We binged The Midnight Club in one sitting yesterday and here are five reasons why you should watch this horror-thriller-mystery series right away!
1. Set in the mid-1990s in a hospice for terminally ill teenagers in Washington state, The Midnight Club is a cozy, atmospheric, occasionally spooky show that is mostly a thriller-mystery-suspenseful ride rather than an out-and-out horror series. If you are expecting a re-do of the makers' previous series such as The Haunting of Hill House or Bly Manor or Midnight Mass, then you will be disappointed horror-wise. This show doesn't have that many scares at all and is more of a mystery, thriller type show.
The show follows a group of terminally ill teenagers, who are in residence at Brightcliffe Manor. These kids meet every midnight in the hospice's very well-appointed library and share ghost/ mystery stories in a bid to scare each other and also, to take their minds off their illnesses, aches, pains and impending death.
So, the show's format is a mix of a story-within-a-story as well as present day events about the manor's mysterious beginnings and also, about the cult that owned this property before it became a hospice.
2. One of the nicest things about The Midnight Club are the characters. We have eight teenagers- our protagonist- Ilonka, who was Stanford bound before she got diagnosed with terminal thyroid cancer. Then we have Kevin, Amesh, Natsuki, Cheri, Spencer, Anya and Sandra - each from different backgrounds, ethnicities and backstories. They're all so well etched out and we really get to know and bond with these characters throughout the series. While some of these characters start off being unlikeable and annoying, as we get to know them and understand the source of their pain, we grow to really like them. Always nice to have well written characters!
3. Each of the eight teens tells a story every night, so, apart from the present day events, we also have 7-8 stories ranging from a murder mystery to horror to sci-fi and so on. Each story is very different and the inclusion of these stories makes the show a lot more engaging. We have other events to be spooked by in these stories, which takes the pressure off having multiple scary events happening in the hospice.
4. The central mystery of the series is about the property and the house where this hospice is located. Ilonka, our protagonist, doesn't want to die. Whilst researching about this hospice, she comes across a news article about a teenager in 1968 called Julia Jayne, who'd come to this hospice to die but was miraculously cured. So, Ilonka gets obsessed with the history of the property where the hospice sits and finds out that in the 1940s, there was a wellness/ healing cult that owned this property, who had perfected a ritual for everlasting life and healing.
The present day events focus on Ilonka looking for more information on Julia Jayne and to find out how she healed in the hopes that Ilonka might also heal and get on with her life. So, this is a pretty interesting mystery in itself and, mixed together with the midnight story telling sessions, makes for a very compelling and interesting watch!
5. What I, surprisingly, liked the most was that even though the series was not very scary or horror-y (as I had gone in expecting), it gave me a moving, lovely series, which left me moved and in tears towards the end. We meet some lovely teens, get to see some very interesting stories and follow along on Ilonka's quest to unearth the mysteries of Julia Jayne and the house. Overall, multiple reasons to love the series and binge it immediately!
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