Midnight Mass, a review.
I was unsure what to expect from this series. I had expected that it would be good, but I remained uncertain about what kind of horror story it would be. I had thoroughly enjoyed The Haunting of Hill House, and Dr Sleep and hoped it would be just as good. Thankfully, that proved to be the case. I will say, that there was a touch of disappointment regarding the monster within the story, but it was handled in such a different manner that it proved a minor issue. Mike Flanagan has created a story that has specific themes that work well and a great deal of growing tension and worries throughout. As someone that has never been much of a churchgoer, and an agnostic, I found some of the scripture worship hard to listen to, but it fits in well in the overall narrative. This is a story that is centred around Catholicism. Flanagan has stated that he worked the story around the experiences from his own life. Faith in America very much has different connotations to what I have experienced over here in the UK. At its heart, this is a vampire story. It is worth noting that there are spoilers ahead. Read at your own discretion.
The story begins with the event that leads to Riley Flynn's incarceration, a head-on collision that leaves a young woman dead. Flynn is barely hurt, sitting drunk on the roadside, watching the ambulance crew fail to save the young woman. It quickly follows his first night in prison and the image of the dead girl watching him as he attempts to sleep, the flash of blue and red light reflected on the glass shards embedded into her flesh. The story jumps to Crockett Island, back to Riley's family, and the day before his return to his childhood home. The local populace is barely over a hundred people, houses are standing empty, and the heyday of this island is long past. As a fishing village, there is little to do, and the local church is awaiting the return of the Monsignor. Here we get our first introduction to Bev Keane, a character that most will love to hate or just plain hate. As Bev looks for the Monsignor, the viewer watches a man come onto the island dragging a large old-fashioned chest with him. At this point, we have no clue that this is Father Paul, new to the island and here to replace the ageing Monsignor Pruitt. Bev leaves the dock after speaking to Sturge, assured that the Monsignor had not arrived. We flashback to Father Peter entering a house, dragging the chest in, and as he rests, something knocks from within the chest. Soon it is Riley's turn to return to the island, his mother waiting for him at the dock as he disembarks. It is evident from his manner and body language that Riley is hesitant to have returned to the island, that much has changed during his sentence in prison. They walk through the small village, faces familiar seen by both. With greater hesitation, Riley returns to his home and enters behind his mother. Before Riley's return, his brother, Warren, had joined two other boys as they smoked pot and spent time on the nearby island. Surrounded by innumerable cats, and for a moment Warren saw something in the dark, a figure with glowing yellow eyes. In an instance, it is gone, leaving them thinking it is but his imagination.
The first Sunday, Riley is forced to join his family at Sunday service, a condition of his parole, as stated by his father. The relationship between father and son is strained. Riley's actions and years of distance have not made it any easier, though Ed does try. We are introduced to Sheriff Hassan during this episode, along with the wheelchair-bound Leeza and her parents. These will all play greater roles as the story unfolds. It is at the church service that we are introduced to Father Peter. He moves to give a sermon, introducing himself to his new flock and explaining that the Monsignor had taken ill and was recovering on the mainland. It is worth noting that this is his first time taking mass, and he had already filled the wine before the seminary boys would have. Throughout this encounter, he is welcoming and speaks as though he knows them. This is explained by Father Paul supposedly having spent time with Monsignor Pruitt during his sickness. He focuses on Riley, noting that he hadn't taken the sacrament. Riley explains that he isn't in a good place with his faith and that his time in prison has changed his opinion on such things. At the mass, Riley had spotted an old flame, Erin Greene. She had also just returned to the island. Erin is pregnant and living alone, having taken her mother's position as a teacher in the school on the island. Unlike Riley, Erin is still certain in her faith and proves one of the few people he can truly open up to. As we move into the end of the episode, a storm moves in. During this storm, Riley sees a figure in the rain on the beach. Believing it to be the Monsignor, he rushes out into the storm but the figure eludes him and vanishes. During this scene, the figure moves in an ungainly manner, and it is easy to see that its eyes glow with low yellow light.
The next episode opens up with the beach covered with the corpses of cats, picked at by seagulls as the local sheriff attempts to discern what the cause could be. This is a strange occurrence, as it appears they have all been drained of blood and had their necks snapped. As things continue, there are more strange events, from the image of something flying over the island to the slow regeneration of the people of the village. There are darker events also, the death of Joe's dog in a grizzly fashion poisoned with a hotdog, laced with rat poison. It is easy to discern who the culprit is, at least to the viewer, but it is hard to prove for the Sheriff as he investigates the matter. I'd like to highlight how evil Bev's character is. I'm not talking evil genius kind of evil, or even serial killer evil. The woman is the worst kind of banal evil, petty, small, and utterly hateful with this mindset that she is utterly in the right. Her righteousness and the twisting of her religion to her own ends are brilliantly portrayed on screen by Samantha Sloyan. She sluts shame, Erin, pointing out how wonderful Erin's mother was in comparison, and throughout any interaction, she uses scripture to justify her and others' actions. The woman is wonderfully petty and vicious whilst hiding behind a mask of civility and self-righteousness. We learn more about Riley's argument against God and his issues with his faith as he begins his AA sessions with Father Paul. The two men start delving into matters, such as Riley's anger at himself and God. Riley's alcoholism is the primary matter here, and Riley is angry at the person he became when he drank. Riley remained angry at the things he had done when under the influence. He was stuck with the knowledge that he had been the one that had fed that part of himself instead of fighting against it. What the drunk persona did was his responsibility, ultimately. Though these conversations work well, with Father Paul often countering Riley well with his own arguments, I felt that the conversations between Erin and Riley worked better. They were simply more heartfelt. The connection between these two lost souls is strong. They fit well together, and without Erin's influence, Riley might remain lost and aimless. This is highlighted in the previous episode as she helps him find some sense of purpose again. Telling him that waiting out the storm is his purpose for that day. For me, the writing for these characters is strong throughout, making them feel real and giving the story higher stakes.
I won't do a complete breakdown of each episode. I will stick to an overview. Things take a strange turn as we reach the end of the second episode, and a miracle occurs. Leeza is beckoned to take the sacrament, with Father Paul moving away from her, and she is forced to rise from her wheelchair. As she does, the congregation looks on, stunned. We flash to the next episode and watch as Father Paul takes ill, rushes from the church, and back to his own home, throwing up blood. It appears the miracle has taken something from him, but the issue is not as simple as it appears. It is here that Bev spots something in his home, something left over from the Monsignor. The word of the miracle quickly spreads, with Leeza up and about after a quick look over by Sandra, the local doctor. Here we begin to see the beginnings of religious fervour, and that theme grows as the series continues. Bev clings to Father Paul closer now. She believes that he is on a mission from god. This worship will falter in time, but for now, Bev is his most loyal follower. As this episode unfolds, we see Father Paul giving a confession, and we learn the story of Monsignor Pruitt. We learn of Pruitt's journey into the desert, of his stumbling onto the ruins, of his encounter with the 'Angel.'. It is obvious to the viewer that this is not an Angel, the winged horror feeding on the old man's blood as he lies helpless beneath it. It is here that we see the creature feed the Monsignor its blood. And we discover that Father Paul is Monsignor Pruitt. The blood of the creature has rejuvenated him, returning him to the point of his prime. In the present, Father Paul has taken ill, growing worse throughout the episode. As the episode reaches its end, we watch as he falls to the floor, vomiting blood, and having some kind of seizure. Father Paul dies in front of Bev and the Mayor, laying on the floor utterly still. Within a few moments, he comes awake, back to life, it appears. For any fan of vampire horror, it is obvious what has happened and what will come next. It does follow a familiar route, but the use of religion as justification for what happens is a unique twist. It has become obvious that those that have taken the sacrament are getting younger in appearance. This could appear to be a good thing, but this implies that they have been imbibing the blood of the creature. Brought back to life, Father Paul is suffering from terrible hunger and a sudden aversion to sunlight. Things spiral from this point, as the bloodlust leads to Father Paul feeding, the death of Joe at his hands, and his new belief that this is God's will and he must spread it to the rest of his flock. Riley, unfortunately, discovers that Father Paul is lying to him after he slips up a lie about Joe. This leads to Riley turning up in the hall just as the creature is refilling the wine bottle. The last thing we see is the creature feeding on Riley before the episode ends.
The story speeds up now, with a returned Riley eventually revealing the truth to Erin. An Erin, who is struggling with the disappearance of her child and the mysteries of death, and where we go afterwards. There is far more to that storyline than I have relaid here, and it is a touching scene between Riley and Erin, as they both explain what they believe happens at the time of death. This is all relevant, as it plays into his tale, along with the trust Riley puts in Erin. Riley relays all that has happened to him, what he has become and what danger lies in waiting for all those on the island. He tells Erin all of this because he believes she is strong enough to save others, and he needs her to truly see the danger she is in. As Riley has been telling his story, the sun has begun to rise, and the sky grows brighter with every moment. This is why he had brought her to sea so that she would see what would happen to him in the sunlight. Riley, as he passes, sees the young woman he killed, restored and smiling at him beatifically, beckoning him to join her. Erin, however, watches as Riley is immolated by the sunlight, turned to dust within seconds. Her horrified scream is utterly convincing. Katie Siegel did a fantastic job.
As we ramp up to the last two episodes, Father Paul is convinced that all should join him, safe from death as God wishes. He is utterly wrapped up in the premise that the Angel is enacting God's plan. This is where things take a turn, and we begin to see a growing separation on the island. Erin gathers a small group to herself, determined to save more, even as Father Paul is preparing a surprise for the Midnight Mass. Bev remains close to his side, and she has gathered more power as the congregation has grown, insinuating herself well in everything that is to come. As things reach the inevitable climax, it is great to see how everything devolves. The whole scene becomes one of bloodlust and horror. The scenes of wilful suicide are a little uncomfortable, and the religious mania is somewhat unpleasant to watch. In many ways, this entire storyline is akin to how cults work and the utter belief that leads to terrible deeds. Erin fights to save those she can, Sandra's mother shoots Father Paul in the head and she is, in turn, quickly slain by his Angel. As they hide in the rectory, they discover Bev hiding, the woman preaches at Erin before Erin shoots Bev in the chest. Quickly they flee into the night as the madness plays out in the church. Bev soon rises and takes over the events, Father Paul still recovering from the gunshot to his head and throwing open the doors, counter to his plan. Bev is convinced that those who did not come to church should face judgment. As this continues, Leeza, Warren, Annie, Sandra, Hassan, and Erin take refuge in Sandra's house. They make a plan to burn the docks, sure that the plan is for those turned to reach the mainland, to spread this infection. Before they can make for the docks, they are attacked, the windows are smashed in, and a Molotov cocktail hits the floor around them. It is at this point that Annie, Riley's mother, makes them flee. Heading to confront Bev by herself. The rest flee, and after telling Bev what she thinks of her, Annie slits her throat. Driven by their hunger, Sturge and Bev feed on the fresh blood, and the others have the time they need to flee the house without pursuit. After returning to her senses, Bev becomes convinced that the town should burn and begins to set other buildings alight with Sturge's aid. The small group of rebels manages to set the docks alight, the children fleeing from the island in a small paddle boat, and soon the whole island is burning. Growing desperate, Bev calls the flock back to the church in hopes that they can all hide from the spreading fire and the threat of the rising sun. Of course, things are not so simple, Father Paul has realized his mistake, and the last of the rebels, Erin and Hassan, have begun to pour gasoline on their sanctuary. Erin is attacked by the Angel, fed upon as she slowly cuts up its wings, and Hassan is shot. It is his son who sets the blaze, taking the last sanctuary from the recently turned. Now there is nowhere to go, and the sun will rise within minutes. Erin continues to slice up Angel's wings, enough that it might not be able to flee the sun, as the last of her blood is drained. We don't know if the Angel is slain by the sun, but all those on the island are turned to dust by the rising sun.
Midnight Mass is a brilliant series that works off of a familiar premise. The overview I have given does not do it justice, and I highly recommend that you give it a watch. This is a vampire story at its heart, but one done through the lens of religion. The characters are well-written and convincing. Riley's struggle with his return to the island and adjusting to life out of prison feels real. Erin's deep faith and joy in her pregnancy have a certain strength, a strength that runs true, even when she is robbed of her child. Father Paul's misguided belief in the Angel comes from his fear of death, his regrets, and his desire to gain a second chance with his daughter. Everything is twisted to suit that end, to such a degree that he utterly believes in something that is obviously foul and evil. Bev is one of the best-acted characters in the series, a hateful woman that drives her own destruction. There are many great moments that I have not mentioned. I have tried to not give everything away, in case you decide to give this a watch. This is an amazing series from Flanagan, and I can't wait to see what he does next.
I give this an easy 4.5 out of 5 stars, with a recommendation to any fan of horror. If you enjoyed Flanagan's other work, then you should definitely give this a watch.
