A young man returns to his isolated hometown on Crockett Island, hoping to rebuild his life after serving four years in prison for killing someone in a drunk-driving incident. He arrives at the same time as a mysterious, charismatic young priest who begins to revitalise the town's flagging faith. However, the community's divisions are soon exacerbated by the priest's deeds while mysterious events befall the small town.
Zach Gilford as Riley Flynn, a former venture capitalist who returns to his hometown of Crockett Island after spending four years in prison for killing a woman in a drunk driving crash.
Kate Siegel as Erin Greene, Riley's childhood sweetheart, now a schoolteacher on Crockett Island and expecting a child. Siegel previously starred in Flanagan's 2016 film Hush (also co-written by Siegel) as Madison "Maddie" Young, presented within the film as the author of Midnight Mass.
Hamish Linklater as Father Paul Hill, the enigmatic new priest at St. Patrick's Church, who arrives to temporarily replace the aging Monsignor Pruitt.
Kristin Lehman as Annie Flynn, Riley's devout, forgiving mother.
Samantha Sloyan as Bev Keane, a zealous, overbearing, and influential member of the church.
Igby Rigney as Warren Flynn, Riley's teenage brother who serves as an altar boy at the church.
Rahul Kohli as Sheriff Hassan,[5] Crockett Island's Muslim sheriff, generally accepted by the island's predominantly Catholic population but viewed skeptically by many.
Annarah Cymone as Leeza Scarborough, the mayor's devout daughter who uses a wheelchair following an injury.
Annabeth Gish as Dr. Sarah Gunning, the town's local doctor, and Erin's close friend.
After serving four years in prison for a drunk driving crash that killed a young woman, Riley Flynn returns to his hometown of Crockett Island, a tiny offshore fishing village reeling economically from an oil spill which crippled its fishing industry. Having lost his faith during his incarceration, Riley struggles to reintegrate with the town's devout Catholic community, including his parents Annie and Ed; his teenage brother Warren; his childhood sweetheart (now an expectant mother) Erin Greene; and zealous parishioner Bev Keane. The community is joined by Father Paul Hill, a young priest claiming to be a temporary replacement for the elderly Monsignor Pruitt, who is on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. While out at night with his friends Ooker and Ali, Warren spots strange movement on a remote island populated by feral cats, one of which is later mauled by an unseen entity. The following night, Riley sees the figure of Pruitt walking along the beach amidst a raging storm, but the figure soon vanishes. The next morning, hundreds of dead cats are discovered along the beach.
The townspeople cannot determine a cause of death for the cats found along the beach. Bev covers the church perimeter with the rodenticide 1080, hoping to fend off potential predators. Father Paul meets Leeza Scarborough, the wheelchair-using daughter of the mayor. She was paralyzed after being accidentally shot by the town drunk Joe Collie. During the island's annual Ash Wednesday "Crock Pot Luck" Festival, Joe's dog suddenly dies after eating food off the ground. Joe suspects Bev is responsible; Joe despises Bev for extracting church donations from the townsfolk after convincing them to accept a settlement with the oil company that poisoned the bay's waters, knowing it would benefit the church. That night Erin, now working as a teacher, witnesses a mysterious figure on her property. Riley attends a one-on-one AA meeting with Father Paul at the town rec center. He condemns God for allowing such evil in the world, owing to his guilt over the fatal car crash. During the night, Bowl, the island drug dealer, is attacked by an unseen assailant. During Mass that Sunday, Father Paul commands Leeza to rise from her wheelchair to accept the Eucharist; to everyone's shock, Leeza stands and walks.
3
"Book III: Proverbs"
Mike Flanagan
Mike Flanagan and James Flanagan
September24,2021(2021-09-24)
Crockett Island begins experiencing a religious revival after Leeza's sudden recovery, which the residents believe to be a miracle. Leeza visits Joe and tells him of the hatred she has harbored towards him for causing her life-ruinous injury, saying that she has now forgiven him. A moved Joe attends an AA session with Riley and Father Paul. Sheriff Hassan, whose Muslim faith puts him at odds with the town's Christian population, learns that his son Ali is studying the Bible. Later, at a town meeting, he fruitlessly attempts to convince Bev to stop handing out Bibles to public school children. Father Paul collapses before Bev and the Scarboroughs. He dies after coughing up blood, only to suddenly return to life. In a flashback to the night before his first sermon on the island, Paul sits in a confession booth. He reveals the true story of Monsignor Pruitt. On the road to Damascus, Pruitt was caught in a sandstorm and took shelter in an ancient ruin, where he was attacked by a winged, blood-sucking humanoid creature that then fed him its lifeblood. Pruitt awoke the next morning to discover he had regained his youth, revealing Father Paul's true identity as a revitalized Monsignor Pruitt. Paul/Pruitt confesses that he believes the creature that attacked him is an Angel, and its blood's rejuvenating properties constitute a divine gift he intends to share.
