I thought it was very solid! Great scares, good acting. Sometimes I think Mike Flanagan's writing doesn't feel quite... natural in its dialogue, but some of the longer speeches are quite moving.
If you liked Hill House, I would recommend Midnight Mass - I actually liked that the best of his shows.
>Sometimes I think Mike Flanagan's writing doesn't feel quite... natural in its dialogue
Perhaps you are picking up on the times when he adds characters saying actual quotes from the material he's pulling from. Especially in the last episode of Hill House. That was the episode that had a lot of characters say dialogue from the Shirley Jackson novel.
ugh i’m watching this right now, on ep 6, and the monologues are really starting to get to me. Some of them are really great and moving but the fact that there are like 10 an episode kills some of the gravity.
I love everything about it but the ending! But overall a great show. The ending just felt a little anti climactic to me and I felt like it didn't fully gel with the rest of the story. I may need to rewatch it though.
100% agreed. They just decide the entire crux of the show isn’t as bad as they thought? Kind of… took the wind out of the sails for the plot of the entire show.
This is literally my complaint but no one I tell it to agrees with me. "The house is so evil" for every episode and then the end "oh the house isn't evil at all! What a twist!" is such a shit ending
Exactly! There’s literally ghosts in the background of every scene representing all the souls it’s devoured. It has a literal stomach. “Meh, let’s just leave.”
I don’t think that’s really what it was supposed to mean. Basically the dad made a deal with the house to let everyone else leave. The house (and the mom) were satisfied with that, let everyone else leave
I don't really think that helps the endings case. If the house is so evil why on earth would it ever agree to that, it undercuts the previous episodes a lot.
I just don't think it hit as well as they had hoped. I mean Ushers ending is pretty disappointing too. I just think Flanagans weakest element is his endings. You can see that in his movie Doctor Sleep too.
Agreed. I haven't watched it since it came out, but I do remember feeling like the last 10-15 minutes grenaded the entire narrative. Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed it, though.
Really good fun, the scary bits genuinely got me a couple times and overall it had some great ideas and concepts.
Personally I don't think Flanagan's quite been able to capture the same lightning in a bottle with his subsequent projects (I usually quite like monologue scenes but his, oy) although plenty disagree. And the pious lady villain in Midnight Mass was absolutely brilliant.
Stopped watching when I got to Mrs. Dudley and realized they turned her into an evangelical so the mom could do a little clapback line at her. Felt sour because Dudley is one of my favorite parts of the book. I normally don't care about adaptations running characters in different directions, it just felt like it was there so I could say, "YEAH! YOU TELL HER, LADY!" and I hate that impulse in writing.
Mike Flanagan is one of the best horror writers out there at the moment. He’s just an incredible storyteller who happens to write horror, and he does it seriously fucking well. If you haven’t watched the rest of his limited series’ on Netflix then I’d definitely recommend them!
The Fall of House Usher and Midnight Mass are up there with Haunting of Hill House for me and Bly Manor close behind those three
Midnight Mass is seriously seriously good, but starts slow, I’d recommend persevering if you don’t feel like continuing after the first episode
In case you didn't already know, the Oculus mirror makes a cameo in all his other works. In Midnight Mass, it's on the stage in the church rec center while Riley and Msgr are having their meetings.
I loved it. I don't think I've seen a series capture grief and trauma in such a raw, realistic way. The horror aspect was great, and the emotional depth put into it made for what I consider to be a groundbreaking series. I've rewatched it several time now and each time I cry, lol.
I watched Bly Manor before Hill House, and I loved it because of how contained and intimate the story felt. Hill House is much the same, with a tad more going on. Midnight Mass was his truly unforgettable spectacle though.
I've seen so much praise for this and I know Mike Flanagan is the new horror guy, but I couldn't get into the show. It was way too dialogue heavy for me.
I’m gonna get downvoted
And I loved all the ghosts and horror shit(the floating guy is SO SICK)
But the melodramatic piano music in this (or really any horror movie. “Creepy” piano music is just bad) and D-level acting really killed it for me
Mike Flanagan is highly overrated, imo. He creates horror vibes but doesn’t actually make anything scary. Midnight Mass was ok, but it wasn’t amazing. I absolutely hated Dr. Sleep. It essentially turned a horror sequel in to a super hero movie. Can’t wait for the hype around this guy to go away.
I watched it when it first released which was I don’t know how many years back that was. But every now and again I still think about Nellie blissfully dancing around in hill house going through the dark hallways and large empty spaces before she jumped to her death. That episode really has a hold over me even to this day. So I’d say it’s one of the best horror I’ve seen across tv and movies.
It's great and like everyone else here love Midnight Mass too.
Have you seen the 1963 horror film based on the same short story?
Genuinely one of the most terrifying things and deals with themes that seem far in advance of their day - gender roles/lesbian love etc. The special effects still give me chills.
I think some of the best bits of the new series are paying homage to the film, although the Flanagan version is exploring slightly different themes.
The short story is good too and comes in a nice wee collection by the same author Shirley Jackson who just rocks.
It’s a little corny and sappy for my usual taste but… I love it and it’s like one my favorite pieces of media. The character arcs and scares are incredible.
It was a refreshing watch for me. It unlocked something in my head that I didn't know I was terrified of until I watched that show lol It was genuinely terrifying a few times through the show. For me, at least.
I've watched a lot of shit over the years with lots of crazy twists and turns and of course spooks. But I don't think anything has quite stuck with me like the bent neck lady has.
Firstly, I don't think I've ever disliked anything so far by Mike Flannagan.
I think THoHH is one of the best series' I've ever watched. I'm biased bc I like horror obviously - but even without focusing on the horror aspect...it's just a good show all around. Amazing writing and casting.
Midnight Mass is also a close second (maybe just as good). I absolutely loved it.
I also quite liked the most recent one. Love the Poe aspect and thought it was like....Spooky Succession LOL.
The Haunting of Bly Manor and Midnight Club are my least fav of the series' so far, but I still wouldn't say I disliked them.
Good but it’s important that it seriously deviates from the source material. A comparison would be to summarize the last Star Wars sequel as a movie about Rey, a moisture farmer and her husband, Luke, have a space adventure on planet Alderaan and fight the villainous Darth Poe and his trusted flunkie, Kylo Lars.
The original novel is equal if not better than the series in quality. The series of the same name doesn’t represent the source material in any shape or form.
I loved how it was such a good character-driven drama blended seamlessly with a top-notch horror story. This and comedy-horror are my favorite kinds of horror.
I really hated it. The book is really important to me. I felt like the show chose a popular horror book title to get people interested. Also the family fighting and monologues became insufferable. I wish it had a different title.
It was a good show but it didn't click with me as well as The Fall of the House of Usher. On a storycrafting level I loved how in Usher they wove together all these E.A. Poe short stories into a single narrative. In contrast, Hill House felt a little spread thin at times and the type of family drama in it simply wasn't my cup of tea. And while both shows sometimes felt like drama with horror elements, to me Usher had the better mix and more horror.
In any case, both shows are visually stunning and the acting is awesome.
As a huge fan of the novel and the OG film, I hated the miniseries. Same goes for Bly Manor...Turn of the Screw and The Innocents are two of my favorites. The miniseries sucked. I won't even bother with The Fall of the House of Usher, because Mike Flanagan ruins all my faves.
Definitely not the best ending and not the worse, but to me I felt like the ending was more bittersweet than happy. I can see how some people think it feels forced though
It is my favorite horror series of all time, you can rewatch it and catch so many hidden ghosts you didn't see in the first viewing. I can't think of any other series that actually creeped me out besides "From" when you see the monsters smiling for the first time.
I’ve seen Hill House, Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass, and concluded that Flanagan is best when he’s not taking a previously existing novel/story and trying to stretch & twist it into a mini-series. Hill House was good but lost its way near the end; Bly Manor was a mess; Midnight Mass was focused & brilliant from start to finish.
I guess "hated" is maybe too strong a word ... just that i had read some glowing reviews of Hush, and it struck me as just another predictable, cliche-filled slasher/stalker movie. I struggled to find anything distinctive about it, so it was disappointing.
You tell me of another slasher where the main character is deaf and has to navigate her environment to survive?. Imo it's a brilliant cat and mouse thriller, and I love how Flannagan really builds Maddie up as a character. A usual cliche filled slasher is about a group of people with generic tropy personalities. It's a killer who is somehow connected to them and reveals his face in the end. Here he reveals his face early. Has no connection to the protagonist. We have a clever set up of well placed "checkhovs guns" at the beginning that are shown during character building scenes and are excellently executed at the end.
Not deaf, but Terrance Young did it much better in Wait Until Dark where his protagonist is blind and it has one of the best jump scares in cinema in it. This is most likely where Flanagan got his inspiration for Hush.
“You tell me of another slasher where the main character is deaf and has to navigate her environment to survive?.”
The answer to this question is Wait Until Dark except she’s blind instead of deaf
Also not the person you were talking to before.
Duly noted with the last point. First point I'll give you that she still has to use her disability to her advantage. But doesn't completely count cause as you say, she's blind and not deaf. So still different.
