I worked on this. And want to thank you for your thorough dissection. Mike and I are both refugees of Catholicism (Catholic gradeschool, highschool, both altar boys)...and it's incredibly meaningful to hear others relate to the subtleties - and shames - that come from that life. Your perspective (as a former priest) is incredibly illuminating. Thank you for watching. For relating and for sharing your experience.
There are many of us "refugees" and not just from the Catholic church. My background is evangelical - and I am so grateful to now have distance that allows me to utilize critical thinking and realize the dangers of the "message" I was preaching. Midnight Mass SO moved me. When she said, "I am that I am" - I felt complete exhilaration. Thank you.
It's great to see someone associated with the series in the comments section. I want to thank you people personally for the show. Although I am an Indian and was brought up in a liberal Hindu family, I could relate to the show to a great extent. So did my brother. Our parents are generous and selfless people and they both work in the medical sector. They're both victims of religious brainwashing and it has not only destroyed them, but it had destroyed our family, well beyond repair. I used to believe in God until I saw how selfless people like my parents are destroyed by self proclaimed religious gurus. I believe this film is more relevant than ever, especially in a country like India where extreme right-wing nationalism is on the rise, backed by an atmosphere of religious polarization. I've seen what blind faith can do to people- it can rob them of their financial stability, their sanity, their family and perhaps their rational faculty. The show hit home hard. Loved the long debates between Riley and Father Paul Hill. Loved Riley's explanation of death and his acceptance of people with opinions opposing his own. Loved the overall theme of abandoning binary thinking in favour of something that's more complex, nuanced and inclusive. Thank you for this thought provoking series. I hope you guys make many more. ❤
my blood would boil (pun intended) everytime Bev opened her mouth to twist scripture for her own good. Like Paul literally murdered a man and she's using scripture to justify it. She scared me more than the bloody vampire
As someone who grew up in an evangelical christian family, with a preacher for a father, I agree. But I also recognised her. I've known many Bevs in my life. Those so locked in their own self-righteousness and hypocrisy that they are beyond redemption.
@@jmboyd65 Truth. I've never met a vampire, but I've met more than a few people like Bev. It's the same reason that "bully" type villains always hit harder in audiences than grand and horrific ones do. I mean, in the Harry Potter fandom people very often reserve their most vitriolic hate for Delores Umbridge over Voldemort because no one has to deal with a Dark Lord in their life, but a petty bully who abuses their power? People deal with that a lot.
My favorite part of Bev Keene is that, just like in real life, she dies without ever understanding that she's the villain. So many stories redeem characters like her, but Mike Flanagan made sure she stayed a self righteous coward to the very end.
Spoiler alert As a Muslim I went in watching the show just as a horror story but man it impacted me so much. I cried at the end. Because it seemed so close to home for me. The racism by bev, the idea of few people interpreting religion in a extreme wrong way and the horror of humanity just broke me in tears. Last scene with the two Muslims dying with their own religion just left me in hiccups too which even I don’t know yet why it broke me more then anything else.
That scene with father and son facing the rising sun back in their faith really shook me. I grew up evangelical Christian & my boyfriend is Muslim. It was amazing all the way around. It’s been months and that show still haunts me.
As a parent I was kind of grateful that Sheriff Hassan died from his wounds before he'd had to watch his son burn. It felt like a mercy, and how screwed up isn't that?
Randy seems to be a guy. Muslim women aren't forced to wear hijab, the “Light” verse assumes everyone is already wearing a head covering (as they did at the time) and just tells girls to cover their breasts (the horror!) Muslim men are literally allowed to marry Christians. The Quran actually says you can strike your wife after she denies you again and again, without anything hard or actually painful. Plus, most Muslims being Sunni, they will follow the Prophet’s sunnah: Prophet Muhammad never beat a man, woman, nor child. Do not lie.
I was raised evangelical, and this show really messed with me. Bev pulling up scriptures to justify the atrocities that were going on was something that struck me. A line that really stuck with me was Riley's mother telling Bev that God does not love her any more than anyone else and that it angered Bev that God loved Riley just as much as he loved her. That one hit for me.
@@Ujuani68and that is the point. If you REALLY believe Jesus died for you and that God created you and wants the best for you, but that you have free will, then church is for YOU and you are loved just the same
Just like Walking Dead never says the word Zombie.
5 днів тому
Because the creators didn't want this word to be used. And I think that it serves the purpose. It's so possible for a priest with a hardcore faith, to see a creature that reacted to prayers, made him young again and so on, as an angel. In the Bible, but also in the Torah (if I'm not mistaken), angels are described quite well and they are nothing like what we, humans, created (to replace the horrifying images with something nicer to an eye).
It's not just Catholics who get this. My family are evangelical protestants. My father was a preacher. I watched this and had that feeling too. I felt this show on a really deep level. I could type a whole damn essay on the layers of symbolism, and the way the vampire myth was tied so perfectly into Christian doctrine.
I found the character of Father Paul to be ultimately far scarier than Bev - precisely because he was so likable. Bev was easy to reject, but Paul was the one who started it and led everyone as far as it went. Mike Flanagan has a really interesting way of hiding very deep conversations under a thin veneer of "horror". I look forward to whatever he does next.
Right? There's a reason cult leaders are usually charming men, they need to appeal to the people, not repeal them. If beverly had been alone with the community and the "angel", without Father Paul, she wouldn't have managed to convince them of anything. It was the charming, miraculous, soft spoken man they trusted and admired who drove everyone to the end. Hating on Bev is easy, seeing the selfishness and wrongdoings of Father Paul takes a step back. The audience itself gets charmed by him to the point that most only see his "noble intentions" but not what he has done with them.
So you couldn't accept that he was a good person struggling with what was right and what was wrong, just as everyone else does in life, and ultimately choosing what was right after a descent into weakness? What's not scary is that a good person is likeable. What's scary is that even a good person can do the wrong thing.