4
"Book IV: Lamentations"
Mike Flanagan
Mike Flanagan and Dani Parker
September24,2021(2021-09-24)
Crockett's resident doctor, Sarah Gunning, discovers that Erin's fetus has mysteriously disappeared from her uterus and concludes that Erin has miscarried. A distraught Erin travels to the mainland the next morning for a second opinion. However, the doctor cannot find any evidence that Erin was ever pregnant. Father Paul reveals that sunlight burns him after his resurrection, and Bev deduces his true identity as Monsignor Pruitt. Unable to perform his duties in broad daylight, Paul performs an at-home Eucharist with Sarah's elderly mother, Mildred. She suffers from dementia but recognizes Paul as Pruitt. Joe visits Father Paul that night and sees him drinking the Angel's blood, which Paul has been diluting with the Blood of Christ and feeding his congregation. Overcome by an insatiable thirst, Paul kills Joe and drinks his blood. Bev, Mayor Scarborough, and local handyman Sturge discover the scene the following morning; Bev elects to cover it up, believing Paul's resurrection to be an omen of the Second Coming of Christ. During an AA session, Paul claims to Riley that Joe is absent because he is visiting his sister; Riley, knowing Joe's sister to be deceased, returns to the rec center late at night to confront Paul but walks in on the Angel shedding its blood into a decanter. Upon seeing Riley, the Angel attacks him.
5
"Book V: Gospel"
Mike Flanagan
Mike Flanagan and James Flanagan
September24,2021(2021-09-24)
Concerned over Riley's sudden disappearance, Erin files a missing persons report with Sheriff Hassan, who hypothesizes that Riley may have relapsed or committed suicide. At mass on the evening of Good Friday, Father Paul delivers a sermon rife with militaristic rhetoric, urging the congregation to prepare for war as soldiers in God's army. The homily upsets Mildred Gunning, whose physical and mental states have rapidly improved following Father Paul's visits. Later that night, Riley appears on Erin's doorstep and asks her to go offshore on a boat with him. Erin, while suspicious, agrees. Rowing far away from the island, Riley reveals to Erin what happened to him: after being attacked by the Angel, Riley rapidly recovered under the care of Father Paul, who then revealed his true identity to Riley and told him that he believes the Angel's blood is a gift from God and has been mixing it into the communion wine to heal the residents of Crockett Island. Riley then left the rec center, disgusted, and deposited farewell letters for his family and Pruitt before visiting Erin. Riley tells Erin he brought her on the boat to isolate himself and declares his love for her. Riley combusts and quickly burns to ashes as the sun rises, and Erin screams in horror.
6
"Book VI: Acts of the Apostles"
Mike Flanagan
Mike Flanagan and James Flanagan and Jeff Howard
September24,2021(2021-09-24)
Erin returns to the island, where Sarah shows her the rejuvenated Mildred and how her blood samples burn in sunlight, theorizing that Father Paul is inducing medical "miracles" via the communion wine and Erin's consumption of it is what killed her baby. She relays her suspicions to Sheriff Hassan, who refuses to investigate the church, fearing further alienation from the locals. Erin, Sarah, and Mildred attempt to get the ferry to the mainland but discover that Mayor Scarborough has sent the ferries away. That night, Sturge cuts power to the town. Father Paul reveals that he is Monsignor Pruitt at Mass, unveiling the Angel to a shocked congregation. Pruitt informs them that they all have consumed the Angel's blood and encourages them to drink poison to die and be reborn. Several residents drink it, including Leeza's parents, Sturge, Ooker, and Ali. Mildred shoots Pruitt and is attacked by the Angel. The undead churchgoers resurrect and attack those who have not drunk the poison. Ed is turned while Erin, Hassan, Leeza, Sarah, Warren, and Annie escape. Erin shoots Bev, and a resurrected Bev and Sturge unleash the undead churchgoers onto the remaining townsfolk.
7
"Book VII: Revelation"
Mike Flanagan
Mike Flanagan
September24,2021(2021-09-24)
The now-turned Mildred reunites with Pruitt; the two were lovers years ago, and Sarah is their daughter. Pruitt brought the Angel to the island to rejuvenate Mildred so they could have a second chance to be together. Erin and her allies set fire to the boats to prevent the turned churchgoers from leaving. Bev leads the turned on a vampiric rampage, killing anyone they find. Horrified by the violence, Pruitt denounces Bev; she in turn denounces him as a false prophet. Bev orders her followers to burn down everything except the church and recreation center, which she intends to use as a shelter from sunlight. Erin and her allies attempt to burn down the church and rec center, but Sturge shoots Sarah, Bev mortally wounds Hassan, and the Angel attacks Erin. Erin slashes its wings as she dies to prevent it from escaping. Ali burns down the rec center, leaving no shelter for the turned. The undead churchgoers realize that, with the entire island burning, there will be no surviving the sunrise. Ali and Hassan pray together on the beach one final time. As dawn approaches, the remaining townspeople gather to be immolated by the sun while singing "Nearer, My God, to Thee". Leeza and Warren rowed offshore to avoid the carnage and are the island's only survivors. They watch the Angel attempt to fly away before sunrise, but notice its movement is slow and erratic; they wonder if the Angel will reach shelter on the mainland before the sun rises. As the sun rises, Bev, Pruitt, Mildred, and the rest of the island's inhabitants die. As Leeza and Warren watch the island from the boat, Leeza says that she can't feel her legs any more, implying the Angel might have died and its 'miracles' gone.
