The Midnight Club is Netflix’s new take on Mike Flanagan’s horror. This time it comes to us, so to speak, in a less adult way, not so much in the subjects it deals with but in the level of terror used.
The Midnight Club tells us the story of a group of teenagers who live together in a hospice for the terminally ill, set in 1994. The protagonist of this story, Ilonka (Iman Benson), a brilliant student, about to enter university, is diagnosed with thyroid cancer, which is soon diagnosed as terminal.
Ilonka discovers the story of a girl who recovered from the same disease years ago, in a hospice intended for young people in the same incurable and terminal state as her. It’s a gigantic mansion where the boys spend their nights gathered by a fireplace telling horror stories. Little by little they realize that paranormal events could be happening in the house and that perhaps, thanks to the force that resides in the building, they can be cured of their illnesses.
Watch ‘The Midnight Club’ on Netflix
The first thing I have to say about this series is that It is NOT a reboot or remake of the Canadian series of the same name that aired on TV in the 90s. I find it amazing how quite a few media have got this issue wrong, some quite heavy even.
The confusion comes from the translation of that series into Spanish, since it was said in its original language.Are You Afraid of the Dark?”, and this one is titled “The Midnight Club“. That alone would be enough to realize it. There’s also the fact that no matter how little research you do, you’ll realize that the one we’re dealing with is based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Pike. The 90s series is anthology, which means that each chapter is a different story, and is written by different writers expressly for the series.
The creator or showrunner is Mike FlanaganBut, he only directs the first two episodes of this first season. This is his fourth series for the Netflix platform. The previous three were notable to say the least. Hill House (2018), Bly Manor (2020) and Midnight Mass (2021). Everyone will have their favorite, I think that in general terms Hill House is the one that succeeded the most and Bly Manor the least, in my opinion, all 3 are almost flawless and depending on what I think of each one I could choose indiscriminately between the 3 as my favorite
This El Club de la Mitjanit seems to me the most difficult to classify in terms of genre, since its chapters sometimes seem to travel more through the terrain of the drama created by the situation of these boys who know they are going to die, than to generate a bit of terror. The tone is often quite juvenile, which is to be expected given the nature of the product, but nevertheless, it has some very thoughtful and transcendental dialogues that are quite far from this target audience.
The series seems a bit uneven. While the first and even the second chapter (just the ones Mike’s bo runs) pretty much grabbed my attention and felt like they were a good introduction to characters and what was to come in terms of to the central axis mystery. However, from the third to the sixth or so it was a most tedious and uninteresting experience for me. However, the last part of the season, it goes up whole and in what way The stories told by the boys are scarier and better constructed, and you realize how much they affect the central plot and how they are tied to their own lives and experiences.
If there is anything that I think needs to be highlighted, it is the performances of this group of young people. They are not very well known and I think they do a great job in all cases. It has a lot to do with it the script avoids clichés and gives each of the characters their own personality and a good degree of complexity.
There are chapters that seem to me to be worse directed than others, maybe that’s why the narrative gets heavier. Up to 6 different directors have been responsible for carrying the baton in the 10 episodes that make up this first installment. While this is a common practice in series, I would have liked to see how it would have turned out if it had been completely directed by Mike Flanagan.
To finish, to say that if you see that you are a little interested in the story, try to get to this sixth chapter where I think the series is better, since in its central section it is a little irregular. This review is without spoilers, but if you will allow me I will let you know that the ending can be a little disappointing, as it remains at too intermediate a point in my opinion. So this time, you skated a little Mike Flanaganlights and shadows
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