The Midnight Club Explained

Composer:The Newton Brothers
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:10
Runtime:49–58 minutes
Company:Intrepid Pictures
Network:Netflix

The Midnight Club is an American horror mystery-thriller television series created by Mike Flanagan and Leah Fong, with Flanagan serving as showrunner, lead writer and executive producer. The series is set in a hospice and follows eight terminally ill young adults who form "the Midnight Club", meeting up each night to tell each other scary tales; it features an overarching story while also frequently depicting those tales on-screen.[1] Although mostly based on the 1994 novel The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike, the series also adapts short stories from 27 other Pike books featured in the "Midnight Club" tales themselves.

The series stars Iman Benson, Adia, Igby Rigney, Ruth Codd, Aya Furukawa, Annarah Shephard, William Chris Sumpter, and Sauriyan Sapkota as the eight Midnight Club members, alongside Heather Langenkamp, Zach Gilford, Matt Biedel, and Samantha Sloyan as older adults working at or living near the hospice;[2] [3] [4] in addition to their main characters, cast members also portray the ones featured in the "Midnight Club" tales.

The Midnight Club premiered on Netflix on October 7, 2022. Unlike all three of Flanagan's previous series, it is not a miniseries, and was intended as a limited-run series meant to run for two seasons. However, in December 2022, the series was canceled after one season. Flanagan soon followed it up with a post on Tumblr in which he outlined plans for the second season and tied up the loose ends.[5]

Overview

A group of eight close terminally ill young adults resides in the Brightcliffe Home hospice outside of Seattle run by an enigmatic doctor. They meet at midnight every night to tell each other scary stories. They have a pact that the first one to succumb to their disease is responsible for communicating with the others from beyond the grave.[6]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Production

Development

In May 2020, it was announced an adaptation of Christopher Pike's young adult novel The Midnight Club would be created for Netflix by Mike Flanagan and Leah Fong.[9] In an interview for IGN, Flanagan revealed that he was profoundly inspired by Nickelodeon's horror anthology series Are You Afraid of the Dark?[10] On the series' release in October 2022, Flanagan confirmed that the series would also adapt all "28 books" of Pike's, having pitched the series as "The Midnight Club — but the stories the kids tell [each other] will be other Christopher Pike books", planning for multiple seasons.[11] On December 1, 2022, Netflix canceled the series after one season.[12] Following its cancellation, Flanagan revealed what was planned for later seasons on his Tumblr, including the ultimate fates of the various characters and answers to the show's lingering mysteries.[13]

Casting

Flanagan confirmed the cast in a series of tweets on Twitter: Adia, Igby Rigney, Ruth Codd, Aya Furukawa, Annarah Shephard, William Chris Sumpter, Sauriyan Sapkota as the titular cast, and Heather Langenkamp as the doctor presiding over the hospice of the terminally ill. Zach Gilford and Matt Biedel, and recurring Flanagan collaborators Samantha Sloyan and Robert Longstreet appear in recurring roles.[14] In April 2021, Iman Benson, Larsen Thompson, William B. Davis, Crystal Balint, and Patricia Drak joined the cast.[15]

Filming

The project began production on March 15, 2021, in Burnaby, British Columbia, and was planned to conclude on September 8, 2021, but actually finished production on September 10.[16] [17] [18] The first two episodes of the series are directed by Flanagan, and other episodes in the season were helmed by directors Axelle Carolyn, Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour, Michael Fimognari, Morgan Beggs, and Viet Nguyen.[19]

Release

The Midnight Club was released on Netflix on October 7, 2022.[20]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 87% approval rating with an average rating of 7.4/10, based on 54 critic reviews. The website's critics' consensus reads, "Mike Flanagan's hot streak of heartfelt horror stories continues strong in The Midnight Club, a tale of terminal teenagers told with jolts and joie de vivre."[21] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 64 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[22]

The first episode of the series broke the Guinness World Record for the most scripted jump-scares in a single episode of television at 21 jump-scares.[23]

