Netflix just dropped a new trailer and poster for The Midnight Club, a spooky new series from Mike Flanagan that's dropping this October. The trailer, clocking in at nearly three minutes, teases scares, drama, and tears alike as the titular Midnight Club meets.
The Midnight Club is based on a young adult novel that was first published in 1994 and written by Christopher Pike. The Netflix series is adapted by Flanagan, the creator of the hit Netflix horror show The Haunting of Hill House. Both it and its second season, The Haunting of Bly Manor, have been successes over at Netflix, so when Flanagan wrote a screenplay for the novel, Netflix picked it up.
A new poster and trailer for the series, released by Netflix, showcases the plot of The Midnight Club. The main character Ilonka (Iman Benson) is expected to start at Stanford University when she is diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma or thyroid cancer. Ilonka ends up at Brightcliffe Hospice, a place where people her own age are struggling with terminal illnesses. She meets the other residents of the house and discovers that they all gather in the basement at midnight every night and tell scary stories (or "meet ghosts," as one resident puts it).
But the horror begins to take a very real shape. Demons, ghouls, and apparitions begin appearing as the inquisitive Ilonka begins to uncover the mysteries of Brightcliffe. Though others warn her to demur, lest she put all of them in danger, Ilonka is persistent. "I don't care what it costs. If there's a way to save us, I'd burn the world down," Ilonka says in voiceover. Unfortunately, it looks like the residents of Brightcliffe are all in for a difficult and terrifying time, on top of having to deal with their illnesses.
Ever since the first images from The Midnight Club were released, it's been clear that the heart of the story will be the residents of Brightcliffe. An audience can only feel horror for the characters of the story if they can empathize with them, and the trailer showcases a real effort to characterize and humanize each of these teens. Their stories and personalities are briefly teased, and Benson's performance appears earnest and deep.
There's an air of intrigue and mystery in the show as well. Though they are not highlighted quite as much, the staff of Brightcliffe appear to be hiding something. There's something sinister about the place, and the staff could very well be in on it. A hooded individual that's featured prominently in the trailer appears to be a key figure in the horrible goings-on at Brightcliffe, and their identity will doubtless be key to unlocking the mystery that's about to unfold.
The Midnight Club releases on October 7, 2022, on Netflix.
Source: Netflix/YouTube