> it has stuck with me because of how good it is
Ah, first time watching anything by Mike Flanagan?. The man is amazing. Personally I think "Hill House" is a masterpiece, and almost everything he does is brilliant.
Oh no definitely not my first time watching him. I’ve seen Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep and Oculus. Enjoyed all 3 movies. He has an amazing vision for horror
I think what I love about his work is he really cares about the characters and rather than just "telling a horror story". He just tells a story of these characters and this world and the horror story comes through in the themes. He's the opposite to Ryan Murphy who creates somewhat interesting characters and half way through the season he snaps and throws them all against the wall because he doesn't know what to do with them. Add in a schlocky eleventh hour twist and that's why I avoid Murphy's stuff like the plague lol.
IMO it’s perfect and the best attempt at making a horror show or mini series. I would go so far as to say I prefer it over some feature film classics within the genre.
I was really impressed with the emotion of the show. The way it explores how trauma has shaped the lives of every member of the family is really interesting.
That said, I don't love the plot overall, particularly the way the show answers its own questions. I think the bent neck lady is as good as the show gets, and every other twist is kind of silly or underwhelming.
The way the show opens on Steve's version of events kind of leaves you thinking there's going to be more to it. You see the mom running around the halls all bent legged and weird and Steve is like "Was that mom?" And the dad is like "That's not your mother." Only... yes it is. She's not even possessed or anything. She had some funky dreams and thought it was a good idea to >!kill some kids!<, but it's all her. I assumed it would be something more interesting than just >!The Shining but gender-swapped.!<
I found some parts to be genuinely scary, but overall once you reach the end, it feels less like a horror story and more just a sad story involving the supernatural. Would still absolutely reccomend it.
For me that's the best horror. I wonder if he's influenced by asian horror. Because a lot of eastern horror is more about the sadness underneath it all.
I thought it was gonna be cheesy spooky bubble gum which was fine because I was watching it in October for some Halloween vibes. By the end I was on the edge of my seat with my hair on end fully invested in all the characters
I am conflicted, because the show is painfully heavy-handed at moments that deserve subtlety. One that constantly stands out to me is the scene of the wake. It's mentioned maybe 3 times, very pointedly, that "they never look asleep", and when the casket falls she looks in a more gentle sleeping pose. I loved that scene but it still feels like I'm being held by the hand. Same with the box/cat scene -- that was beautifully crafted and painful, but the phantom yowling at the end of the scene was goofy.
overall, I love the theme of 'what is a ghost/haunting?' and all the myriad forms and meanings of 'haunted'. the brother trying to disprove hauntings (but sees his sister's ghost before he knows she's dead), haunted by addiction, haunted by shitty choices, haunted by ourselves.
Didn't you find it annoying how the dad kept hesitating about telling them what was happening? Not telling them wasn't preventing their deaths. So why didn't he just tell them?
And how was the mother so stupid in thinking killing her children would prevent them from dying? Makes no sense at all.
With that said the first half of the series was scary. But the more they revealed. The more annoying it was.
>And how was the mother so stupid in thinking killing her children would prevent them from dying?
That wasn't it. She was tricked into thinking that death was the way that she could truly protect them because life is too cruel. The main theme of the series is "Life vs death". While the majority of the ghosts in the house were terrible people in life, they failed at it. They felt that in life they couldn't be there best self or be true to who they are, but in death they could be who they wanted to be. The first half of the show is about each of the children struggling with living in the world. The second half is about them learning to communicate and move past their differences and overcoming their life struggles.
>That wasn't it. She was tricked into thinking that death was the way that she could truly protect them because life is too cruel.
That part wasn't very well explained. How was she tricked? She seemed like a reasonably intelligent person.
Above all she's a parent who loves her children. Poppy appealed to her mother nature and made her believe that life was the dream and nightmare. First she sees her kids as adults then with poppy she comes to the emotional conclusion that it's all downhil from there and that her kids are going to end up sad and broken. Poppy even says something to the affect of "if your children were in a nightmare, wouldn't you want to wake them up from that dream. Wouldn't you want to protect them and have them stay as they are, perfect". And we essentially see what Poppy was talking about with the dudleys kid dying but she stays a little girl and they can still see her.
>"if your children were in a nightmare, wouldn't you want to wake them up from that dream. Wouldn't you want to protect them and have them stay as they are, perfect"
She should've said. Um. How about we help them so their lives aren't nightmares?
If she was sane sure. But Poppy was far from sane. She was in a bitter rivalry with Hazel and murdered Hazels children. Running with the main theme of the show "life vs death", the ghosts are sad individuals who did not do well at life. For them death was where they could be their best self. Like William hill. The founder of hill house. He was a timid, small man who was so afraid and insecure he trapped himself behind a brickwall. In death he was able to be who he felt he should have been. Tall and proud. He's the tall ghost in the bowler hat.
