a good, intriguing watch. Not least because as is often with these things, the greatest monsters are the ones we create ourselves. Chiefly, religious zealotry.

And yes, gotta nod towards Hamish Linklater; the guy has been knocking out a performance that make you think if he doesn't get a nomination for this, it'll be a shock.

PokeHerKing · 15-10-2021 4:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118017364#Comment_118017364

Agreed. A lot of verbal diarrhoe for individual characters that I think could have been way shorter. Like a drawn out Stephen King paragraph at times.

But I still enjoyed it overall as a show. Just like I enjoy a good King book despite it's flaws.

muddypaws · 17-10-2021 10:32am

I don't like horror shows or films and this was recommended to me without saying that's what it is. But I loved it, and glad that I'm not the only one who thought of Salems Lot - which is probably why I don't like horror, I saw that too young and it terrified me.

Great monologues, and excellent acting, which is probably what stopped it being an out and out horror, vampire show.

Mantis Toboggan · 24-10-2021 1:50pm

On episode 5 started well but going down hill alright, all a bit ott

cdgalwegian · 25-10-2021 8:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117995698#Comment_117995698

100% agree.

Not a fan of horror, (though I did enjoy Flanagan's Oculus), but this falls into a category I'd call 'cerebral horror'. It's so damned clever.

MAJOR SPOILERS:

(The thread title should have spoilers in the title as it's best going in not knowing what it's about).

Flanagan didn't just have some tricks up his sleeve, like importing 'The Walking Dead' surprise of having everyone pre-set to come back to life after death- in this case having drank the blood of the supposed 'angel'. Re-imagining the Dracula story is one thing, but this was blended with a really clever critique of religious faith, with a sharp eye on the way interpretation can be warped to whatever ends that drive us. The Jewish death-and-resurrection cult that was transformed by St Paul into what came to be called Christianity, and evangelized, is brought out well here, and is a central plank in the story, so it was an interesting choice to have used a Muslim character here- who wouldn't have taken communion, rather a Jewish one.

The long segments of dialogue were great; clearly signalling the unfolding meanings, and hints of what was to come. Fantastic tv in every sense.

TaSeThat · 25-10-2021 10:11pm

Started watching this from a thread somewhere on boards with tv recommendations. The recommendations i've gone through so far:

The North Water - good and watched all
Succession - 4 eps in and gave up. Will possibly go back to it and did not think it was bad, just maybe not in the mood for it
Midnight Mass - 4 eps in and what a tv show. Great pace, not over-playing the horror element and full of symbolism. The scene where the two characters talk about their different versions of what they believe happens when they die. That scene may have been 5 mins long or 20 mins long I'm not sure but was masterful.....the dialogue, acting, score. It's great, after watching so many tv shows and films, that scenes like this can still blow me away. Looking forward to the remaining episodes in this. Thumbs up to the thread and user who recommended this.

Glebee · 26-10-2021 10:16am

Never usually watch horror genre but started to watch this last night for some reason. 3 episodes in and liking it so far. Actually looking forward to gettign back into it tonight.

spookwoman · 27-10-2021 1:41am

Just finished it tonight spanning over about a week. Had going at times, the bible thumping is overkill and got to a point where I could only watch a episode a night. It felt like I was at mass and trying to be converted with the monologues that just seem to go on and on.

Started off fine but then it becomes a slog till the 2nd last episode where it picks up again. Netflix need to get someone else in now Flannagsns last work Bly Manor and this are terrible compared to Hill House.

pixelburp · 01-11-2021 11:12am

Finished this up last night, and damnit if it didn't end with that classic, dangling Question Mark. I'm not a fan of those sort of things, preferring my stories tied up with a bow - but I did appreciate how this instance was left entirely up to the imagination of the viewer.

Did the "angel" make it to the mainland with those tattered wings??

Overall, and my opinion remains the same. Fantastic show. I respect how the slow pace and many discursive dialogue scenes might have been maddening to those eager for purer, more linear thrills or chills - but it was always in service of the themes, tone and fleshing out of this community. When the axes did fall, it made shocks more impactful, the tragedies a little sadder.

It also felt like a show you couldn't make a couple of decades ago; the Catholic Church would have been up in arms over a mainstream TV show making those kind of bold swings, linking the Eucharist to the themes and details of the monstrous part of the story. Maybe they were, but shows how little relevance they have that it went unreported

Mr.Fantastic · 01-11-2021 11:17am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118100766#Comment_118100766

From vampire lore.

It seems that when the mayor's daughter loses the feeling in her legs again, indicates the angel or master vampire in this is gone.

As her and the main characters brother they were not fully corrupted yet and lost any "benefits" they might have had

Also the young lad remarks he wouldn't make it with those wings.

pixelburp · 01-11-2021 11:30am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118100795#Comment_118100795

That's not how I read it;

My reading was that with each day, the vampire blood got burned outta the system from those taking communion - and without killing the human due to the lower levels. The doctor spit-balled this idea previously when they realised what was happening.

And as we know the girl had been attending mass every day, taking the tainted wine so keeping her healed. Then when everything went tits up; morning eventually came, the trace amounts of vampire blood left her system and so she started reverting to her original, crippled state.

I still think the vampire is dead though; 30 miles to the mainland was a long way, and even if he flew at 30mph it'd take an hour to get to land. No chance it could make that speed with its wings.

Midnight Mass - Netflix

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