Review of Netflix's new horror miniseries: A must-rewatch

By Sofia Martinez · Culture & Entertainment Editor

May 10, 2026 · 4 min read

Michael John Petty

Published May 10, 2026, 7:27 PM EDT

Michael John Petty is a Senior Author for Collider who spends his days writing, in fellowship with his local church, and enjoying each new day with his wife and daughters. At Collider, he writes features, reviews, recaps, and conducts interviews. In addition to writing about_ stories, Michael has told a few of his own. His novella, The Beast of Bear-tooth Mountain,** **was released in 2023. His Western short story, The Devil's Left Hand, received the Spur Award for "Best Western Short Fiction" from the Western Writers of America in 2025. Michael currently resides in North Idaho with his growing family.

For those looking for a bone-chilling way to spend your weekend, if you haven’t seen Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass by now, then what is keeping you from this small-island vampire thriller? The series hit Netflix in 2021 after Flanagan first made streaming waves with _The _Haunting of Hill House and **The **Haunting of Bly Manor, but it quickly proved to be his most personal story yet. A dark tale of faith, fear, and failure, _Midnight Mass _gets better with every rewatch.

What Is 'Midnight Mass' About?

As is the case with some of the greatest vampire stories in literature, be it Dracula or 'Salem's Lot, Midnight Mass emphasizes faith — both the genuine and misplaced kinds — in a miniseries that will shock and awe. Initially, Flanagan first attempted to tell the story of Crockett Island as a novel before reworking it as a feature film. Yet, the project was finally realized in the form of a Netflix miniseries, and in a golden age of streaming television, it's clear that this was the best format.

"It is certainly the most personal of the projects for me, in so much as it deals with a lot of what I think about faith and religion, and what it means to be alive in the world, and what the hell happens when we die, and all of the little questions like that," Flanagan once told Collider. _Midnight Mass _doesn't criticize religion or belief itself but wrestles with the fanaticism that can spring from it, ultimately best realized in the show's unique depiction of vampirism.

This 91% Rotten Tomatoes Series Just Prompted Stephen King To Call Mike Flanagan the "Quentin Tarantino of Horror"

It's Flanagan's goriest outing yet.

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By Cameryn Barnett

Everyone involved in Midnight Mass_ performs at their absolute A-game. From Flanagan's distinct creative vision to The Newton Brothers' moving score (especially the re-imagined hymns) to the impressive cast that includes Zach Gilford, Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Samantha Sloyan, and Henry Thomas — the horror series fires on all bloody cylinders. Of course,** the real star of Midnight Mass is the charismatic minister Father Paul himself, played by **Hamish Linklater. The hypnotic way he sways those on Crockett Island into his strange way of thinking is quite frightening, as his spiritual magnetism pulls in not just the most devout but also the doubting. Although the parts he plays are typically not so front-and-center, Linklater commands the screen here with a dominant and undeniable presence. Though Midnight Mass is a brilliant piece of horror on its own creative merits, it's his performance that serves as the blood-red glue that holds the entire thing together.

Even if you already know how Midnight Mass ends, it's an easy horror story to revisit again and again. There is something maddeningly compelling about witnessing the townsfolk be gradually swayed into accepting an "angel" that would sooner devour than deliver them from evil. Perhaps akin to most adaptations of Count Dracula (and biblical depictions of the Devil himself), Father Paul appears as an "angel of light" to those on the small coastal island. What at first appears to be in the best interest of those around him is revealed to be something far more sinister — as Flanagan noted in the aforementioned interview: "We're all way more complicated." That is part of the appeal of Midnight Mass. It doesn't force religious clichés or black-and-white concepts down viewers' throats, but earnestly wrestles with good and evil, man and monster.

Mike Flanagan Has Yet to Top 'Midnight Mass'

Since Midnight Mass was released, the horror series has often been compared to the works of Stephen King, and considering Flanagan is well-known for adapting the "King of Horror," the comparison is quite apropos. As one critic from the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, Midnight Mass is "the best Stephen King story that Stephen King never wrote" — and we couldn't have said it better.

After dazzling Netflix viewers with his two The Haunting installments (which we still hope will continue), Flanagan's third (and best) streaming horror is leagues above anything he's done since. Perhaps some of that has to do with his magnum opus being such a personal take on not just the relationship between religion and vampires, but also issues of grief, alcoholism, and self-discovery.

Not only is Midnight Mass one of the best horror series around, but it's easily one of Netflix's most rewatchable original shows. When it comes to horror outings on the streaming platform, you can't go wrong with this particular brand of vampire thriller. It'll make your skin crawl, but what more could you ask for from Mike Flanagan?