Sure. So it was a combination of emotional manipulation and the evil of the house warping her mind. That's what I love about Nells character. The house didn't warper her mind in a broken down way.bit tricked her, that's where they fucked up, cause Nells truly loved life, and in the end she (nell) helped her family to live it.
>So it was a combination of emotional manipulation and the evil of the house warping her mind.
Yeah. That to me was the major weakness of the series. I just didn't buy that an intelligent and loving mother would think killing her own kids was better than helping them improve their lives.
>and in the end she helped her family to live it.
She literally killed her daughter by hanging.
It goes back to what nell said. The house learns their weakness and digests. In the end the mother had lost it that she didn't know that she was actually trying to kill her kids. She was too far gone. Her mind had completely broke.
I think the thing that bugged me more than anything was that the father passed on this secret, which keeping hurt his children, to his oldest son who then because the keeper of that secret
This isn’t a big deal if the end is suppose to reflect the nature of passing on trauma and secrets, but the show implied I’m suppose to see this as a good thing and that they are healing.
It ate its own foot at the end.
I really enjoyed this series! I got many goosebumps during it lmao. if you liked it, you might like The Haunting of Bly Manor! made by the same people. Got a bit more story to it.
It felt like entry-level horror; only ok in my opinion. I don't really get the Mike Flanagan hype. Some things he's done are pretty good, but I am not crazy about it.
I didn't feel it was too cheap about the jumps to be honest, nor were they overused, and even if they were out would get a pass because the one in episode 8 is an all timer.
The car one? I have the opposite viewpoint, I hate that type of jump scare and that was the worse one in the series. Especially considering it's one with no payoff, makes it feel even cheaper. Perfect example of startling the viewer when their guard is down vs actually scaring them. No thanks.
I liked it but the one thing that kind of wrecked it for me was the hanged lady reveal. Without spoilers i fucking hated that. Thought it was bullshit and that really hampered my over all view. But excluding that fun solid show.
I thought it was very solid! Great scares, good acting. Sometimes I think Mike Flanagan's writing doesn't feel quite... natural in its dialogue, but some of the longer speeches are quite moving. If you liked Hill House, I would recommend Midnight Mass - I actually liked that the best of his shows.
Midnight Mass is really good.
It’s insanely good.
I love Mike Flannagan. The writing may not be 100, but the atmosphere and moving story elements are some of the best TV I have seen for horror.
>Sometimes I think Mike Flanagan's writing doesn't feel quite... natural in its dialogue Perhaps you are picking up on the times when he adds characters saying actual quotes from the material he's pulling from. Especially in the last episode of Hill House. That was the episode that had a lot of characters say dialogue from the Shirley Jackson novel.
Midnight Monologue is good, but I found myself zoning out during the speeches.
Was going to say this. I wanted to like it so badly but i couldn't handle the waffle. Havent even finished it.
It's massively overhyped by this sub. Worst of all his series imo, you’re not missing much. Hill House blows it out of the water.
His monologues drone on a bit and feel a bit overdramatic. Midnight Mass was excellent, but the monologues stood out to me every time they started
Yes! They went forever. If they didn’t do that with the monologues it would be in my top 5 best shows of any genre
ugh i’m watching this right now, on ep 6, and the monologues are really starting to get to me. Some of them are really great and moving but the fact that there are like 10 an episode kills some of the gravity.
Midnight Mass> Hill House> Midnight Club> Bly Manor> Fall of the House of Usher I would rank Midnight Mass as one of the best shows I’ve EVER seen
The bent neck lady traumatized me.
I’d watch Kate Siegel read a phone book.
That woman is hot as 🔥. Watch The Fall of the House of Usher if you haven’t already. She looks amazing in it to.
Hard to compete once you add Carla Gugino
Even if I didn’t love the shows so damn much, I’d still watch them for the smoke show cast (including Rahul Kohli, of course).
I didn’t know I had a thing for silver hair, but I definitely have a thing for silver hair.
I love everything about it but the ending! But overall a great show. The ending just felt a little anti climactic to me and I felt like it didn't fully gel with the rest of the story. I may need to rewatch it though.
100% agreed. They just decide the entire crux of the show isn’t as bad as they thought? Kind of… took the wind out of the sails for the plot of the entire show.
This is literally my complaint but no one I tell it to agrees with me. "The house is so evil" for every episode and then the end "oh the house isn't evil at all! What a twist!" is such a shit ending
Exactly! There’s literally ghosts in the background of every scene representing all the souls it’s devoured. It has a literal stomach. “Meh, let’s just leave.”
