The Underrated Stephen King Miniseries That Left A Mark On Midnight Mass
With two adaptations already under his belt, Mike Flanagan has made no secret of his love of Stephen King's work. Both "Gerald's Game" and "Doctor Sleep" show that he can handle King's complex characters with ease, but the Master of Horror's influence on the filmmaker doesn't stop with Flanagan's direct King adaptations.
The writer/director's Netflix series "Midnight Mass" is a story set on a small coastal island that is visited by a strange being with supernatural powers, and it's up to the town's sheriff, who works out of the community's sole grocery store, and a handful of islanders to stand up to this menace.
In "Storm of the Century," a 1999 original miniseries penned by King, a strange being with supernatural powers appears on a small, coastal island, and it's up to the town's sheriff, who works out of the community's sole grocery store, and a handful of islanders to stand up to this menace.
That's not to say Flanagan ripped off King for this story, but the parallels are pretty impossible to miss if you're a hardcore King nerd. "Midnight Mass" is a much more spiritual story about humans that wrestle with their faith and how that faith can be weaponized against them and "Storm of the Century" is more about a community having to make an impossible choice. They do share themes of small-town isolation and ignorance, however, and Flanagan is the first to admit to "Storm of the Century" being a big influence on "Midnight Mass."
Give me what I want and I'll go away
"Storm of the Century" was a unique adaptation when it was released, since it wasn't based on any pre-existing King story. He wrote this story specifically for this miniseries format, what he called a "novel for television." It starred Colm Feore as an ancient magical being that shows up on Little Tall Island, a fictional Maine location that features heavily in both "Dolores Claiborne" and "Gerald's Game," where he demands the community choose one of its children to willingly give to him. He needs a successor, a protege to raise, and this is his bargain. "Give me what I want and I'll go away."
Sure, "'Salem's Lot" is a huge influence on "Midnight Mass" as well (what with all the vampires and all), but the island setting and complex moral question at the center of "Storm of the Century" is even more of an obvious precursor to the popular Netflix show. It's just not as well known as King's vampire tale, but, as someone whose main job is hosting a Stephen King podcast (called The Kingcast, check it out) I can say with some authority that "Storm of the Century" is one of the most overlooked King movies, TV or big screen. It seems to have fallen through the cracks, though, so if you're a fan and haven't seen it check it out. You'll be pleasantly surprised.