@jschap712 I agree with this. I wonder though if it's the even further descent into weakness that turns a good person like Pruitt into a bad person like Bev.
Good feedback. As a Muslim, I loved how they portrayed Hassan, and the final scene which was well done (the son on the left is leading the prayer, fajr prayer is done right before sunrise so perfect timing, the father died while prostrating which is the IDEAL Muslim death to draw nearest to God). Juxtaposed perfectly with Bev's terror in facing her own death. As for the whole Catholic bit, since IDK as much about all the rituals, it was neat to learn (like which color clothes--vestiments?--to wear during services). I also read the Bible this last year and noticed a lot of Biblical references, including I believe when Bev told the priest to get behind her (as if he's Satan). Then you have the "I am that I am" from Erin as she sort of shifts to a pan(en)theist, bridging her Christian with a more universal sort of spirituality she got from Riley. The priest was also a nuanced figure, and became much more relatable when you realized he wasn't just high on his priestly status and trying to be miraculous (you mentioned priests trying to be semi-divine and have God work through them all the time which is offputting to me). He acted out of love, and love is one of the highest human experiences and derives from God. So, even though he did some bad, he realized it in the end, and still was willing to be true to love, even if it meant shedding the whole priestly "attire." Granted, I found the parallels between the eucharist, vampirism, and cannibalism all very, very disturbing, and still was uneasy that so many people just embraced the demon "angel" when clearly it looked like an ominous, evil figure. Can't imagine anything holy from feasting literally on the flesh of screaming, terrified people, so it was still a bit odd that those in the end just sang the hymn and all was well o.O I feel like the best Christians were the ones who tried to escape the vampire, including Riley's mom who epitomized the faith (and Erin to a degree, although her faith seemed more nuanced).
As a muslim i agree too i also learnt that 'give so that your left hand doesnt know about what your right hand gave' (paraphrased) in terms of help and charity is mentioned in both Quran and the Bible didnt know that
To the oddity you find in them singing, part of the Father's sermon during ash Wednesday is "That's What It Means To Have Faith. That In The Darkness, In The Worst Of It, In The Absence Of Light And Hope, We Sing." There were many other lines alluding to this ending such as "the sun shines on the just and unjust alike"
It seems very intentional that the church is St. Patrick's, named after the saint of another island filled with snakes, and now associated just as much with heavy drinking. A second watch of the show has so many clever little things like that.
Well, the last name of the show's writer/director is Flanagan, which is an Irish name (although he is American) so yeah, the allusion might well be deliberate!
Came here because the show still haunts me emotionally. The final song of them singing by the beach is just the saddest but also the most beautiful thing. As someone who grew up being exposed to zero Christianity (or any institutional religion for that matter) this is legit an eye-opening experience. I can't determine whether the show is pro-Catholic or anti-Catholic because it's so multi-dimensional. In the end, despite all the horror, I think the ending was a resounding affirmation of humanity.
Agreed! I don’t think it’s pro or anti any religion, but the peace that came to all the characters (most of them 😅) showed that at the end of the day, we are just all trying to figure things out and do the right thing.
Erin's death made me think it's more a commentary against Christianity as her last monologue showed her surrender to a gnostic, antichrist gospel, especially with the blasphemous words, "I am that I am"!!!
@@justkenzie but Rileys death ended up being more of how Erin described death. Meeting the girl he killed as she forgave him and reached out her hand. When they had their death conversation, she specifically said how they want death to go speaking for themselves only. If either of their experiences were the correct one, you'd think BOTH of them would experience it the same way.
This comment goes for me as well. I'd only add the part that scared me the most. It wasn't the supernatural horror stuff. It was the scene when all these people in the church started willingly drinking the poison. That just freaked me out.
I loved Midnight Mass mainly from a writing/filmmaking POV, especially as a horror dweeb. It was really neat to hear your perspective since the setting of a small, insular, traditional Catholic community felt totally foreign to me (a secular Jew from the large diverse city of Toronto). A lot of the show's themes did resonate really deeply for me, though; trauma, self-destructive guilt/shame, feeling desperate for answers, seeking atonement, etc... Those types of feelings and experiences are universal and completely secular, which IMO is a big part of what makes the writing so impactful for (ex-)Catholics and non (ex-)Catholics alike! Also, I really appreciated how nuanced it was in its approach to religion. Like if Flanagan wasn't such a great writer this could have gone off the rails into annoying "ALL RELIGION BAD!!!" edgy atheist mode, but even though he clearly didn't make this as a glowing endorsement of the Catholic church, there were still examples of faith being a legitimately positive force in some of the characters' lives; Liza's devoutness is what led her forgive Joe Collie, which was a profoundly healing thing for both of them (even though Joe's redemption arc didn't end well for him, poor dude). Hassan said he wasn't all that religious growing up, but he eventually embraced Islam both as a way to honour the memory of his late wife, and to connect with his heritage in the face of all the racist bullshit he was subjected to in NYC. Erin's views on what happens after death seemed like a really healthy, constructive way for a spiritual person to cope with grief. Even the Monsignor was almost more of a tragic hero than a villain, since he genuinely believed that he was doing the right thing and saving the town, even though he ended up royally fucking everything up. Anyways, sorry for the rambling comment lol. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on this awesome show - I'm really glad to have found your channel, definitely stoked to watch more of the stuff you've posted about your experiences as an ex-priest!
Isn't it funny that ones own boring reality can be interesting, baffling or even exotic to others? For me seeing the Catholic aspects of this show was like being plunged into my past without missing a beat (although I haven't been part of that world for decades). It was unsettlingly familiar. But to you it was foreign. Weird. But as you noted, the real meat of the story was a generally human one. Good show.
