Mike Flanagan takes on The Midnight Club (Netflix)

I've watched two and I like it well enough to continue. I'd be further along if there weren't so many other shows to watch right now. :)
 
Trailer looks good but hopefully this can break out of typical YA fare and have that Flanagan feel to it.
 
I really enjoyed this, but I would put it closer to Bly Manor than Midnight Mass or Hill House. The horror was definitely lacking for me a bit throughout this show because it just didn't feel like it had enough of Flanagan's inspiration which makes sense considering how he wasn't as involved with this one as others.

That being said the drama was really effective IMO and while I'm not all that familiar with this cast, I thought all the young actors did a great job in their roles in particular Ruth Codd and William Chris Sumpter. It was cool seeing a lot of familiar faces too and man have I missed Heather Langenkamp.

I wish she was in way more stuff nowadays.
 
I like the show so far, but it feels like the stories they're telling are kind of interrupting what I want to see more of.(The main storyline)

This is probably my least favourite Flanagan Netflix project, but I'm still enjoying it.
 
Erik20 said:
I like the show so far, but it feels like the stories they're telling are kind of interrupting what I want to see more of.(The main storyline)

This is probably my least favourite Flanagan Netflix project, but I'm still enjoying it.
Click to expand...

Yeah the indivual stories don't always feel perfectly integrated. Sometimes there is some tension between those and the mystery of the situation itself. They play nicely into the characters telling them which is nice, but they vary in quality so my enjoyment also varied and I'd start pining for some forward momentum with the plot. It's pretty cool how the show is adapting a bunch of books at once. Not always flawlessly though.
 
I am really struggling with this show, something I can't say for really any other Flanagan project, even his worst stuff. I don't think the show is bad, but rather I am having a hard time wanting to watch it.

Something about the setting isn't quite working for me. Like, the stakes automatically feel undermined by the context. And I agree that the narrative structure is a bit strange and can be off-putting. Which seems to be a common thing these days (this, HotD, RoP, Andor), though I applaud all of these shows for trying things that not many TV shows do.

This has the same strengths (characters, technical precision) and flaws (overworked dialogue at times, a bit of smug condescension creeping in when a viewpoint is expressed that Flanagan most agrees with, though he does try to balance that out in his work) as a lot of Flanagan stuff. He can be a little hit-or-miss with the creepiness and scares in his stuff and so far this one has been more misses for me in that department. Some of the creepiest shots so far get immediately undercut, and the horror aspects of the show don't feel like they have room to settle in because of how we're flipping through all these different approaches to horror.

I'm also struggling a bit with the middle ground the show seems to be trying to strike between YA and something more adult, very hard PG13 or a soft R, right down to the make-up effects. Not all of this is on Flanagan as he involved a lot of other writers and directors in this show, but he bears a lot of responsibility for how the show was planned out.

I don't know, I'm only 3 episodes in. Seems like it's gonna be slow going for me.
 
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Persona said:
I am really struggling with this show, something I can't say for really any other Flanagan project, even his worst stuff. I don't think the show is bad, but rather I am having a hard time wanting to watch it.

Something about the setting isn't quite working for me. Like, the stakes automatically feel undermined by the context. And I agree that the narrative structure is a bit strange and can be off-putting. Which seems to be a common thing these days (this, HotD, RoP, Andor), though I applaud all of these shows for trying things that not many TV shows do.

This has the same strengths (characters, technical precision) and flaws (overworked dialogue at times, a bit of smug condescension creeping in when a viewpoint is expressed that Flanagan most agrees with, though he does try to balance that out in his work) as a lot of Flanagan stuff. He can be a little hit-or-miss with the creepiness and scares in his stuff and so far this one has been more misses for me in that department. Some of the creepiest shots so far get immediately undercut, and the horror aspects of the show don't feel like they have room to settle in because of how we're flipping through all these different approaches to horror.