Between October 2 and October 23, 2022, The Midnight Club recorded 90.31 million hours viewed in the Netflix top 10s.[24]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Petski. Denise. 'The Midnight Club': Netflix Horror Series From Mike Flanagan & Trevor Macy's Intrepid Pictures & Leah Fong Sets Cast. Deadline. February 2021. February 2, 2021. October 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211005195959/https://deadline.com/2021/02/the-midnight-club-netflix-horror-series-mike-flanagan-leah-fong-cast-christopher-pike-1234684848/. live.
  2. Web site: Scott. Ryan. Netflix's The Midnight Club Cast Announced, Including Elm Street Icon Heather Langenkamp. MovieWeb. February 3, 2021. February 3, 2021. January 11, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230111185532/https://movieweb.com/the-midnight-club-cast-netflix-heather-langenkamp/. live.
  3. Web site: Reimann. Tom. Mike Flanagan Reveals Cast of 'The Midnight Club' Netflix Series, Including a Horror Fan-Favorite. Collider. February 2021. February 2, 2021. October 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211005195959/https://collider.com/mike-flanagan-midnight-club-netflix-cast-christopher-pike/. live.
  4. Web site: Zorrilla. Mónica Marie. Netflix's 'The Midnight Club' Series Adaptation Sets Cast. Variety. February 2021. February 2, 2021. February 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210201193708/https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/netflix-the-midnight-club-cast-1234897467/. live.
  5. https://www.tumblr.com/flanaganfilm/702543785726558208/the-midnight-club-season-two Flanagan Film: The Midnight Club Season 2 outline
  6. Web site: Venable. Nick. Haunting Of Bly Manor Creator's New Netflix Horror Show Has Cast An Elm Street Legend And More. Cinema Blend. February 2, 2021. February 3, 2021. October 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211005195959/https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2562213/haunting-of-bly-manors-new-netflix-horror-show-has-cast-an-elm-street-legend-and-more. live.
  7. Web site: Roots. Kimberly. The Haunting of Hill House EPs to Adapt The Midnight Club at Netflix: Zach Gilford, Classic Horror Vet Join Cast. TVLine. February 2021. February 2, 2021. October 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211005195959/https://tvline.com/2021/02/01/the-midnight-club-tv-series-netflix-zach-gilford-cast-season-1/. live.
  8. Web site: Rahul Kohli's Character in Netflix's Midnight Club Revealed . September 3, 2022 . gizmodo.com . September 2, 2022 . September 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220903183255/https://gizmodo.com/rahul-kohli-in-netflix-midnight-club-mike-flanagan-1849490773/amp . live .
  9. Web site: Otterson. Joe. 'The Haunting of Bly Manor' Team to Adapt 'Midnight Club' as Netflix Series (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. February 2, 2021. May 5, 2020. October 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211005195959/https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/the-haunting-of-bly-manor-netflix-midnight-club-series-1234598484/. live.
  10. Web site: Are You Afraid of the Dark's "Profound" Influence on The Midnight Club - IGN . October 7, 2022 . en . October 7, 2022 . October 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221007141635/https://www.ign.com/videos/are-you-afraid-of-the-darks-profound-influence-on-the-midnight-club . live .
  11. Web site: Maas. Jennifer. Midnight Club Creator Mike Flanagan Breaks Down Season 1 Mysteries and Promises Answers — Even If There Is No Season 2. Variety. October 9, 2022. October 9, 2022. October 9, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221009202940/https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/midnight-club-season-2-answers-1235396936/. live.
  12. Web site: The Midnight Club Canceled by Netflix After One Season (Exclusive). TheWrap. Natalie. Oganesyan. December 1, 2022. December 1, 2022. December 2, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221202024414/https://www.thewrap.com/midnight-club-netflix-canceled-season-1/. live.
  13. Web site: Maas. Jennifer. 'Midnight Club' Creator Mike Flanagan Reveals All Answers to Unresolved Mysteries After Show's Cancellation, Including Mirror Man and Cataract Woman. Variety. December 14, 2022. December 2, 2022. December 14, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221214115015/https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/midnight-club-season-2-answers-canceled-1235448109/. live.
  14. Web site: Hemmert. Kylie. Mike Flanagan Announces Cast for Netflix's The Midnight Club Series Adaptation. comingsoon.net. February 1, 2021. February 3, 2021. October 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211005195959/https://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/1162304-mike-flanagan-announces-cast-for-netflixs-the-midnight-club-series-adaptation. live.
  15. Web site: 'The Midnight Club': Iman Benson, William B. Davis Among Five Added To Cast Of Netflix Horror Series Adaptation. April 13, 2021. Denise. Petski. Deadline Hollywood. April 13, 2021. October 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211005200001/https://deadline.com/2021/04/the-midnight-club-iman-benson-willam-b-davis-cast-netflix-horror-series-adaptation-1234733180/. live.
  16. Web site: DGC BC Production List. March 5, 2021. Directors Guild of Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20210227060704/https://www.dgc.ca/assets/Uploads/BritishColumbia/AvailsProductionLists/Documents/Production-List.pdf. February 27, 2021. live. March 6, 2021.
  17. Web site: John. Squires. Filming Has Begun on Mike Flanagan and Leah Fong's Netflix Series "The Midnight Club". Bloody Disgusting. March 16, 2021. March 17, 2021. October 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211005195959/https://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3656164/filming-begun-mike-flanagan-leah-fongs-netflix-series-midnight-club/. live.
  18. Web site: Robinson. Jacob. 'The Midnight Club' Mike Flanagan Series: Everything We Know So Far. What's on Netflix. September 24, 2021. September 27, 2021. October 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211005195959/https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/the-midnight-club-mike-flanagan-netflix-series-what-we-know-so-far-09-2021/. live.
  19. Mike Flanagan. flanaganfilm. 1404129191784710151. June 13, 2021. Honored to announce the other filmmakers helming eps of THE MIDNIGHT CLUB. Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour, Axelle Carolyn, Viet Nguyen, Morgan Beggs, and my dear friend Michael Fimognari will all direct episodes. I'm grateful and lucky to collaborate with such terrific artists..
  20. Web site: The Midnight Club, From Hill House Creator, Gets Release Date at Netflix — Plus, Watch a Spooky Teaser. TVLine. Dave. Nemetz. June 6, 2022. June 6, 2022. September 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922042557/https://tvline.com/2022/06/06/the-midnight-club-netflix-release-date-teaser-mike-flanagan-watch/. live.
  21. the_midnight_club. The Midnight Club. tv. 1. October 10, 2022.
  22. the-midnight-club. The Midnight Club. tv. 1. October 7, 2022.
  23. Web site: Haring . Bruce . October 7, 2022 . 'The Midnight Club' Is Now In The Guinness Book Of World Records For A Classic Horror Trope . October 7, 2022 . Deadline . en-US . October 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221007040740/https://deadline.com/2022/10/the-midnight-club-now-guiness-world-records-holder-1235137919/ . live .
  24. Web site: Robinson . Kasey Moore, Jacob . 2022-12-02 . 'The Midnight Club' Season 2 Canceled at Netflix; Here's Why . 2022-12-06 . What's on Netflix . en . December 6, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221206105727/https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/the-midnight-club-season-2-canceled-at-netflix/ . live .

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