Just like Mike Flannagan (Gerald’s Game) haunted countless dreams with Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, he’s back at it again, this time with the new Netflix limited series, Midnight Mass. The first trailer was released on Monday morning, and will be arriving on Netflix September 24, as reported by Indiewire.
Starring Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights) and Hamish Linklater (Legion), Midnight Mass is an upcoming seven-part limited horror series, created, executive produced, and directed by Flannagan. Netflix released the official synopsis alongside the sinister trailer: “MIDNIGHT MASS tells the tale of a small, isolated island community whose existing divisions are amplified by the return of a disgraced young man (Zach Gilford) and the arrival of a charismatic priest (Hamish Linklater). When Father Paul’s appearance on Crockett Island coincides with unexplained and seemingly miraculous events, a renewed religious fervor takes hold of the community – but do these miracles come at a price?”
The first trailer is dark and gritty as Gilford makes his return home to Crockett Island, with the dirty grey beach littered with dead animals and townspeople have permanent scowls etched upon their faces. As Father Paul attempts to draw Gilford into his feverish world of religion, the first look at the series indicates that the two may come to a head with their clashing viewpoints of the world. With its shrieking violins, ticking clocks, and rain patter, the trailer recalls Flannagan’s first major hit on Netflix, The Haunting of Hill House, and ensures it will be just as terrifying.
As the trailer was released, Flannagan released a personal letter to coincide with its arrival on Twitter, marked with a Crockett Island stamp: “I’m just going to admit it… ‘Midnight Mass’ is my favorite project so far. As a former altar boy, about to celebrate 3 years of sobriety, it’s hard not to see what makes this so personal. The ideas at the root of this show scare me to my core. There is darkness at work on Crockett Island. Some of it is supernatural, but the scariest is born of human nature. The darkness that animates this story isn’t hard to see in our world, unfortunately. But this show is about something else as well… faith itself. One of the great mysteries of human nature. How even in the darkness, in the worst of it, in the absence of light — and hope — we sing. I hope you enjoy our song.”
See Flannagan’s full letter below:
In addition to Gilford and Linklater, the cast features The Haunting of Hill House stars Kate Siegel (Hush) and Henry Thomas (Stargirl), in addition to Rahul Abburi (Good Game), Crystal Balint (The 100), Matt Biedel (Narcos: Mexico), Alex Essoe (Doctor Sleep), Annabeth Gish (Halt and Catch Fire), Rahul Kohli (The Haunting of Bly Manor), Kristin Lehman (Altered Carbon), Robert Longstreet (I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore), Igby Rigney (F9: The Fast Saga), Annarah Shephard (Cage), Samantha Sloyan (Grey’s Anatomy), and Michael Trucco (Disjointed).
Watch the trailer for Midnight Mass below: