Sarah O'Connor

“Religion, I believe, is one of the ways we attempt to answer the two Great Questions that ache within us all: ‘how shall we live,’ and ‘what happens when we die,'” (Bernstein 11).

Since Midnight Mass came out last fall I’ve watched it four times with no plans of stopping anytime soon. I haven’t watched all of Flannagan’s films, was skeptical of The Haunting of Hill House because of how far it strayed from the source material but ended up loving it, adored The Haunting of Bly Manor even though I can never watch it again without crying like a baby, and loved his adaption of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep.

But Midnight Mass? It does something to me. Maybe it’s growing up Catholic, relating a little too much to the church atmosphere, my own memories altar serving, and finding a strange comfort and nostalgia on Crocket Island, or my lifelong love of vampires. Whatever the reason, this show has stuck with me and I never get tired of it. Every time I watch it I just can’t get over how well-developed and written the characters are, how intriguing and flawed and real it all is. The subtleties, the message, it’s all such a marvelous thing and this show deserves way more attention than it’s gotten.

I was thrilled to receive Midnight Mass: The Art of Horror for Christmas and am so happy to have finally read it. The book is gorgeously formatted with glossy pictures and interviews with many of the cast and crew who give their opinions on what it was like filming the show (most of whom describe it as one of the best acting experiences of their lives) as well as great information on what it was like filming during the beginning of the pandemic and what changes needed to be made to the story to make it fit. It’s a great coffee table book, one I wish I had a coffee table to display it on, but I will say I was surprised by how many typos and errors there were. It’s still a great read, but finding errors in a book so beautiful was disheartening.

This is a great book for anyone who adores Midnight Mass and is eager to learn more behind-the-scenes details of the show. It’s one I’ll definitely flip through, though I secretly hope that one day a printed, scripted version a la Fleabag is printed so I can bore over those Flannalogues. Or my deepest of secret wishes, that Mike Flannagan will write and publish a novel version of Midnight Mass. Until then, I will content myself with re-watching the show and flipping through this book.

And if you haven’t watched Midnight Mass yet, what’s wrong with you? Why are you reading this review? Start watching this show NOW!

Publication: November 23 2021
Publisher: Titan Books Ltd.
Pages: 176 pages (Hardcover)
Source: Owned (Thanks Meg!)
Genre: Non-Fiction, Horror, Film-making
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤⛤⛤
Summary:

A small town on an island experiences miraculous events – and frightening omens – after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest. The cast includes Kate Siegel, Henry Thomas, Zach Gilford, and Hamish Linklater.
Midnight Mass: The Art of Horror is a large hardback illustrated book featuring visual and written materials covering all elements of Intrepid Pictures’ Midnight Mass limited series – debuting on Netflix in Fall 2021. This book is the perfect gift for any horror fan and will contain a slew of behind-the-scenes and background material, such as production art and set photos throughout. Readers will gain an insightful understanding of how the show was made with interviews of the cast, crew, executive producer Trevor Macy and Mike Flanagan himself.
Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy are the minds behind The Haunting of Hill House, a successful horror TV series on Netflix. Their most recent film, Doctor Sleep, was the critically-acclaimed sequel to Stephen King’s The Shining.