I found Father Paul an immensely compelling character. I was very worried at the start that he'd be portrayed as the villain, and was happy it was a lot more complex than that. Like most people he is struggling to make sense of the world around him and what happened. The discussions at the AA meetings were highlights for me. Flanagan is generally very good at creating genuine feeling characters (even if they are awful people). I highly recommend his other work too (Hill House & Bly Manor of course), his films Hush and Ouija: Origin of Evil (Ouija was terrible, but this prequel was actually really good. Especially in comparison). I was not raised religiously, but faith and religion has always had a fascination for me. The idea of a higher being (or higher beings, plural) with expectations and a plan for us? Terrifying, if I'm being honest (Not because I'm a sinner, though that wouldn't help). I never understood how people found the thought comforting. I prefer the nihilistic implications of my skeptical agnosticism, thanks.
Erin's BRILLIANT monologue in the last episode is the most beautiful expression of my agnosticism/atheism I've ever seen or heard. I try to describe my belief in an 'always', but no one knows what I mean. I listened to her and thought, "THAT'S WHAT I MEAN!"
I was raised in a pentacostal family and found this haunting as well. Father Paul was so compelling and felt real. I loved that his motivations and cognitive dissonance make sense. He's not "bad." He's flawed and mistaken while trying to be good, and that is frightening on a whole different level. Also, Riley being a skeptical atheist and not portrayed as an asshole who ruins everything made my heart happy.
I’ve loved watching people react to this series. I grew up in the church but being gay didn’t exactly endear me to many. I was forced into a, what are they calling it now, pray away the gay group. Conversation therapy. I left after 3 guys in the group committed suicide and chose that way out for myself, but realized before the act that I was a fool for trying to be what I wasn’t. I left seminary, came out, and never looked back. Then AIDS crisis hit and religious people were the absolute worst to us. I saw elements of this show play out on a national scale. Similar to what is happening now. Crisis really exposes people. Your reaction was wonderful and insightful. Thank you.
Gosh… I would love to hear more of your story. That topic of conversion therapy is starting to gain traction again… damn… I’m happy that you made it through all that… 😞
@@iamjudasproject we have a few things in common except my seminary was southern Baptist, or frothing Baptist as I like to call it. I’m a wee (lot) bit older than you are. When I came out, they put people like us in asylums if you were lucky. The whole conversation therapy thing was pretty new. I had only been out a year or so when people started calling GRD, AIDs. I’m a little damaged from those experiences. I consider myself very lucky and more than fortunate to have found the love of my life. Sadly he died about 10 years ago. Rough seas my friend, rough seas. Those calm patches were glorious tho. The trick is, for me at least, learning to whistle in the storm. I’d love to talk to you more. Right now I’m very isolated living with my very kind father. Very few gay people out here though.
i just finished the show and experienced so much catharsis. i was so angry and sad and emotional to see my mother onscreen and to see my religious abuse shown so graphically. i am an atheist who grew up very evangelical christian fundamentalist. i was taught that my gayness was a sin and would send me to hell and that my gender was strictly "how God made me". I tried to kill myself. i prayed for death nightly. my pastors and youth leaders would assure me always that i was within God's plan and i strived to be whatever they and my mother wanted me to be. I didn't allow myself to feel attraction or emotions other than guilt. and my mother justified all of her frequent abuse with words from scripture. i have been told many times that i am possessed and am told all the more now that i am out of the church, on testosterone, and with the woman of my dreams. my mother and bev keane are cut from the same cloth. and this show has me reeling, but i needed it.
Well, I can relate to some elements of your story… thank you for sharing that. I too felt deeply what was happening in the series - it’s a rare experience to have something hit home so hard. It’s hard to find peace in our lives externally… life always crashes up against us. Interior peace is only possible: knowing that we are where we should be for this moment. I hope that you do well. Being open is a huge step. Thanks for making your comment. I hope to hear from you again!! ❤️
"That scene" in the church where there is all the chaos reminded me so much of the audio recordings of Jim Jones and his People's Temple as they "drank the kool-aid"(spoiler - it was actually Flavor-Aid). If you haven't watched it there are some amazing documentaries out there on the subject, which is by and large forgotten by the public today despite how batshit insane it was at the time. I´m sure the show runners used it as a reference.
@@fxbear They were Communist. Not pointless, they literally had permission to move their communion to a Communist country and had a direct line to the Soviet Union.
The entire scene I was screaming at the screen, “Don’t you people know about Heavens Gate?!! Jim Jones?!! Auuugh” But then again neither of those groups actually witnessed a resurrection or had a real life angel at the altar. Pretty compelling reason to drink rat poison.
very interesting to hear your take on this. I thought Father Paul was one of the best written characters I have seen in a very long time, and I found him absolutely terrifying. I grew up culturally catholic (I am Italian) so I definitely got all the references, but I don't believe this story is specifically about catholicism. it's about the dangers of fundamentalism and of cultish behaviours more than anything. Father Paul was so scary to me because he actually genuinely believed in what he was preaching. A Bev Keane we can all immediately recognise as evil, but someone like him? preaching with such conviction and unknowingly bringing everyone down with him on the path to destruction? absolutely terrifying.
Paul aka John Pruitt was the scariest one for sure. He was this kind, soft-spoken, Mr. Roger-esque kind of man, and used the you can catch more flies with honey approach. However, as the series goes on, you see this other side of him, when he yells, becomes increasingly unhinged as he completes his transformation into a vampire, and continues along his path of destruction missing the most obvious signs that what he was doing was wrong. And the most terrifying part of all is that he truly did believe everything he was saying and doing, was completely blinded by faith. He was the reason the entire tragedy happened yet he wasn't evil or bad, he was very complex.
We had a few bev’s at our parish. Just watching her, her speech, and her mannerism, really irritated me. There’s something about the traditional churches that attract these self righteous people. And like you Francis, I too sang along to the many hymns and the Neil Diamond. Perhaps we would have been served better, had we had Neil Diamond in the choir loft ;)
I was raised in a small catholic community, as teen my interest in my mother's jewish roots grew and I decided to stop going to mass and taking communion because I thought it would be disrespectful to keep doing it while I was so confused about religion, man our sunday family dinners got hella awkward after that, I have an aunt just like Bev and she just couldn't stop herself from turning me into the elephant in the room.
Omg. That sounds horrible. I really like the idea of eating as a family… but dang we’re they awkward. Good for you, btw, Not wanting to fake it no matter how many Bevs there are. Lmao
So when young father "Paul" told Riley that God can take your bad actions and turn them into something good, he did. God had a plan... Let me explain; If Riley didn't go to jail and then return to the island to complete his probation, then he would have never been able to let Erin know about the evil plot that was about to take over the island. Also, Erin had an emotionally traumatic childhood, where she remembers the clipping of the birds wings. But later she clips the wings of the "angel" so that it never makes it to the mainland. So both of their pain and suffering was a path to redemption. Gods plan was to bring them to that exact moment in time where they were both in a state of grace. (And this is coming from an atheist)
I'd this thinking too. I thought was brilliant that was the "sinners" who where the purer ones and the enlightened Beth was digging her head in the sand in the end
Sounds like the Futurama god episode : “when you do things right, people won’t be sure you did anything at all” that sums up my actual religious beliefs
i have seen for the first time an English series showing Muslims correctly and authentically. the climax was so good to see his dad and his son died while praying and i teared on it very much because for us Muslims it's most honored death ever. Alhamdulillah
I absolutely LOVED this show. As a former forced-christian it did a great job highlighting the evil that lurks in churches and "holy people" disguised as good. I adored Erins "what happens when we die" monologue. It was beautiful and touched me on a different level. Hassan and Ali at the end doing their morning prayers was tragically beautiful. It made me so sad that they were innocent victims dragged into the cults psychotic happenings. They deserved better, but its also true to life. How plenty of innocent people fall victim to the church. Great video on your perspective! I havent been to this channel before, but I liked it a lot.
Thank you. As a formerly very religious person, this helped me see a little bit more clearly some of what I was feeling. The pressure to spiritualize EVERYTHING all the time and the way that, even with the best of intentions, this can alienate us from our humanity. It felt like Father Paul really wanted to genuinely befriend Riley, but at every point where he could have been vulnerable and just tried to connect with Riley, it felt like he would make a sharp course correction back to religious language.
It would have been so easy for this show to trash and mock and demonize religion, and as a currently practicing Christian, that made me weary. But it blew me away with its ability to distinctly show the difference between good and bad Catholics, righteous and self righteous Christians. At the end of the day, Mike Flanagan managed to give us a show that warned us of the dangers of religious justifications while displaying how good and well intended religion can be when it’s followed as God intended. What a dang masterpiece.
Mike Flanagan (show creator) is by far my all time favorite horror movie/show creators, I would highly reccomend looking into his other work. "the haunting of hill house" is another incredible horror show on netflix, i would highly reccomend watching, youll definitly be hooked after the first episode
I agree with you about Mr. Flanagan as a film maker, but I did not start out as a fan. The first thing I saw of his was Hush, which I thought was promising, but nothing to make me state he was the future of horror. Based on that I gave The Haunting of Hill House a try, since I like the book so much, and the original movie adaptation The Haunting (from 1963 - NOT the god-awful remake from 1999!) and, while a good horror series I was so very disappointed that it strayed from the book so much it didn't resemble the novel at all. All he did was use the first and last line of the novel - and even then he changed the wording! Why call it something 'based on' and destroy the entire inner workings of the original novel? So I avoided watching anything else by him - Including his 'new' (at the time) Bly Manor. I refused to. But then, I heard about this new series on Netflix called Midnight Mass that was getting rave reviews. I saw Mr. Flanagan was at the helm and said 'meh' at the time. But then I decided to take a 'leap of faith' :-D because of the continued good things I heard and the fact I love vampires (yes, that was spoiled for me before I watched it). I was absolutely blown away by the show, easily my favorite Netflix show - by far. So I went back and gave Bly Manor a try and I was so surprised how good it was. While another 'loosely based on' adaptation this time of Henry James' Turn of the Screw I was so happy he at least stuck with the basic premise of the two 'haunted' children, and even with the addition of so many characters not in the novel it worked. So now, I will look forward to his Fall of the House of Usher, and see how he handles Poe, and continue to shout out my praises for Midnight Mass to anyone who will listen (much like religion! hahaha) Final thought, Midnight Mass gets an enthusiastic 10 in my 'book'! :-D
@@cdolan13 you should really give the haunting of hill house another try. I’ve never read the book so I can’t speak on how accurate it is, but if you look at it as it’s own separate piece of work I think you can really appreciate it. It’s a fantastically well written story, that manages to keep you hooked throughout. I really liked how they set up the show by basically starting with the beginning and the end, and then slowly filling in the middle as the series progressed. Good drama, good acting, and a dope ass plot line
@@bigmozzarella9670 I understand, it's not like it wasn't a good show, I'm not saying that at all. I just was disappointed because I was thinking it would follow the book more closely: a house that has stood abandoned for decades and a paranormal investigator hires three people to stay the weekend at the house to uncover whether or not ghosts exist. What I got was family drama. Again, not saying it wasn't done well, which it was, I was just roped in on the premise it would be a closer adaptation, so was disappointed in the end - especially with Mr. Flanagan using the most quoted line in the book at the end, which ended up not making sense - if you've read the book. He's still a good filmmaker, I just won't watch Hill House again. Sorry. But I do appreciate your argument.
