THE NEW PRIEST OF A DYING SEASIDE TOWN COMES BEARING MORE THAN JUST MIRACLES
★★★★★ (A Must-See)
Director: Mike Flanagan
2021
It is very difficult to review a series or movie that is bathed in religious overtones and sprinkled with holy rollers. Christian hysteria just hits too close to home and though I wouldn’t consider myself traumatized by my Catholic upbringing, there’s no reason for me to seek out shows that remind me of my days in Sunday school asking about dinosaurs. That being said, Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass is a marvel, and not because it gives you a hankering for some Neil Diamond. It’s a gift of high-end television that scares, churns the stomach, and puts our culture wars involving God and socioeconomic disparities under a bell jar. Flanagan has traded Henry James for Stephen King, and comparing anyone’s work to King’s is the highest praise I can bestow on a project. Overstuffed monologues, a community’s Needful Things struggles, and a mousy woman using righteousness as a weapon in the vein Mrs. Carmody and Annie Wilkes emit the twisted Howdy Doody flavor only King can conjure. Midnight Mass doesn’t have the unpredictability that makes the master of horror’s writing so great, but the show respects its influences, and that’s good enough for me.
Speaking of monologues, it’s likely that these long moments of talky character development and philosophical discussions will bore many viewers into turning off the show; basically anyone who hated The Witch and demands a jump scare every twenty minutes. Though there are creepy visuals, if you’re looking for slasher gore a plenty in every episode, you will be disappointed. The fear comes from what man is capable of, especially when given an ounce of power. Midnight Mass is a show for the sort of people who consider the nuances of death, the universe, and religion. The audience can find at least one character whose views they can relate to, and for me it was Riley (Zach Gilford), a young man who has spent the last few years in jail for killing a woman while driving drunk. Once ingrained in the Catholic fabric of Crockett Island, population 127, he returns jaded and fully agnostic. His new outlook clashes with everyone, including his alter boy teen brother, doting mother, and gruff father who has never understood him. You see, in all this squalor of poverty, the church is the only nice building standing; the local fisherman who have been suffering since a recent oil spill are more than happy to give their last cent to God, who had given them absolutely nothing.
Until He does. Supposedly. After Crockett Island’s priest turns eighty and becomes senile, he goes off on a last adventure to the Holy Land, but someone returns in his place—Father Paul, a young priest who claims to be a temporary replacement until the old man gets well. Father Paul’s arrival heralds miracle after miracle, the kind TV evangelists would kill for: a sweet, wheelchair-bound girl can walk again, a woman with memory loss starts to remember, a fisherman stops having back problems. The reason for the miracles turns out to be a really cool concept that I’ve not seen done with this particular horror trope before, and the subsequent healing makes sense. And it’s hard for us to not trust Father Paul because he’s so gentle and frank. Hamish Linklater (Father Paul) had better make room on his mantle for award season because he is magnificent here; what he does with his voice and how he contains his priestly enthusiasm is brilliant. When Father Paul gives a sermon, a power comes from within him that’s still contained. Linklater’s performance should be shown to acting students in schools.
Because the town has suffered so much, they are desperate to grab onto any piece of luck, no questions asked. Here’s the thing about us skeptics—we know nothing is free. Riley wants to know why and how and what price must be paid or all the wonderful, and he’s not alone. There are a few other islanders who can’t take the miracles at face value. The local doctor and Muslim sheriff are worried, but they also know they’re outnumbered. Again, the scariest thing about this series is what man does to one another. Can you imagine being trapped on an island full of people in a religious psychosis, who, like many before them, use the Bible to justify the evil that they do? People who can’t be reasoned with are a little too familiar these days.
That brings us to prudish Miss Keane (Samantha Sloyan). The second she showed up I said out loud, “That bitch is gonna quote Deuteronomy”, and she does. Like other homely Stephen King women who think they know better even if it kills you, Miss Keane is preachy, controlling, and believes everything that comes out of her mouth. The townspeople roll their eyes at her when she gives unsolicited advice, but when she uses a key to barge into their homes they say nothing. Humans can usually tell when an animal is dangerous and the Miss Keanes of the world are also to be avoided—if you don’t agree with them they might smile at you before smothering you later in your sleep. She’s not alone, though. Most of the townsfolk begin to do wicked things because they are able to fan-quote a Bible verse to back them up. It’s interesting how biblical good and evil look so much alike. SPOILERS Father Paul is so desperate for God that he convinces himself that the demon feeding on him is an angel. The sad hopelessness of Crockett Island’s population made them easy targets for a cult…a Nigerian prince…anyone who stepped up and gave them a glimmer of hope. SPOILERS END
The ending of Midnight Mass is so beautiful, and appeals to those of all faiths or no faith, that it’s sure to elicit tears. As for the once good neighbors behaving badly? Enjoy those miracles, guys. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.
GENRES: Diverse Characters, LGBTQ+, Monster/Creature, Psychological
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