This Halloween, Netflix is going back in time with The Midnight Club, a horror-thriller based on the same-named 1994 novel. The Haunting of the Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass director Mike Flanagan is returning on Netflix with a new project that uses storytelling to explore the idea of mortality. He has already shown that he can create captivating worlds on screen by fumbling with the human and otherworldly, but in his most recent work.
The ten-episode series centers on a group of youngsters close to death who reside in a hospice. Teenager Ilonka (Iman Benson), who has thyroid cancer, goes to the hospice after persuading her foster father that she wants to accept her impending death. Ilonka, however, follows in the footsteps of Julia Jayne, a woman with a similar condition to her who resided in the hospice and ultimately recovered. Ilonka follows a route that includes herbal teas, potions, cults, and pagan rites to heal herself. The youngsters simultaneously turn to storytelling for solace as they struggle to come to terms with mortality. At midnight, the young adults get together to share spooky tales. As they create ghosts, witches, and serial murderers for their buddies over a glass of wine, we see mirrors of ourselves in their stories. We watch Flanagan develop his characters via these tales.
Ruth Codd plays Anya, Ilonka’s problematic roommate, and potential love interest, and Igby Rigney plays Kevin. Adia as Cheri, a spoiled child of wealthy parents who never seem to have time to visit her; Aya Furukawa as Natsuki, a patient of cancer battling depression; and Sauriyan Sapkota as Amesh, a video-game enthusiast, make for great stubborn teenagers who are full of compassion for each other. William Chris Sumpter plays Spencer, the abandoned child suffering from AIDS. Annah Cymone plays Sandra, the devout Christian. However, how they are shown on TV could give the impression that they are flat. The tales they convey are scaled-down versions of Pike’s books that dabble in several literary subgenres and even hint at time travel.
The world-building in the first few episodes is intriguing and compelling, but towards the middle of the series, the format has grown stale, making it difficult to continue watching. Additionally, what started as a brilliant examination of mortality quickly devolves into a drab narrative peppered with forgettable horror tales and cliche jump scares, which virtually contradicts the point of jump scares. With 21 jumpscares in the first episode, the program entered the Guinness Book of World Records!
The program also honors the chosen family. It’s heartwarming to see the strong teens show connection and compassion in the face of death. The story of Spencer, a homosexual teenager in the 1990s, who made peace with his fundamentalist Christian mother and enjoyed communal life with his pals, calms the nerves and warms hearts. Despite his successes, Flanagan’s talent for portraying human emotions at the height of otherworldly grandeur is absent from The Midnight Club. However, there is enough room for a second season in the season finale. We can only hope that he uses it to save the narrative.
Below is the trailer of The Midnight Club:
