MIDNIGHT MASS
US, 2021, 7x60 minutes, Colour.
Hamish Linklater, Katie Siegel, Zach Gilford, Samantha Sloyan, Kristin Lehman, Henry Thomas, Igby Rigney, Rahul Kohli, Annabeth Gish, Alex Essoe, Annarah Cymone, Rahul Abburi, Matt Biedel, Michael Trucco, Quinton Boisclair, Robert Longstreet.
Directed by Mike Flanagan.
Midnight Mass was a very popular 2021 limited series for Netflix. It was written and directed by Mike Flanagan, who has specialised in horror stories including Oculus, The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Haunting of Hill House and the Stephen King adaptation, Gerald’s Game. He often collaborates, as he does here, with his wife, Katie Siegel.
The setting is Crockett Island, off the American coast, a small close-knit community, the community held together by a veteran Monsignor who has travelled on a pilgrimage to Israel but taken ill and hospitalised. The sheriff of the town is a Muslim. A substitute priest arrives, Father Paul, young, enthusiastic, saying all the right religious and spiritual things, wearing a gold chasuble in the liturgy’s Ordinary Time, noted by the parish assistant, Bev, who emerges as a holier-than-thou, humorless controller.
The first part of the series fills in the background of key characters from the island, starting with the young man, Riley, who has left the island, has been involved in a drunk-driving accident and has served a jail term, now returning home. His mother is portrayed as the typical and traditional devout Catholic mother. The father, rather more quiet, upset by his son’s behaviour, is a local fisherman. The younger son, teenager at school, altar boy at the church, but who sneaks out with friends, including the sheriff’s son, to do drug deals.
Other key characters on the island include the teacher, Erin, who has returned to the island after experiencing a pregnancy. There is also the local doctor, glimpsed at one stage with a lesbian friend, who serves the people of the island but looks after her ageing mother who has touches of dementia. There are also a number of big and burly men around the island, one who has accidentally shot a young girl and crippled her, her father being the Mayor.
There are many scenes of liturgy, generally with sound technical advice, giving a feeling of authenticity. While there is some strictness in practice, there is also an acceptance of more recent changes such as communion in the hand, communion from the chalice, lay readers, there being a female communion minister, Bev.
At the time of Father Paul’s arrival, there seem to be some extraordinary events, and the word miraculous is used. Father Paul urges the crippled girl to stand and come forward to receive communion. She is healed. The doctor’s mother begins to revert, becoming younger. On the other hand, there are some deaths, cats, some poison associated with rats, kept in a cupboard locked by the controller.
One of the features of the series which alienated audiences who simply want action and horror is that there are many long speeches, seeming monologues, tackling the issues of life and death, God, the transcendent, issues of sin and evil, many of them between Riley and Erin. Paul also persuades Riley to join in an AA session, which involves a lot of discussion about guilt, responsibility, faith. And the shooter of the young girl is also persuaded to join.
At an early stage, there is a flashback to the monsignor’s journey, especially to Damascus, with the overtones of Paul’s conversion experience, the monsignor taking refuge in a cave, encountering a large mysterious creature (interpreted by him and others as an angel, for the audience it looks rather more demonic), it also has vampire qualities, and its blood is stored and mysteriously transported in a chest to the island.
About halfway through, there is a highly violent sequence, changing the tone of the whole series, moving it into some of the realms of religious horror. The Angel/demonic creature will continually appear, threatening the congregation, killing, vampire blood.
Religious issues are to the fore with the presentation of Catholic tradition, Catholic doctrine. There is an interesting challenge with the presence of the Muslim sheriff, his stories about his police career, prejudice against him after 9/11, his presence on the island, his observing the rituals of prayer during the day, wanting his son to follow his footsteps, the son wanting to be part of the island life, friends with his peers, joining them, wanting to go to the church.
Most of the action of the film takes place during Lent, quite a ritual ceremony and explanation for the ashes on Ash Wednesday (and a strange custom of a local fair and feast on that day, everybody with their ashes on their forehead). The action progresses through Lent until Holy Week, the advertisement for a Mass on Good Friday (which is where the action veers from the orthodox) leading to the preparation for the Easter Vigil, the Midnight Mass, which is something altogether different, a culmination of the changes in the life of the island, the miracles, Father Paul advocating a different kind of baptismal ceremony, more a vampiric experience, the congregation killing each other, drinking the blood, reviving into a bizarre resuscitation, resurrection.
In the meantime, it has been revealed that Father Paul is actually the rejuvenated monsignor, coming to do good for the island, but caught up in the bizarre Damascus experience, able to speak authentically about the gospel and spirituality, but wanting to transform the island, the end justifying the brutal means. The consequences have Riley understanding what was going on, his warning Erin, his confronting Father Paul and revealing the truth, his death.
The last episode has the mayhem of the Easter Vigil, the mass killings, revivals, zombies, Father Paul regretting what was happening, his being shot by the rejuvenated mother of the doctor – with the revelation that they had an affair in the past and the doctor is their daughter.
As regards the future, the various characters have their death experiences, Riley’s parents, Erin herself, the doctor and her mother. However, in the confrontation with the Angel/Demon, Erin is able to snip the wings so that when it flies, it crashes.
The only survivors are the family’s young son and the girl who was cured but who now reverts to her disabled state.
The series was very popular leading to a great deal of discussion.