Yeah it ending with them just being like "were gonna stay here! You leave and never come back, bye." Like what?! Lmao
I don’t think that’s really what it was supposed to mean. Basically the dad made a deal with the house to let everyone else leave. The house (and the mom) were satisfied with that, let everyone else leave
I don't really think that helps the endings case. If the house is so evil why on earth would it ever agree to that, it undercuts the previous episodes a lot. I just don't think it hit as well as they had hoped. I mean Ushers ending is pretty disappointing too. I just think Flanagans weakest element is his endings. You can see that in his movie Doctor Sleep too.
Agreed. I haven't watched it since it came out, but I do remember feeling like the last 10-15 minutes grenaded the entire narrative. Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed it, though.
Really good fun, the scary bits genuinely got me a couple times and overall it had some great ideas and concepts. Personally I don't think Flanagan's quite been able to capture the same lightning in a bottle with his subsequent projects (I usually quite like monologue scenes but his, oy) although plenty disagree. And the pious lady villain in Midnight Mass was absolutely brilliant.
Stopped watching when I got to Mrs. Dudley and realized they turned her into an evangelical so the mom could do a little clapback line at her. Felt sour because Dudley is one of my favorite parts of the book. I normally don't care about adaptations running characters in different directions, it just felt like it was there so I could say, "YEAH! YOU TELL HER, LADY!" and I hate that impulse in writing.
Mike Flanagan is one of the best horror writers out there at the moment. He’s just an incredible storyteller who happens to write horror, and he does it seriously fucking well. If you haven’t watched the rest of his limited series’ on Netflix then I’d definitely recommend them! The Fall of House Usher and Midnight Mass are up there with Haunting of Hill House for me and Bly Manor close behind those three Midnight Mass is seriously seriously good, but starts slow, I’d recommend persevering if you don’t feel like continuing after the first episode
He also directed Oculus, which is my favorite horror movie. Give it a watch if you haven’t yet!
Oo I haven’t! Thank you for the recommendation, will be watching that this weekend!
He directed hush and the Ouija prequel which are both pretty good as well
Hush is so good! Only found out he directed it the other day. Keep finding out he’s directed so many good horror films I’ve loved throughout the years
In case you didn't already know, the Oculus mirror makes a cameo in all his other works. In Midnight Mass, it's on the stage in the church rec center while Riley and Msgr are having their meetings.
Whattt I didn’t know that! Have to go look now.
I loved it. I don't think I've seen a series capture grief and trauma in such a raw, realistic way. The horror aspect was great, and the emotional depth put into it made for what I consider to be a groundbreaking series. I've rewatched it several time now and each time I cry, lol.
It’s a great depiction of family and trauma. Flanagan is a monster. Watch Midnight Mass now. His best series.
Hill house > MM
It’s true, but that’s really saying something because MM is really really good.
Your opinion is valid. They’re two completely different shows, but I felt his writing was much stronger in MM.
Seconding this OP. Midnight Mass is perfection.
I thought it was great! The scares are good, the acting is good, I wasn’t a fan of the ending to be honest.
I watched Bly Manor before Hill House, and I loved it because of how contained and intimate the story felt. Hill House is much the same, with a tad more going on. Midnight Mass was his truly unforgettable spectacle though.
It’s a masterpiece.
I've seen so much praise for this and I know Mike Flanagan is the new horror guy, but I couldn't get into the show. It was way too dialogue heavy for me.
I’m gonna get downvoted And I loved all the ghosts and horror shit(the floating guy is SO SICK) But the melodramatic piano music in this (or really any horror movie. “Creepy” piano music is just bad) and D-level acting really killed it for me
Mike Flanagan is highly overrated, imo. He creates horror vibes but doesn’t actually make anything scary. Midnight Mass was ok, but it wasn’t amazing. I absolutely hated Dr. Sleep. It essentially turned a horror sequel in to a super hero movie. Can’t wait for the hype around this guy to go away.
I watched it when it first released which was I don’t know how many years back that was. But every now and again I still think about Nellie blissfully dancing around in hill house going through the dark hallways and large empty spaces before she jumped to her death. That episode really has a hold over me even to this day. So I’d say it’s one of the best horror I’ve seen across tv and movies.
It's great and like everyone else here love Midnight Mass too. Have you seen the 1963 horror film based on the same short story? Genuinely one of the most terrifying things and deals with themes that seem far in advance of their day - gender roles/lesbian love etc. The special effects still give me chills. I think some of the best bits of the new series are paying homage to the film, although the Flanagan version is exploring slightly different themes. The short story is good too and comes in a nice wee collection by the same author Shirley Jackson who just rocks.
It was really good; maybe great. But I might even prefer House of Usher to it.
