THE MIDNIGHT CLUB 😊

Do you like scary movies?

It’s time to “be afraid, be very afraid,” as SpoilerFreeReviews is dropping 13 spooky movies for fans to enjoy this PSL season. We will post our most frightful Halloween favorites over the next 13 spooky nights. So join us around the fire as we tell our 13 creepy Halloween favorites.

THE MIDNIGHT CLUB, Mike Flanagan’s latest Netflix scarefest doesn’t reach the heights of fright that THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE did, but I don’t think I’m the target demographic for it either. It does help to go in knowing this isn’t a limited series like his previous outings for Netflix have been either, this is just Season 1. 

I spent most of my time binging THE MIDNIGHT CLUB, wondering when we’d get the answers to the many mysteries the show raises. My research on writing this piece started before I finished, though and I realized Flanagan has been quite public about how this isn’t a limited series like HILL HOUSE, THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR, or MIDNIGHT MASS. The series focuses on terminal patients, all of which are teens or young adults, at a mysterious convalescent facility managed by Dr. Georgina Stanton, played by Heather Langenkamp of NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET fame.

The young cast is superb, with standouts Iman Benson as lead Ilonka and Ruth Codd as her wild roommate Anya. Pre-teens and teens should have a great time with this series, although it may be scary for younger viewers. Parents should also know there’s A LOT of adult language used, and besides the scary stories told, THE MIDNIGHT CLUB deals with heavy themes surrounding fighting terminal diseases and dying young.

The structure of THE MIDNIGHT CLUB wavers between a serialized mystery and an anthology told as stories by our characters when they gather each night at the witching hour. Unfortunately, the series doesn’t quite succeed on the premise. Some episodes spend far too much time on the stories within the story, leaving plot points from the characters’ “real lives” pushed off for future seasons. And if this wasn’t Netflix, which has a history of canceling shows before they’re complete, I might have more confidence in THE MIDNIGHT CLUB coming back next year. 

If you’re a young horror fan or you have some in your life, I can recommend THE MIDNIGHT CLUB. For most adults, I’ll say skip it unless you’re a Flanagan completionist. 

THE MIDNIGHT CLUB S1 is now streaming on Netflix.