During this year's Netflix Geeked Week, the streaming platform revealed a slew of new shows, films, animation, and game-based projects. One of the big teasers was for director Mike Flanagan's new show The Midnight Club, a series based on the Christopher Pike book of the same.
Releasing on October 7 this year, the initial teaser doesn't give audiences much to go on, but it does offer an intriguing glimpse into the spooky world of the show. With Flanagan's previous paranormal outings for the platform becoming a huge success, The Midnight Club is sure to be a treat for genre fans. With that being said, just how much is known about the show so far?
In May 2020, it was announced that the novel would be adapted into a series for Netflix with Mike Flanagan helming the project. Flanagan already has a great history of adaptation projects with his critically acclaimed series The Haunting of Hill House based on Shirley Jackson's novel of the same name and The Haunting of Bly Manor based on the novel The Turning of The Screw by Henry James. Flanagan has also previously directed the adaptation of Doctor Sleep, a sequel to The Shining based on the book of the same name, and has recently started production on his series adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of The House of Usher, also for Netflix. Watch the teaser below.
Throughout the mid-eighties, to the early 2000s, Christopher Pike was one of the most prominent authors in young adult horror fiction with over 50 books aimed and young adult audiences alone. He wrote prolifically, especially within the hit Point Horror series of books and one of those books was The Midnight Club, published in 1994.
In the story, a group of five young adults are living in a hospice, all terminally ill and all waiting to die. The group would meet at midnight and tell each other scary stories, and, one night, they made a pact. A pact that whoever died first would try and make contact from beyond the grave. When one of the group does die, strange events begin to happen around Rotterdam Home and The Midnight Club and the teens must face up to the reality of death and mortality.
From the brief teaser released during Geeked Week, the synopsis given suggests that the premise seems to remain largely the same as the book. Instead of five teens, there are eight, but they are still residing in Rotterdam Home, a hospice for terminally ill children and young adults. The teaser introduces each character as they recite the Midnight Club's motto in a toast around a large table, "To those before. To those after. To us now. And to those beyond. Seen or unseen. Here but not here."
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Viewers are shown the exterior of a large house at night before it transitions inside towards a large library where The Midnight Club is gathered. A character's digital watch strikes midnight as the camera goes to each in turn, lightning striking in the background and shadowy hands and figures appearing and disappearing. Who is the shadowy figure standing over the group? They are yet to be revealed, although it is likely to be a representation of the Grim Reaper, a constant presence in their lives, or possibly the enigmatic doctor running the facility.
The main cast comprises Adia, Igby Rigney (Midnight Mass), Ruth Codd (The Fall of The House of Usher), Aya Furukawa (The Baby-Sitters Club), Annarah Shephard (Midnight Mass), William Chris Sumpter (Power), and Sauriyan Sapkota (The Fall of The House of Usher) as the Midnight Club members, and horror royalty Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street) as the enigmatic doctor overseeing the care of the patients at Rotterdam Home. Zach Gilford, Matt Biedel, and Samantha Sloyan have also been revealed to have recurring roles.
Collaborating with Leah Fong in the creation of the series, Flanagan is also directing the first two episodes of the show. Further directors for the series have been announced, and the roster includes Axelle Carolyn (Creepshow, The Manor), Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour (Black Box, Born With It), Michael Fimognari (To All The Boys: P.S I Still Love You), Morgan Beggs (Once Upon a Time, Smallville), and Viet Nguyen (The Flash, iZombie). Reportedly, the show will feature several stories from Pike by using the storytelling group as a plot device, however, which stories are from the original text or from other Pike stories is yet to be confirmed.
While details are sparse, the teaser has certainly ignited plenty of excitement and intrigue from viewers. It also marks a departure of sorts for Flanagan by delving into young adult literature for inspiration. With Flanagan's previous projects as examples, it's safe to say that the project is in the right hands and promises both frights and poignancy.