Netflix is home to a seven-part gothic masterpiece that is a perfect combination of the style of Stephen King and Agatha Christie, making it a must-watch. Although Netflix now has huge competition in the world of streaming, the platform is still one of the most popular ones, in large part thanks to its original content, especially its TV shows. Some Netflix originals now rank among the best TV shows of all time, and among them are some horror shows.
Netflix has an interesting catalog of horror TV shows, but its best ones are those made by Mike Flanagan. In 2018, Flanagan brought The Haunting of Hill House, followed by The Haunting of Bly Manor two years later, after which Flanagan signed a deal with Netflix. Flanagan made a total of five TV shows for Netflix, with only one being an original creation: Midnight Mass, released in 2021.
At the time of writing, Midnight Mass holds an 87% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Although slower than Flanagan’s previous Netflix shows, Midnight Mass has been praised by critics and general audiences for its pace, concept, direction, and performances, and it ranks high among his best works. Midnight Mass is Flanagan’s take on vampires, but with some clever twists, changes, and additions, making it one of the best horror shows of the decade.
Netflix’s Midnight Mass Feels Like Stephen King Crossed With Agatha Christie
Midnight Mass takes the audience to the isolated fishing village of Crockett Island. Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford), who just got out of prison after killing a woman in a drunk driving crash, returns to the town, but his arrival coincides with that of Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater). Father Paul, a mysterious young priest who is temporarily replacing the much older Monsignor Pruitt, revitalizes the town’s faith as he begins to perform miracles and more.
However, Father Paul carries a dark and disturbing secret that now also involves all those in town who follow him and his miracles, while Riley does his best to uncover it. As mentioned above, Midnight Mass is Flanagan’s take on vampires, who, in this specific world, are a lot more than just bloodthirsty creatures. Flanagan gives depth to his vampires through themes like faith, fanaticism, guilt, fear, loss, grief, and death, and their vampirism works differently, too. This is what makes Midnight Mass feel like a Stephen King story, as King also has his own type of vampires.
Midnight Mass also feels like an Agatha Christie story thanks to its elements of mystery, crime, and suspense. More specifically, Midnight Mass is reminiscent of Christie’s novel And Then There Were None, which, like Flanagan’s show, is set on an isolated island. There, ten people are accused of past crimes and begin to be killed one by one, with each death matching a line in a specific nursery rhyme. Midnight Mass, then, has the horror elements of a Stephen King story like Salem’s Lot, along with the mystery and suspense of the works of Agatha Christie.
Midnight Mass Is One Of Mike Flanagan’s Best Original Shows
As mentioned above, Midnight Mass is an original story, compared to Flanagan’s other Netflix shows that were based, even if loosely, on other works. As such, Midnight Mass stands out from the rest, and it proves that Flanagan has rightfully earned his title as a Master of Horror, as he can do both adaptations and original works.
Midnight Mass has all the elements of a Flanagan show: a character-driven story, complex characters, depth, and themes that help ground the story and characters despite their supernatural elements. One of the biggest strengths of Midnight Mass is its performances, particularly that of Hamish Linklater, with incredible supporting performances by Rahul Kohli and Kate Siegel, among others.
While Midnight Mass is more of a slow-burn type of horror show, it’s worth every minute, and like other Flanagan shows, every detail and tease eventually pays off. Midnight Mass is a must-watch for fans of horror and Mike Flanagan, as well as one of the best vampire TV shows in recent years.