I'm also struggling a bit with the middle ground the show seems to be trying to strike between YA and something more adult, very hard PG13 or a soft R, right down to the make-up effects. Not all of this is on Flanagan as he involved a lot of other writers and directors in this show, but he bears a lot of responsibility for how the show was planned out.

I don't know, I'm only 3 episodes in. Seems like it's gonna be slow going for me.
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With the other Flanagan shows I had to stop myself from binging the whole thing in just a couple of days. With this it's more like "oh yeah, I still have to finish it," because I just stopped watching.

Also I'm not a fan of the jump scares. I know they joke about it, but the "real" ones don't work for me at all. I thought Flanagan wouldn't do something basic like that, (often) but I guess he does now.
 
I admit I got bogged down, too. I'm more interested in what's going on with the house and the stories kind of get in the way of that. I do plan to finish this, I just don't see me bingeing this to do it.
 
Just finished episode 5. Woof. The show was kind of improving for me with episode 4, if only because the character interplay was getting stronger and the "smug condescension" I mentioned as sometimes being a thing in Flanagan's work had disappeared as the show really showed more nuance in its characters and empathy between them, which I really appreciated.

But man, episode 5. Really drags in the main storyline and the sci-fi story told within it is just plain terrible on so many levels. It hurt to see Rahul Kohli and Michael Trucco wasted like that after how good they were in Midnight Mass.

The moment between Cheri and Ilonka, great. Other than that, bad episode.
 
I really hope this is ongoing. It's the perfect successor to the original Are You Afraid of the Dark?
 
Episode 7 was decent. Had a little of the old Flanagan magic. At least the first half.
 
I enjoyed it enough to come back for a second series. The poster and trailer gave out big YA vibes but i was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't that type of show.. it felt more "grown up", "serious" in it's conceit, themes and presentation. Great cast and characters!

As others have said the most interesting bit is the main story line (although i didn't mind the periodic interruptions) and i didn't feel like it dragged or had as much filler as i did with, say, Bly Manor. Although i thought the ending could have been stronger some how. I do think that the stories could get quite old if they continue to end most episodes with them so maybe they need to mix it up a bit, and some were better than others. I thought the Road Not Taken was the best/most interesting.
 
Vapor said:
I enjoyed it enough to come back for a second series. The poster and trailer gave out big YA vibes but i was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't that type of show.. it felt more "grown up", "serious" in it's conceit, themes and presentation. Great cast and characters!

As others have said the most interesting bit is the main story line (although i didn't mind the periodic interruptions) and i didn't feel like it dragged or had as much filler as i did with, say, Bly Manor. Although i thought the ending could have been stronger some how. I do think that the stories could get quite old if they continue to end most episodes with them so maybe they need to mix it up a bit, and some were better than others. I thought the Road Not Taken was the best/most interesting.
Click to expand...

Are you talking about episode 8? Yeah, her story was one of the more interesting and well done, but I almost immediately knew what was going on (and was reminded of I'm Thinking of Ending Things). Not sure what the deal was with a couple elements they threw in (that one guy who bumps into the car rambling and the white lady gas station attendant). And I am not sure the inner story characterizations made total sense (but Alex Essoe was probably the best guest appearance this season).

Problem is that the episode as a whole felt so disconnected. Ilonka's storyline, Spence's, and the storyline with the story. Then the way it ended. It was all over the place.
 
Idk I'm really enjoying it thus far
Episode 8 was deeply affecting for me for one reason or another... even if not all the elements of her dream/hallucination made total sense, the overall story was moving

The only thing I haven't been enjoying in the past couple episodes is Ilonka, she's feeling very self-centered and bratty. Hoping that gets explained and resolved in the last couple
 
Yeah, Ilonka's character really feels like it has shifted. So much so I am thinking there is probably an explanation. Got two episodes left.
 
I liked it and thought it was on par with Bly Manor. Really enjoyed the more adult take of Are You Afraid of The Dark. I do hope for some better horror in season 2.
 
Wow, what a flat ending.

This one just wasn't for me. If it does get a S2 I hope Flanagan just hands the reins over to Leah Fong and focuses on other stuff.
 
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