This show was absolutely incredible. Former Roman Catholic, most of my family is still practicing. Like you said, loved the nuances of the show that would be missed if you didn’t have that Catholic exposure in life. I found myself singing along with some of the hymns surprised I still remembered the words. Definitely want to dive into this show again, just giving it some months between viewing
I was raised Catholic in Cuba when Catholicism was somewhat outlawed. That meant that when I was allowed to actually go to church, I had not been thru confirmation and communion. I took the classes but because I was leaving the country, all of my friends ended up finishing them, except me and I sat every time communion came around. That part in the show felt visceral to me, because the rest of the church didn’t know why I was sitting still, why everyone in my family participated in communion and I didn’t. The whole show is so well done, I love that the priest was trying his best to rationalize the trauma he suffered and in the process, hurt everyone in his town. I love Riley and Erin (they could had been the same character in a lot of ways, because they were the compass and grounding rod) I love their death conversation because I’ve had that same conversation before with people I love when grieving. I loved the sheriff and how desperately he tried to both blend in and have a normal life as an unwelcome outsider (I am an immigrant, brown skinned in a very small town) I am not going to say I loved the Bev character because she is absolutely the worst person, but I felt we have always seen people that wield religious rhetoric as a weapon to feel superior. Anyway, this is an amazing show. Worth the rewatch, specially if organized religion has been a part of your life.
Theres another great "priest becomes vampire" movie called Thirst from Korea that does a nice job of address similar themes but on a more individualized level than how a community is affected. With so many vampire stories having a level of eroticism, there is more a questioning of purity and repressed sexuality rather than faith.
Thank you for sharing this. I’m still a practicing Catholic (music minister), and I note there’s a lot of former Catholics here. I loved this series, preparing myself to watch it again. Some brilliant monologues, and I love the depth of characters and fragility of all of the characters. I guarantee you some of my staunch Catholic brothers and sisters would find this movie blasphemous, but I’m nowhere near that camp. Thank you for your commentary on this series, I truly enjoyed it
I think any Catholic (former or current) would have to admit the Church has already been guided by evil at times. Every nation and every faith has had someone take advantage of it and warp its purpose. I think we're very much living in a time like the island and if we all don't wake up and stop agreeing that it's ok to harm each other we'll all be watching the final sun set together.
Oh snap, do you play the organ?! I love the church music ministers, you guys are amazing! I go to church mostly to listen to the music and to get to sing 💕
No, I'm a guitar player and singer. Been doing music in church since 4th grade and I have a pretty successful UA-cam channel where I demo some of the commonly used songs and psalms. I can fake my way through piano charts but a truly gifted organ player is wonderful to listen to. I play guitar, but I appreciate all kinds of music including organ and chant@@KatieLHall-fy1hw
Bruh I’m not even Catholic (I was raised evangelical Christian) and I was singing a long with those hymns…Not even sure why I know them. What I love so much about Midnight Mass is that it comes from a place of such sincerity and understanding. It definitely shows the horrors of overzealous fundamentalism, but also conversely the beauty in piety, or at least the beauty to be found in sincere faith of any kind. It doesn’t squash the truth in humanity’s need for faith in something, and that must have been tough to write. Because the religious horror in this runs so deep and is so spot on, and anyone with religious trauma of any kind has known someone like Bev Keane at some point in their lives. She was the real monster.*shudders*
Im glad you picked up on the dichotomy presented in the series. It is dishonest for those who say it is “against religion.” Thanks for the comment!! ❤️
First off, I am SOOO glad I stumbled upon your channel...here's why: I discovered Midnight Mass from a fellow filmmaker's recommendation, so unlike you, I went into it looking at things like; the writing, cinematography, acting, etc. What my fellow filmmaker friend did not know about me is; I was born and raised Catholic and even went to Catholic School for 9 years. Catholicism was actually a HUGE part of my upbringing...and I can tell ya (as you already noted in your video); My oh my, Mike Flanagan (the writer & director of the series) NAILED the characters! ANY life-long Catholic knows a Bev, a Joe Colly, a Reilly....ALL of the Characters are super relatable. As of late (over the past 3 years or so), I have essentially lost my faith...and in doing so, I'm super glad I came across your channel, and realizing I wasn't the only one who was so deeply affected by this series.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and reaction to this fantastic series. I put off watching it for a long time because I thought it would disturb me, and OH BOY was I right! But not about the nature of the disturbance. For context, I grew up in an evangelical church. I drifted away after I went to college and wasn't really any flavor of religion until I met my (now ex) husband. He was Catholic, and I converted before our marriage. And while it was strange to me for a long time, I found some comfort in the rituals. Now I'm back to non-religious. Some congregations have a Monsignor Pruitt/Father Paul, but every congregation I've ever seen has a Bev. I had more sympathy for the priest, though, because **SPOILERS** Before he met the "angel," he was suffering from dementia. And he was right about the Bible saying that every human visited by angels was afraid - some of the biblical descriptions of angels are terrifying. Also, it took some time before the "communion" worked on him. While his body became young, I think he still carried that dementia-addled interpretation of what the creature actually was. And even when it became clear that he had given in to something evil, he still had hope to temper it, e.g. the meeting with Riley and keeping the doors of the church locked until he could explain to the congregation what had happened to them. BUT he corrupted his faith, the ideals of communion, and led his flock down the same path. Bev was already corrupt and merely found the perfect outlet for her bile. This Flanagan series is second only to The Fall of the House of Usher in my opinion. And Usher only barely edges out MM because of how much I love Poe. MM is masterfully told and full of some truly moving and powerful scenes (the scene with Leeza and Joe Collie, for example).
I was raised religious (liberal Protestant), so was very familiar with the Bible which I read twice because I read everything I could get my hands on. When I was 16, I met a girl who asked me out which thrilled me because I was the classic awkward nerd who never got a date. It turns out she was a very far-right Evangelical who thought my fantasy books (like Lord of the Rings) were vessels of evil that Satan used to lure people away from God. My insecurity led me to overlook all of this (and there were many more red flags) because I thought how would I ever find another woman interested in me. That went on for a few years (and with marriage + two kids) before I realized that I definitely wasn't happy and needed to get out. We got divorced. Anyway, while I had drifted into agnosticism, I was very fascinated by religion. I've read a lot of books on the history of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. What interested me was less the dogma than what people did in the name of their faith. I've also read a lot about cults. Again, my interest was more in what sorts of people joined cults and how they rationalized the cult's teachings. One of my favorite things about Midnight Mass (and it's become one of the best things I've watched in the last couple of years) is how respectful it was of Catholicism. It would have been very easy for Mike Flanagan to say, "See how bad religion is!" but he didn't. It wasn't religion that was the problem. It was the people. As I said, I'm agnostic, but I don't look down on people who have faith. I know lots of very good people who believe in a religion. On the other hand, I've met a lot of not-so-good people who are fervent believers. I know very nice atheists and not some not-so-nice atheists. It's rarely the beliefs that are the problem; it's the people.
