'Midnight Mass' Horror Series From 'Haunting Of Hill House' Director Mike Flanagan Headed To Netflix
Having already frightened Netflix viewers once with The Haunting of Hill House, Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy are ready to do it all over again. The team are working on a new Netflix horror series, Midnight Mass. This show is the result of multi-year TV deal Netflix signed with Flanagan and Macy – a deal that also includes the second season of Hill House, titled The Haunting of Bly Manor.
Deadline broke the news about Midnight Mass, which "follows an isolated island community experiences miraculous events – and frightening omens – after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest." Netflix reports there will be 7 episodes of the series, and that Flanagan will direct. In addition to The Haunting of Hill House, Flanagan is responsible for the haunted mirror flick Oculus, the home invasion movie Hush, the Ouija prequel Ouija: Origin of Evil, the Stephen King adaptation Gerald's Game, the upcoming Doctor Sleep, yet another King adaptation, and more.
Flanagan has fast become one of the best horror directors working today. He often manages to take premises that sound like they shouldn't work – you know, like a haunted mirror – and manages to create something special. I've been a fan of his films for some time now, and I was blown away by his Hill House adaptation. At first I was a bit taken aback at how far he strayed from the source material, but once I got over that initial shock, I found myself wholly engrossed in what was ultimately a scary, emotional journey.
I'm thrilled that Netflix is giving Flanagan and Hill House producer Trevor Macy more opportunities to create original horror programming, and I hope there's even more to come. Midnight Mass sounds like its firmly rooted in the religious horror subgenre, and I'm here for it. Omens? Mysterious priests? Isolated island community? Sign me the hell up.
No word yet on when we might see Midnight Mass. It might take some time, because Flanagan and Macy are set to work on the second season of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, due out in 2020. While Hill House adapted the Shirley Jackson novel of the same name, Bly Manor is taking inspiration from Henry James's The Turn of the Screw. Hill House breakout Victoria Pedretti was recently announced as joining the cast of Bly Manor, and there's been rumblings other Hill House actors might return as well.