Review: ‘Midnight Mass’ Is A Stunning, Emotional Religious Horror Entry That Should Not Be Missed

Review: ‘Midnight Mass’ Is A Stunning, Emotional Religious Horror Entry That Should Not Be Missed

Mike Flanagan has shown his ability to balance deep and emotive character struggles with high-concept horror stories before in his horror oeuvre. The Haunting of Hill House and Doctor Sleep stand out as spectacular entries with stunning writing, exceptional performances, and solidly executed horror, but Midnight Mass may, perhaps, be Flanagan's best so far. Recently he's shown his skill with adaptations—both Hauntings and Doctor Sleep are based, of course, on prior material, but Midnight Mass is an original religious mystery all its own, and one with a big-picture implication on the world if you really think out its full extent. It's a frightening, emotional, well written spectacle, and it's easily one of the best horror entries of the last decade if not longer. Midnight Mass follows Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford), who is returning home years later following his tragic drunk driving accident. His 'home' in this case is Crockett Island, a small town with a small village, and at its center is a small parish. The town is somewhat split in religiosity... his family are devout Catholics, as are many in the town, but church attendance has waned with the times (which, for many on Crockett Island, are bad). Riley's