Because Flanagan was Catholic, he did a good job representing that religion as well as respecting it. I appreciate your perspective on other people’s beliefs. ❤️
As an ex Jehovahs Witness I found this series to be so much scarier. JW's are far more cult like than even the Catholics. Episode 6 was the most frightening thing I've ever seen, due to my religious upbringing.
I was a Christian before reversion to Islam. I can feel what Shariff is going through. This is really an excellent series that I highly recommend. Builds up very slowly fleshing out the key characters properly before/as things starts unraveling.
This show was a complete mockery of Catholicism. No other belief system would be portrayed with such degradation and mockery. How can you take Catholicism's most sacred ritual and subject it to such ridicule. It is fitting that you call yourself Judas.
Sorry you had a bad experience as a Catholic. Your talk of being ostracized for not going to communion shouldn’t have been an experience for you. I’ve been a Catholic for 34 years. Won’t ever stop because of graces it brings. I never had that negativity in the Catholic Church, lots of people don’t go to Communion for various reasons and it does NOT absolutely NOT mean anything is wrong with you!!! Fasting, sickness, disease, etc. Going to Communion is a great gift given to us by God Himself (eat my body drink my blood). Maybe you should stop assuming your experience is the case with all Catholics because I assure you, you are the minority I hope one day you return to the Catholic Faith as I can’t imagine living without it!!
I am late to the party but one interesting I heard a Muslim say which is the drunk kept calling the Sheriff, Sharif. You would see it spelled that way in the subtitles. And Sharif means “Noble” in Arabic.
When Communion becomes a 'show' and people are pressured into it even if they know/feel they shouldn't, then the meaning is lost and it becomes 'social pressure'. Sure, it would be great if EVERYONE was in a state of grace and worthy of receiving communion, but not everyone is all the time. People shouldn't be driven to false or hypocritical outward shows of faith just to appease or fit in with "Man". I saw parts of this in the Presbyterian Church I went to growing up, and which I eventually left for a less pretentious and more down to earth variation of Protestantism where the focus is on the message and not the outward ritualistic displays.
I grew up Protestant in a tiny community with a lot of churches but only one Catholic Church. Everyone who went to the Catholic Church were known as the Catholic kids at school. They were a mood. It’s kind of helpful to understand a bit more of their perspective. There can be shaming in Protestant churches, but you actually do tend to have much more privacy. You can make public declarations of faith, but the absence of them does not mean anything. Skipping communion is almost totally unnoticeable and is a totally private affair-it might not even mean you sinned. It could just mean you aren’t in a good frame of mind. That public sign post is so much pressure.
I grew up with a very religious parent, and a very atheist parent. I consider myself an atheist, but I’m comfortable having conversations about religion, faith and others beliefs. This series had so many important conversations on God and death, and what faith is to everyone, including atheists. I still can’t stop thinking about it. Thanks for your two cents too, I love hearing peoples different perspectives on the show.
Bev was definitely a horrible character who was portrayed well. As for movie recommendations, not sure if you've seen this German one titled in English "Stations of the Cross". I watched it once and the ending was disturbing. Had an uncomfortable feeling for days.
Really appreciate your unique perspective. "Haunting nostalgia" is a perfect description. As an ex-Catholic , I felt the same way. The familiar ceremony and tradition was comforting yet not. And then with the death monologue at the end, juxtaposed with the Catholic view of death and suffering, it fully expressed my current belief about death. I had never considered how well the vampire myth fit with the language of the Mass. The belief that we are truly eating flesh and drinking blood is so disturbing. Flanagan is brilliant!
Thank you for your views on Midnight Mass, very interesting. I finished watching the series a few days ago and it has stayed with me, it is literally haunting me. I was raised a catholic and attended convent schools, and even though now I’m an agnostic, I still can’t shake the belief that Catholicism is the only ‘true’ religion, it shows what indoctrination can do to you. I did find the various concepts of death described in the series fascinating and moving.
You were not indoctrinated. You were told the truth and that's the reason why you still can't shake it off. Truth is truth no matter how much you fight it. Please return to the church and give your life to Jesus. He wants you to be saved..
The congregation seemed more Evangelical Protestant than Roman Catholic to me, but that may be because I am more used to city and suburban parishes in the Northeast of the U.S. Although some may say that a particular relgion is the only truth, I just finished Pope Benedict' book, "Many Religions-One Covenant." In it, he says, "What we need, however, is respect for the beliefs of others and the readiness to look for truth in what strikes us as strange or foreign; for such truth can correct us and lead us farther along the path." (pg. 110). I think that Pope Francis has said something similar about God permitting many religions. They are two Popes, who differ in many ways, saying a similar thing. By the way, I am a practicing Catholic who attends Mass weekly when Covid allows.
