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(CNN)As is often the lawsuit with specified fare, "Midnight Mass" begins arsenic a creepy, provocative fearfulness yarn and yet can't present connected its promise. Created by "The Haunting of Hill House's" Mike Flanagan, the Netflix bid deserves praise for its distinctive ambitions and jolting surprises but excessively often plays similar a long-winded sermon, frittering astir the edges of its homily.
Flanagan wrote the screenplay for the 2019 Stephen King movie "Doctor Sleep," which is appropriate, since this seven-episode task feels similar a King miniseries, for bully and ill. Good, due to the fact that the scary buildup draws the assemblage in, and bad, due to the fact that the decorativeness is -- arsenic is often existent of King-derived works -- a important letdown. (For his part, the prolific writer has already tweeted favorably astir the show.)
Students of the genre volition spot different derivative elements -- the 1979 remake of "Nosferatu" comes to caput -- successful this macabre and cerebral tale, which plunges profoundly into the narration betwixt religion and vampirism, what with the rising-from-the-dead, blood-drinking aspects of the latter.
Set connected distant Crockett Island, the crippled hinges connected the instrumentality of Riley ("Friday Night Lights'" Zach Gilford), a young antheral trying to get his beingness backmost unneurotic aft serving clip for a fatal car accident; and Father Paul (Hamish Linklater), a mysterious clergyman who arrives to regenerate the aged clergyman who had agelong served the community.
Riley reconnects with a high-school crush, Erin (Kate Siegel, reuniting with Flanagan, her husband, aft the "Haunting" series), ruefully discussing however their lives didn't spell according to plan. Soon enough, unusual and seemingly supernatural events statesman to occur, spurring speech of miracles and spiritual fervor, though the origins of those acts -- and Father Paul's narration to them -- could beryllium acold much sinister.
The archetypal fewer episodes meander on without overmuch consciousness of urgency (most of the episodes tally much than an hour), sprinkling conscionable capable clues to bespeak that thing wicked this mode comes.
When the explanations yet bash travel pouring out, they're not wholly satisfying, though they provoke immoderate superior conversations astir interpreting the Bible and unexpected reactions wrong Paul's flock. There's besides an absorbing if somewhat underdeveloped subplot astir the Muslim sheriff (Rahul Kohli) and however helium and his lad acceptable successful arsenic the church's relation becomes much inflamed.
Buoyed by a formed that includes Henry Thomas and Annabeth Gish, what distinguishes "Midnight Mass" possibly much than thing is the quality of its ideas and the grade to which Flanagan intelligibly wants to contemplate them portion toying with fearfulness conventions, seeking to prosecute the assemblage successful unexpectedly layered fashion.
The climax, however, is much puzzling than stirring, proving chaotic successful ways that yet don't marque overmuch sense. That doesn't needfully undermine the much absorbing aspects, but arsenic it closes the books, "Midnight Mass" triggers excessively overmuch soul-searching astir whether it was worthy the clip investment.
In that sense, Flanagan's travel to religion surely works successful mysterious ways, but not wholly satisfying ones.
"Midnight Mass" premieres Sept. 24 connected Netflix.
English (US) ·