Development
Production
Series creator Mike Flanagan described Midnight Mass as a passion project, one that was "deeply personal" and dealt intimately with Flanagan's upbringing in the Catholic Church, and his eventual sobriety and atheism.[9] He conceived the idea first as a novel, then as a film script, then as a television series that he unsuccessfully pitched to various production companies (including its eventual distributor Netflix) in 2014. Flanagan and Kate Siegel then adapted Midnight Mass as a story within a story in their 2016 film Hush, in which Midnight Mass is presented as the most popular book by Siegel's character, Maddie Young, with Flanagan then planting the Hush prop book bearing the Midnight Mass title as an Easter egg in his 2017 film Gerald's Game, as a means of "keeping the idea alive over the years".[10] Prior to the series' production, Flanagan created the critically acclaimed horror series The Haunting of Hill House for Netflix, which released in 2018, as well as its 2020 follow-up The Haunting of Bly Manor.
On July 1, 2019, Netflix announced that Midnight Mass would be a seven-episode miniseries, with Flanagan serving as its writer, director and executive producer.[11] In February 2020, Zach Gilford, Kate Siegel and Hamish Linklater were announced as lead roles for the series.[12]
Production was originally scheduled to commence in March 2020, but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]Midnight Mass entered production on August 17, 2020, in Vancouver, British Columbia and concluded on December 15, 2020.[14][15][16] Production built the town set at Garry Point Park, a seaside public area outside Vancouver, which stood in for Crockett Island.[17]
The soundtrack for Midnight Mass was released in September 2021. The music for the series was scored by The Newton Brothers, Andy Grush and Taylor Newton Stewart, who have worked with series creator Mike Flanagan on each of his projects since his 2013 film Oculus.[18] The soundtrack features reimagined Christian hymns, along with original pieces from The Newton Brothers.[19]
Midnight Mass was released on Netflix on September 24, 2021.[2]
Reception
Critical response
Hamish Linklater received widespread acclaim for his performance as Father Paul.
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 87% approval rating with an average rating of 8.10/10, based on 97 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "An ambitious meditation on grief and faith that is as gorgeous as it is unsettling, Midnight Mass's slow boil is a triumph of terror that will leave viewers shaking – and thinking – long after the credits roll."[20]Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on 23 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[21]
Critics praised Flanagan's direction, the performances, and the series' unique approach to the vampire genre. Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly gave the series an "A−" grade and wrote that it "isn't perfect, but it is a keenly affecting, beautifully acted reflection on death, faith, guilt, addiction, and the power of free will."[22] Judy Berman of Time gave it a very positive review, calling it Flanagan's best series yet and praised the performances of Zach Gilford, Kate Siegel and especially Hamish Linklater.[23] Jen Chaney of Vulture called Linklater's performance "phenomenal" and believed he elevated the series to "moments of greatness," writing: "he speaks as if he's discovering his way through every sentence and wants you to come with him."[24] David Fear of Rolling Stone wrote, "the three-layers-deep work that Linklater is doing over these seven episodes is extraordinary." Fear also praised Flanagan's directing, stating that "It’s the way that [he] carefully sets everything into place in anticipation of a bigger-picture nightmare that makes the payoffs so satisfying."[25]Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times called the series "the best Stephen King story Stephen King never wrote" and stated, "even though this is an original work from Flanagan, it feels like a high-level adaptation of a particularly haunting King novel."[26]
The series' writing and pace drew more mixed responses, with frequent criticism directed at monologue-heavy script. Jack Seale of The Guardian gave the series three out of five stars, praising Flanagan's filmmaking, but criticizing the series for its "bloated dialogue" stating that "When the end comes at last, there is a lot of fire and viscera, but no rapture."[27] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave the series two and a half stars out of four, further criticizing the dialogue and religious themes, stating that the series "can be a little exhausting in its preachiness." Tallerico felt that the series' emphasis on philosophical examination came at the expense of its horror elements, writing, "most of the lengthy conversations are well-scripted, engaging enough in their dialogue, but they also drain a lot of the momentum from the piece." He also criticized the series' visual effects as "generally inferior to both Haunting projects," stating "Flanagan has always worked better with shadows in the dark than when he has to reveal them."[28]
The show's creators insisted that the series was not anti-religious or anti-Catholic.[29] A Catholic priest who reviewed the show said its depiction of how religion treats sin was accurate, but the series showed a poor understanding of how religion treats afterlife,[30] while Premier Christianity states that the show "contains some of the fairest treatments of Christian characters I’ve seen on screen" and "also has a prophetic message to the Church."[31]
Kohli's character has received praise from Muslim viewers, many citing him as a rare example of positive, accurate Muslim representation. The scene where he argues about religious texts in public schools has also been praised as an accurate reading of a Muslim perspective on Jesus.[32][33] Kohli said in Michael Rosenbaum's podcast Inside of You that the role was his most difficult. Kohli is "not Muslim, not American, not a dad, and not forty," and thus had a hard time in the role.[34]
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