I know I'm two years late to this video, but I thought Midnight Mass was great and remember it vividly. One thing that stuck me when watching it was the use of the song Ye Sons and Daughters, I think in the episode where Father Paul rose from the dead. I sing in a church choir, so my first reaction was, "You can't sing that before Easter! 'Alleluia' is right out from Ash Wednesday until Easter!" (I think that episode was Good Friday). But of course the music was drawing the parallel between the way the community reacted to Father Paul's resurrection and the days following Jesus' resurrection. I don't know if part of the point was also to point out that just as this modern-day "miracle" was being misunderstood by the community and seeming to begin to spawn a rather horrifying offshoot of Catholicism, so might Jesus' disciples and the community of that time misunderstood and misinterpreted Jesus' resurrection and put their own misguided direction on the early church. But the use of the song definitely pushed my thoughts in that direction. Ye sons and daughters, let us sing! The King of heav’n, the glorious King, O’er death today rose triumphing. Alleluia! Alleluia! and (skipping a bunch of verses) That night the apostles met in fear; Amidst them came their Lord most dear, And said, “My peace be on all here.” Alleluia! Alleluia!
Im an immense Flanagan fan and this isbone of my faves. The catholic experience is always there with his productions but, as a Catholic raised girly myself, it was CHILLING to see faith going this far
As a convert to Catholicism (and now a “Trad” Catholic) I found MM to be almost fanatically hyperbolic (it’s horror I know) and completely confused about what type of Catholicism it’s trying to critique. The majority of the time it feels like we’re watching Catholic characters written by charismatics. Since I came from Mormonism the portrayal of the type of social contagion that “can” spread in isolated communities was very familiar to my former experience; yet completely alien to my “trad” Catholic experience. Example; nobody at my traditional Parish has ever asked why I didn’t receive communion. However if I attend a Novus Ordo liturgy and don’t receive, and don’t participate in the “sign of peace” people absolutely approach me afterwards, so to me the critique falls flat (unless it’s critiquing post V2 liturgy & culture and isn’t self aware enough to realize it). Ultimately whether or not you believe in “the fall”, or God; man as a social creature is vulnerable to social and biological contagion. To borrow the Gnostic worldview, there’s no escaping this “prison of the flesh” except in death (if you’re Gnostic) or in Christ, if Catholic. I pray the Truth & Life finds you again father. God Bless 🙏🏻
I'm a Catholic and it's sad to say there are real Bev Keene I have encountered in my life and I was really young when I started noticing these things. As I slowly grew up I made sure to stay as far away from them as possible. These kind of people really is a turn off for Catholic. When I was younger, I have experienced praying at 3:00pm and 6:00pm daily with my family. I miss doing these because I still remember I feel at peace - I can't really explain it. I can't fault people for my religion is not perfect because of the different understanding and interpretation of each individual. I may not be a devout Catholic but I will never change my religion for my prayers and my faith have saved me numerous times I would even consider it a miracle. Anyways I miss going to mass because of COVID. 🙏 Thank you for your review I didn't mean to rant but just like you the show resonated with me because the set up of the church and the community is so spot on. Oh, and I love horror films.
I am raised Jehovah's witnesses and I just had PTSD watching this... People will never understand that this could be what's happening in the organization but without out the vampire... Well I truly hope there is non🤦🏾♂️
I finished watching the series yesterday and I was freaked out like you. I grew up catholic, went to catholic school but I stop practicing when I was 18. I am now 36 and even tho I have not set foot in a catholic church for more than a decade I found myself reciting the prayers along with the show. That scared me more than the monster. They did a fantastic job recreating mass.
So as a former Catholic Priest, can you answer me this question that has been on my mind for decades? If Alcoholics are addicted to alcohol, are Catholics addicted to cats?
Thank you for your perspective! I (Italian) watched it with my American bf; we're both atheist now, but unlike him, I grew up Catholic in a Catholic country. The accuracy of this series was uncanny for me - extremely boring for him in the early episodes. I loved Bev character: her unbreakable conviction that everything makes sense according to the Bible is so realistic! It feels like being part of a Nostradamus-worshipping cult. I also found myself having to explain to my bf the meaning of sitting during Communion, or why there were no nuns.
I felt the same… I was explaining a lot in the beginning. Many people that I know, who weren’t very Catholic before, found the series extremely slow and boring in the beginning. From my perspective, I thought it was perfect in its timing.
Bev was super jealous of Father Paul so much so that she killed him by poisoning him with the water and food. I'm sure she justified it somehow with scripture LMAO. You could see it on her face during the first miracle. She was seething.
She didn't poison or kill him...he died because he was becoming a vampire. It's a huge part of vampire lore. Vampires are undead...to fully transform into a vampire, you have to die first. Paul died because he had consumed so much vampire blood that he finally turned into one, and it further cemented his belief that he had come upon the power of resurrection like it was described in the Bible. All the townspeople who turn into vampires die when they drink at the Easter midnight mass, and of course Riley dies a particularly gruesome death after the "angel" attacks him, gets his neck broken, and is "resurrected" as a vampire. Also Bev wasn't jealous of Father Paul, he was the only person she actually liked and she was devoted to him until the end when he tried to stop her because he finally realized the madness that he had inflicted upon the town.
Dude! Yes. All of the yes. I'll supply that the likening of Jesus to a vampire is bloody (haha) genius. Eat my body, drink my blood, become eternal. Where is the difference, really? Where is it? "All who have seen angels are at first afraid." Why though? Why would we need to be told not to be scared of something holy, something here to help us? Everything throughout the series was so relatable--so on point. I believe in God. I even taught Sunday School in my teens. But I've never, not once, felt comfortable at church. The look Bev continues to give is exactly what I saw on everyone's face: Dead eyes and a plastic smile. Just to add to my oversharing... When my mom died suddenly, a church counselor had the gall to tell my father that it was his fault. That his faith wasn't strong enough to protect her. It almost killed him too. And that sound, the off kilter violin... I heard it. I can't explain how, but I've heard that piece of noise my entire life, infact, when I know something is bone deep wrong. That ending mass where certain characters realize that the message is in all reality terrifying was excellent in its execution. Looking around, searching for the confirmation on someone, anyone's, face as you try to contain your horror because something here is not right... Woof. So relatable. Loved your review! Thank you. 😊
I love hearing this perspective on a religious horror series, especially how little mundane things that do happen in normal churches are emphasized just enough to turn it into paranoia, horror, etc. Like the communion thing, you just hit the nail on the head right there.
