Since 2017, writer/director Mike Flanagan has adapted works by Stephen King (Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep), Henry James (The Haunting of Bly Manor), and Shirley Jackson (The Haunting of Hill House).
Now, the horror-auteur is back, this time with an original project that nonetheless feels very influenced by the authors whose work he previously adapted. It’s called Midnight Mass, a 7-part limited series that premiered on Netflix last week.
The title immediately piqued my interest. I was raised Catholic and specifically recall attending midnight mass on many a Christmas Eve. It’s not much of a spoiler though to say that the Midnight Mass of the show’s title has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ. Still, Catholicism is a driving force in the story.
In addition to growing up Catholic, my father was also a Theologian. While he never imposed his academic interests on my siblings or myself too rigorously, there were still plenty of debates and discussions about faith, scripture, and religion. I believe implicit in those engagements was the possibility of arguing against certain tenets of the faith we were raised on.
