Are The Midnight Mass and The Midnight Club Connected? (& How)

Created by one of the best horror auteurs today, both Midnight Mass and The Midnight Club are beautifully done horror mystery-thrillers. Since Mike Flanagan is an auteur whose filming style is specific and saturated with chilling uniqueness, his use of mise-en-scène is widely recognized throughout many of his projects. The fact that Flanagan is also keen on working with a similar cast throughout his projects adds up to the overall confusion. Not only that, but both of the series are featured on Netflix, which leads up to an inevitable question; are The Midnight Mass and The Midnight Club somehow connected?

Midnight Club is not connected to Midnight Mass. Although both of the series are done by Mike Flanagan and share a similar cinematic style and title, Midnight Mass and The Midnight Club are not directly connected. The Midnight Club is not directly related to either Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House, or any of the auteur’s other works in a way that they could serve as each other’s sequels or prequels. But, Flanagan’s ultimate goal is to make all of his projects impossible to extricate from each other.

If you’re wondering about Mike Flanagan and his heavily existential, but exquisitely told stories, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’re going to cover all the details of this great auteur and his powerful tales.

The Midnight Club & The Midnight Mass; differences and similarities

Because Mike Flanagan is an auteur whose use of mise-en-scène never ceases to instill fear and veneration in the viewers, the fans often confuse his multiple projects to be directly connected. Throughout his movies and series, Flanagan is dabbling with immensely difficult concepts, such as emotional wounds, grief, and death – all while focusing on similar titles and cinematic styles.

As it has already been stated, you also shouldn’t get confused by similar castings throughout his projects; Flanagan is keen on working with the same actors in multiple projects. For example, we can see Kate Siegel (his wife!) in almost each and every one of his movies – the actress is known for collaborating with Flanagan. She appeared in Oculus (2013), Hush (2016), Gerald’s Game (2017), The Haunting of Hill House (2018), and The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020).

Apart from Kate Siegel, we can also see Zach Gilford, Samantha Sloyan, Matt Biedel, and Igby Rigney all appearing in both Midnight Mass and The Midnight Club. Though both of the shows also belong to Netflix, neither of their stories is related to the other. Plot-wise, both Midnight Mass and The Midnight Club are stand-alone shows, not directly connected to one another.

Besides both stories being saturated with grief, eerie scares, and the exploration of death, there are a few key differences. For example, the main difference is in the plot; while Midnight Mass depicts an isolated island community experiencing frightening omens due to the arrival of a mysterious priest, The Midnight Club is more focused on teenagers who are facing love and loss and is partially based on true events.

Since The Midnight Club is also targeting the younger audience more, Flanagan decided not to subject its viewers to eight-minute monologues, unlike he did in Midnight Mass.

Is Midnight Mass Connected to Flanagan’s Other Projects?

If you thought everything so far has been confusing, wait until you hear this.

According to IMDb, in Flanagan’s previous work, Gerald’s Game (2017), Jessie throws a book at the dog with the title “Midnight Mass“. “Midnight Mass” is also the name of the book Maddie was writing in Hush (2016). Whew!

Ed Flynn can also be seen reading Stephen King’s “Revival”…which Flanagan was once set to direct for the film. Not only that but in Riley’s room (also in Midnight Mass), some Christopher Pike books can be seen on a shelf. In case you need to be reminded, The Midnight Club was based on a Pike’s novel of the same name, making it a partially true story.

As you can see, Flanagan is not only keen on referencing his other works, but he also pays a form of respect to his peers, too. In Riley’s room, we can see various film posters on his bedroom wall – including “The X-Files“, “Scream (1996)“, and “Se7en“.

Still, we can’t say that the Midnight Mass, nor either of his other projects, including The Midnight Club, are directly connected in a way that they could serve as each other’s sequels or prequels.

Conclusion

Mike Flanagan is a widely respected horror auteur, known for instilling fear through impeccable mise-en-scène. His cinematic style is saturated with deep elements of grief and emotional wounds, all while dabbling in the heaviness of human existence.

While his filming style is recognized throughout many of his other works and projects, none of them are directly connected, at least not through the plot itself. The connection is generally made by focusing on the same dreadful concepts, and by interlocking the whole setting with the usual cast. All of his works are filled to the brim with Easter eggs just waiting to be noticed!

“It’s all becoming incredibly convoluted, really connected. That’s our goal. I want all of [these projects] to just be a big ball of rubber bands by the time we’re done, just impossible to extricate from each other.”

-Mike Flanagan, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly

From bone-chilling to hopeful and heartbreaking, Flanagan has it all. Whichever one of his series or movies you decide to watch, you won’t be disappointed!

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