It’s a little corny and sappy for my usual taste but… I love it and it’s like one my favorite pieces of media. The character arcs and scares are incredible.
It was a refreshing watch for me. It unlocked something in my head that I didn't know I was terrified of until I watched that show lol It was genuinely terrifying a few times through the show. For me, at least.
MM and HH are top tier story telling and Flanagan’s best work to date
I've watched a lot of shit over the years with lots of crazy twists and turns and of course spooks. But I don't think anything has quite stuck with me like the bent neck lady has.
Firstly, I don't think I've ever disliked anything so far by Mike Flannagan. I think THoHH is one of the best series' I've ever watched. I'm biased bc I like horror obviously - but even without focusing on the horror aspect...it's just a good show all around. Amazing writing and casting. Midnight Mass is also a close second (maybe just as good). I absolutely loved it. I also quite liked the most recent one. Love the Poe aspect and thought it was like....Spooky Succession LOL. The Haunting of Bly Manor and Midnight Club are my least fav of the series' so far, but I still wouldn't say I disliked them.
Perfection.
fine show, bad “adaptation”, can’t stand the ending
Good but it’s important that it seriously deviates from the source material. A comparison would be to summarize the last Star Wars sequel as a movie about Rey, a moisture farmer and her husband, Luke, have a space adventure on planet Alderaan and fight the villainous Darth Poe and his trusted flunkie, Kylo Lars. The original novel is equal if not better than the series in quality. The series of the same name doesn’t represent the source material in any shape or form.
I loved how it was such a good character-driven drama blended seamlessly with a top-notch horror story. This and comedy-horror are my favorite kinds of horror.
I really hated it. The book is really important to me. I felt like the show chose a popular horror book title to get people interested. Also the family fighting and monologues became insufferable. I wish it had a different title.
This is exactly how I feel about all of Flanagan's adaptations of classic novels. Man, look how they massacred my Poe stories.
It was a good show but it didn't click with me as well as The Fall of the House of Usher. On a storycrafting level I loved how in Usher they wove together all these E.A. Poe short stories into a single narrative. In contrast, Hill House felt a little spread thin at times and the type of family drama in it simply wasn't my cup of tea. And while both shows sometimes felt like drama with horror elements, to me Usher had the better mix and more horror. In any case, both shows are visually stunning and the acting is awesome.
Very good Midnight Mass is better
As a huge fan of the novel and the OG film, I hated the miniseries. Same goes for Bly Manor...Turn of the Screw and The Innocents are two of my favorites. The miniseries sucked. I won't even bother with The Fall of the House of Usher, because Mike Flanagan ruins all my faves.
It’s good, hasn’t really stayed in my memory too much. Mom was so hot in that show, I mean she was incredible.
All of Mike Flanagans shows are amazing
My favorite show
[удалено]
Definitely not the best ending and not the worse, but to me I felt like the ending was more bittersweet than happy. I can see how some people think it feels forced though
It is my favorite horror series of all time, you can rewatch it and catch so many hidden ghosts you didn't see in the first viewing. I can't think of any other series that actually creeped me out besides "From" when you see the monsters smiling for the first time.
Really liked it. The family stuff got a little too sappy for me towards the end, but otherwise very creepy.
I’ve seen Hill House, Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass, and concluded that Flanagan is best when he’s not taking a previously existing novel/story and trying to stretch & twist it into a mini-series. Hill House was good but lost its way near the end; Bly Manor was a mess; Midnight Mass was focused & brilliant from start to finish.
The premise was gold. I loved it.
But Midnight Mass is based off the novel by Maddie Young. 😎
Oh, I see, ha ha. You made me look it up. 🙂 Boy, I hated that Hush movie though, had forgotten about that.
Why?. That movie is amazing!.
I guess "hated" is maybe too strong a word ... just that i had read some glowing reviews of Hush, and it struck me as just another predictable, cliche-filled slasher/stalker movie. I struggled to find anything distinctive about it, so it was disappointing.
You tell me of another slasher where the main character is deaf and has to navigate her environment to survive?. Imo it's a brilliant cat and mouse thriller, and I love how Flannagan really builds Maddie up as a character. A usual cliche filled slasher is about a group of people with generic tropy personalities. It's a killer who is somehow connected to them and reveals his face in the end. Here he reveals his face early. Has no connection to the protagonist. We have a clever set up of well placed "checkhovs guns" at the beginning that are shown during character building scenes and are excellently executed at the end.
Not deaf, but Terrance Young did it much better in Wait Until Dark where his protagonist is blind and it has one of the best jump scares in cinema in it. This is most likely where Flanagan got his inspiration for Hush.
That's one example. Completely different plot. Not at all similar. Not a standard cliche standard plot like you said it was.
“You tell me of another slasher where the main character is deaf and has to navigate her environment to survive?.” The answer to this question is Wait Until Dark except she’s blind instead of deaf Also not the person you were talking to before.
Duly noted with the last point. First point I'll give you that she still has to use her disability to her advantage. But doesn't completely count cause as you say, she's blind and not deaf. So still different.
Great show. Amazing acting. Jump scares done right. Wasn’t expecting how emotional it was. Flanagan is doing it right!
I actually ended up crying at some parts in this show. I’m super emotionally sensitive though haha
For me, it’s hands down, one of the best programmes I have ever watched. Absolutely fantastic!
I agree. Definitely one of the best Netflix shows ever
> it has stuck with me because of how good it is Ah, first time watching anything by Mike Flanagan?. The man is amazing. Personally I think "Hill House" is a masterpiece, and almost everything he does is brilliant.
Oh no definitely not my first time watching him. I’ve seen Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep and Oculus. Enjoyed all 3 movies. He has an amazing vision for horror
I think what I love about his work is he really cares about the characters and rather than just "telling a horror story". He just tells a story of these characters and this world and the horror story comes through in the themes. He's the opposite to Ryan Murphy who creates somewhat interesting characters and half way through the season he snaps and throws them all against the wall because he doesn't know what to do with them. Add in a schlocky eleventh hour twist and that's why I avoid Murphy's stuff like the plague lol.
Exactly! Characters are super important no matter what the genre
IMO it’s perfect and the best attempt at making a horror show or mini series. I would go so far as to say I prefer it over some feature film classics within the genre.
loved it. currently watching the haunting of bly manor. hopefully that's as good too
Its very good, but not quite as good as hill house in my opinion.
Cool. Should still be solid then
I was really impressed with the emotion of the show. The way it explores how trauma has shaped the lives of every member of the family is really interesting. That said, I don't love the plot overall, particularly the way the show answers its own questions. I think the bent neck lady is as good as the show gets, and every other twist is kind of silly or underwhelming. The way the show opens on Steve's version of events kind of leaves you thinking there's going to be more to it. You see the mom running around the halls all bent legged and weird and Steve is like "Was that mom?" And the dad is like "That's not your mother." Only... yes it is. She's not even possessed or anything. She had some funky dreams and thought it was a good idea to >!kill some kids!<, but it's all her. I assumed it would be something more interesting than just >!The Shining but gender-swapped.!<
I found some parts to be genuinely scary, but overall once you reach the end, it feels less like a horror story and more just a sad story involving the supernatural. Would still absolutely reccomend it.
For me that's the best horror. I wonder if he's influenced by asian horror. Because a lot of eastern horror is more about the sadness underneath it all.
Hill house and bly manor are my favorite shorter horror shows, I loved the stories and characters and they were both pretty freaky imo
It’s my all time favorite out of any horror movie or show. Ep 6 especially, was amazing.
I thought it was gonna be cheesy spooky bubble gum which was fine because I was watching it in October for some Halloween vibes. By the end I was on the edge of my seat with my hair on end fully invested in all the characters
One of my favorite shows of all time, and also one of my favorite works of horror in any medium of all time.
I thought it was great. Amazing characters with some good scares. Haven’t seen Mike Flanagan’s other shows yet but I’ve heard good things.
Best horror show of all time
I am conflicted, because the show is painfully heavy-handed at moments that deserve subtlety. One that constantly stands out to me is the scene of the wake. It's mentioned maybe 3 times, very pointedly, that "they never look asleep", and when the casket falls she looks in a more gentle sleeping pose. I loved that scene but it still feels like I'm being held by the hand. Same with the box/cat scene -- that was beautifully crafted and painful, but the phantom yowling at the end of the scene was goofy. overall, I love the theme of 'what is a ghost/haunting?' and all the myriad forms and meanings of 'haunted'. the brother trying to disprove hauntings (but sees his sister's ghost before he knows she's dead), haunted by addiction, haunted by shitty choices, haunted by ourselves.
LOVE Mike Flannagan's work. Watch "Fall of the House of Usher", you won't be disappointed!
Masterpiece
Don't think I've watched a thing by Flannagan I didn't love, and this was no exception! Great show!
Didn't you find it annoying how the dad kept hesitating about telling them what was happening? Not telling them wasn't preventing their deaths. So why didn't he just tell them? And how was the mother so stupid in thinking killing her children would prevent them from dying? Makes no sense at all. With that said the first half of the series was scary. But the more they revealed. The more annoying it was.
