Midnight Mass, the series from director Mike Flanagan, earns high praise from author and horror genre titan Stephen King. This is Flanagan's latest project for Netflix after working with them on multiple films and series, most notably The Haunting of Hill House, which earned him much acclaim from fans and critics alike. Midnight Mass is scheduled for release on the streaming service on September 24.
As a horror director, Flanagan has a great affinity for King's writing, and has twice made adaptations of his work. While King has long been a popular source for filmmakers to draw on, Flanagan's Gerald's Game took on a novel that was long considered unfilmable, with the final product earning King's approval. The director then took on Doctor Sleep, the sequel to King's popular, early novel The Shining, and was able to marry the visions of King and Stanley Kubrick, who famously adapted the original in a way the author strongly rejected. That King raved about Doctor Sleep is truly a testament to Flanagan's skill as an adaptor.
Now, King has more great things to say about Flanagan's latest, Midnight Mass. In a tweet that reveals he has seen the series in its 7-episode entirety, the renowned author praises the show's craftwork and visual beauty, as well as its sense of terror. The the series saves the peak of its horror, he says, for the finale. Check out the tweet below:
Stemming this time from an original story by Flanagan, Midnight Mass begins with the arrival of two individuals in the isolated community of Crockett Island: Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford), a former resident returning home in disgrace; and Father Paul (Hamish Linklater), a charismatic priest. Soon after, seemingly miraculous events begin to occur, and the islanders are swept up in a religious fervor that sharpens divides that already existed. But, the people of Crockett Island soon discover that these so-called miracles come at a terrible price. The series also features several returning Flanagan regulars, including Annabeth Gish, Henry Thomas, and Flanagan's wife and closest collaborator, Kate Siegel.
Flanagan has built a strong name for himself amongst horror fans and any project of his is sure to be hotly anticipated, but King's seal of approval definitely stokes the fire. Given that Flanagan seems to be the sole director on this series, as he was for Hill House but not the tonally different Bly Manor, viewers can reasonably expect a good scare out of Midnight Mass. Only time will tell if the series delivers for fans as well as it did for King.
Source: Stephen King