Horror legend Mike Flanagan returns to the small screen with Midnight Mass, but how do the reviews for his latest Netflix effort compare to those of The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor? When The Haunting of Hill House arrived on Netflix in 2018, the horror drama miniseries proved a massive critical hit for the streaming service. Combining tense, terrifying horror with a tragic, sprawling story of multi-generational trauma, The Haunting of Hill House received positive write-ups thanks to its compelling plot, stellar cast, and stunning camerawork.
However, series creator Mike Flanagan was unable to repeat this trick two years later with the loose Turn of the Screw adaptation The Haunting of Bly Manor. Although this 2020 series utilized many of the same cast members as The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor’s problems were harder for viewers and critics to look past. Although the series still received relatively solid write-ups, the reviews for of The Haunting of Bly Manor were slightly more mixed than the near-universal acclaim of the show’s predecessor. Now, Flanagan is back with another Netflix effort, the religious horror mystery Midnight Mass.
The series sees a small island community rocked by the arrival of a charismatic new priest and the return of a troubled local, but when a strange string of miracles begin to occur, it is unclear whether the town is in the grip of something spiritual or something far more sinister. Brooding, thoughtful, and surprisingly slow-moving, Midnight Mass is as much a meditation on faith as it is a long-form horror movie. However, fortunately for Flanagan, most reviewers have found Midnight Mass’ ruminations on religion and belief more involving than The Haunting of Bly Manor’s story, and so far largely on a par with The Haunted of Hill House, albeit from a smaller sample size. On Rotten Tomatoes, Midnight Mass has, at the time of writing, a critics ratings of 95% from 38 reviews, with an average score of 8.7/10. That puts it just ahead of Hill House, which has 93% and 8.4/10, albeit from a much more impressive 102 reviews, and well clear of Bly Manor, which sits on a still-respectable 87% and 7.4/10 score. Here's what some of the reviews have to say.
“Flanagan’s latest Netflix limited series — his third in four years, after respective hauntings at Hill House and Bly Manor — may be the furthest he’s pushed the subtext to date and it may, in turn, be his least purely scary offering… Flanagan, who directed the entire series and wrote or co-wrote all its episodes, achieves a good deal of the sincerity he’s after — in large part because he has put together an ensemble that mirrors his commitment.”
”Even when it’s apparent to the horror fan what’s transpiring, Flanagan still manages to avoid a predictable trajectory. The human cost is jaw-dropping and audacious, and guessing fates or outcomes becomes impossible. It’s as thrilling as it can be heartbreaking.”
"Midnight Mass has fewer of the gimmicks that Flanagan used to varying degrees of success in his previous Netflix outings. Instead, he introduces a familiar mythology and makes it clear by the halfway point of the series where this is all headed... Above all, Midnight Mass, like The Haunting of Hill House, is a human story; more sad than it is scary and all the richer for it."
"Flanagan's shows are like islands in a storm-not always the cleanest or most elegant on the surface, but hearty, solid refuges nonetheless. And Midnight Mass is his best one yet."
More mixed reviews tended to note that Midnight Mass was not as concerned with scaring viewers as earlier, more horror-forward efforts like The Haunting of Bly Manor and Hill House. However, even these reviewers were quick to note that the series still works and is well worth a watch, despite its more reserved pacing. All told, Midnight Mass looks like more of a success than The Haunting of Bly Manor, and an altogether more challenging show than The Haunting of Hill House.
“In the past, Flanagan’s tendency to probe every corner has worked well, as in 2018’s “The Haunting of Hill House,” in which family trauma builds symphonically over time. Here, the endgame feels cluttered… [But,] at moments of pure terror or of character excavation, “Midnight Mass” soars to the heavens, or plunges into hell.”
"I didn’t find the series quite as terrifying as Bly Manor or Hill House… That’s not necessarily a bad thing – just to say that this is a rather different type of horror to the ghost stories that Flanagan has gifted us with in the past… It’s genuinely, thrillingly, unique and certain scenes and moments will live with you long after you’ve finished watching."
"Mike Flanagan chews thoughtfully on both religious and horror icons with his latest mini-series, resulting in a show that some might find more challenging than his Hauntings. But it’s ultimately heady material and an interesting new take on an old concept."
Because of its deeper subject matter and uncompromising approach, Midnight Mass is perhaps less crowd-pleasing and accessible or easily binged viewing, but that itself is not without reward, as most reviews make clear. Flanagan is not new to mixed reviews, with his dark sequel to The Shining, Dr. Sleep, receiving divisive write-ups upon its 2019 release. As a prolific director, writer, and producer, the helmer has weathered his fair share of flops as well as some huge hits. However, the auteur can sleep sound knowing that Midnight Mass is once again another hit.