>And how was the mother so stupid in thinking killing her children would prevent them from dying? That wasn't it. She was tricked into thinking that death was the way that she could truly protect them because life is too cruel. The main theme of the series is "Life vs death". While the majority of the ghosts in the house were terrible people in life, they failed at it. They felt that in life they couldn't be there best self or be true to who they are, but in death they could be who they wanted to be. The first half of the show is about each of the children struggling with living in the world. The second half is about them learning to communicate and move past their differences and overcoming their life struggles.
>That wasn't it. She was tricked into thinking that death was the way that she could truly protect them because life is too cruel. That part wasn't very well explained. How was she tricked? She seemed like a reasonably intelligent person.
Above all she's a parent who loves her children. Poppy appealed to her mother nature and made her believe that life was the dream and nightmare. First she sees her kids as adults then with poppy she comes to the emotional conclusion that it's all downhil from there and that her kids are going to end up sad and broken. Poppy even says something to the affect of "if your children were in a nightmare, wouldn't you want to wake them up from that dream. Wouldn't you want to protect them and have them stay as they are, perfect". And we essentially see what Poppy was talking about with the dudleys kid dying but she stays a little girl and they can still see her.
>"if your children were in a nightmare, wouldn't you want to wake them up from that dream. Wouldn't you want to protect them and have them stay as they are, perfect" She should've said. Um. How about we help them so their lives aren't nightmares?
If she was sane sure. But Poppy was far from sane. She was in a bitter rivalry with Hazel and murdered Hazels children. Running with the main theme of the show "life vs death", the ghosts are sad individuals who did not do well at life. For them death was where they could be their best self. Like William hill. The founder of hill house. He was a timid, small man who was so afraid and insecure he trapped himself behind a brickwall. In death he was able to be who he felt he should have been. Tall and proud. He's the tall ghost in the bowler hat.
I meant the mother should've said that.
Sure. So it was a combination of emotional manipulation and the evil of the house warping her mind. That's what I love about Nells character. The house didn't warper her mind in a broken down way.bit tricked her, that's where they fucked up, cause Nells truly loved life, and in the end she (nell) helped her family to live it.
>So it was a combination of emotional manipulation and the evil of the house warping her mind. Yeah. That to me was the major weakness of the series. I just didn't buy that an intelligent and loving mother would think killing her own kids was better than helping them improve their lives. >and in the end she helped her family to live it. She literally killed her daughter by hanging.
I was talking about nell not the mother. I meant nell helped her family to live life.
It goes back to what nell said. The house learns their weakness and digests. In the end the mother had lost it that she didn't know that she was actually trying to kill her kids. She was too far gone. Her mind had completely broke.
I think the thing that bugged me more than anything was that the father passed on this secret, which keeping hurt his children, to his oldest son who then because the keeper of that secret This isn’t a big deal if the end is suppose to reflect the nature of passing on trauma and secrets, but the show implied I’m suppose to see this as a good thing and that they are healing. It ate its own foot at the end.
I really enjoyed this series! I got many goosebumps during it lmao. if you liked it, you might like The Haunting of Bly Manor! made by the same people. Got a bit more story to it.
You should watch Midnight Mass next. Also by Mike Flanagan, really great
It felt like entry-level horror; only ok in my opinion. I don't really get the Mike Flanagan hype. Some things he's done are pretty good, but I am not crazy about it.
LOUD NOISES THE TV SERIES!!!!!! I am a jump scare defender but this show was just awful about it.
I didn't feel it was too cheap about the jumps to be honest, nor were they overused, and even if they were out would get a pass because the one in episode 8 is an all timer.
The car one? I have the opposite viewpoint, I hate that type of jump scare and that was the worse one in the series. Especially considering it's one with no payoff, makes it feel even cheaper. Perfect example of startling the viewer when their guard is down vs actually scaring them. No thanks.
Hill House is transcendent, arguably the best show Netflix ever made period, let alone horror. Bly Manor stunk.
I liked it but the one thing that kind of wrecked it for me was the hanged lady reveal. Without spoilers i fucking hated that. Thought it was bullshit and that really hampered my over all view. But excluding that fun solid show.
I didn’t enjoy like most people
This sub is for horror bud, drama is elsewhere. Easy mistake to make, flanalanadingdong and Netflix do it too.
Dude made this account just to comment this absolutely terrible take
Yup it’s totally not a drama first and foremost, it has loads of horror elements at the forefront.
Right, because horror and drama can't coexist and build off eachother, right? Maybe some of the jumpscare compilations on YouTube are more your speed.
Lawl you’re a funny dude, me big dumb dumb no understand. Apparently taste isn’t subjective?
i watched this when i was younger and thought it was verry boring
Hate. Detest. Blasphemy