Whoever experienced the incredible sense of constant guilt that roman catholicism ingrains in you will find that this show effectively reveals the horrifying mystery of faith of this religion: communion/cannibalism.
I think most viewers were seething with frustration at the woman who represented religious fervor at its most mindless and destructive. I know I was. I wanted to reach through the screen and knock her unconscious before she could poison anyone else. I'm happy that so many shows and movies are exposing this madness, albeit in fictional form, just as I'm happy that so much gay representation in entertainment is shifting people's attitudes and beliefs. I do sometimes wonder how long it's going to take for the human race to grow up, though. I'm sorry they tried to twist you out of shape and make you hate yourself, but I'm happy that you didn't let them do it and that you escaped from it all. I'm sure your videos will add to the pool of experience which other victims of religion can draw on to help them do the same as you, even if there might be emotional bruising that has to be dealt with afterwards.
Bev was a kind of Renfield character to Father Paul. She just put ones teeth on edge. She has such a need to have importance and a place of power on her ant hill island. Father Paul is a devastating character. He's a speaker of great charisma. His very intonation is stunning. There is a certain theater involved in keeping a congregation...'coming back'. It was riveting listening to him. I would have been affected at a certain point in my life. Why, even as I listened now to this actor, I could feel the current. Great job!
All the above from a graduate in Study of Religions UCLA. Father Paul crossed the line from Shepard into cult leader. Fascinating series...weirdly touching ending. I was bought up in a Catholic orphanage. Cardinal Mc Klosys in White Plains NY. No complaints. It was just my strange little world : > No longer practicing in that way, but thankful I landed there for a time.
you talked right upfront about how you found yourself singing the Hymm along with everyone there....i loved how they used hymns as an almost juxtpoposition to what was happening...When you listen to a lot of the word and sentiment in hymns there is rarely "doctrine" but instead "longing" almost a longing for understanding...The version of "Were you there" just had me in tears....it was an amazing show, and i cant wait for the next Netflix show he is doing...Fall of the House of Usher
Thank you for your perspective! I was raised Catholic and have since departed from the faith with a perspective I found kindred to Riley’s character. I loved watching it and seeing familiar elements, but feel as if on a broader scale, it’s universally relatable in the vein of fanaticism. Characters like Bev are so disgusting because they represent the far end of any belief structure; blindly manipulating scripture to fit their own agenda. I appreciated Sheriff Hassan’s perspective as someone who had also read the Bible, understood it, peacefully chose to separate his religion from actions relating to educating and governing the people of the island, and then was still treated with such hate for standing up to the fanatic faction. (Spoiler ahead) I saw the monster as a personified version of fanaticism. It’s covert. It is insidious. And by the time it has gone too far, everyone has been victimized by the evil or become the source of the evil itself. Even the ambiguous ending with the “Angel” flying off into the night was telling. Fanaticism is never really gone. It doesn’t die. It may lose power, but it will rise again under the right circumstances.
As an ex-Catholic (now atheist) who has family in a very progressive congregation and whose father went through the seminary during a really revolutionary time (I grew up learning about primacy of conscience) this show tapped into some really visceral things for me. My parents current church isn’t the church I grew up in. The woman who led my confirmation group was a Bev. I knew I was gay from an early age and my archdiocesan youth group leader told me love the sinner and hate the sin when I asked him about the church’s stance. Midnight Mass shows that faith can move people to acts of amazing humanity and grotesque horror, and in it the latter is more common than the former (a thing which to me appears to be more true than its mirror). Anyway, thank you for this video. I’m glad I found your channel.
Dang. I’m sure we have had similar experiences in our pasts. I’m happy that you found my channel too. This series has really stuck with some people… and Im happy that I was able to watch it. I hope to hear from you again!!
@@iamjudasproject Definitely 🙂 Gay ex-Catholics tend to find/build community with each other. Catholics are very misunderstood in the the states and there’s something unique to being gay and having been brought up in Mother Church. I’m also black so that’s also a wild experience in The Church. I’m at the point where I’m deconstructing my vocabulary because atheists who grew up Christian still default to cultural Christianity. I was fortunate to grow up in a family that encouraged my exploration of other religions and faiths, and to live in a Jewish community so I’m always aware of the way Christianity shapes the way I move through the world. I hope to have more conversations with you.
I really like how the Sheriff told his son that God doesn't do transactions to relieve suffering... You don't pray to get your Jeanie wish, & for me that was one of the messages from the movie, nothing more I wish than for that wretched degenerate creature to feel the holy light AKA the sun, also nice video, great perspective!!
There is always a single middle aged holier than thou woman who follows the priests everywhere. Whether in Kuala Lumpur or in Crockett. It's the same everywhere haha.
As a former SSPX member this series was simultaneously so hard to get through but also so hard to turn away from. It was accurate and I could see this happening at my old church. Just like you said, it was unsettling nostalgia.
I love EP 3. That focused on Monsignor Pruitt the most and he's the best, most complex character in that story. There's almost no villain in the story; even the vampire wasn't that menacing compared to the normal, very predictable religious zealots like Bev Keane. That's the genius of the story. All the human frailties and the results of their decisions and remorse afterwards when it doesn't go according to plan were so believable. Awesome execution.
Recently I went to a funeral to say goodbye to my friend. His service quickly became a recruitment drive for his family's church. He wasn't very active, but he was big on making them happy. At one point the preacher delivering the eulogy(that started out "I never met brother "), said "Stand up if you stand up for Jesus!".... As an Athiest, I stayed seated. People started giving me prayer books and cards, and after I was witnessed. I know they meant well and I was polite, but I just wanted to say goodbye to my friend.
I am orthodox, and our doctrine seems way less intense, judging by the show, this commentary, and things shared by people here. It was so interesting to observe the empasis on a community when clearly the comaraderie is not natural. Just like in families guilt and "obligation" for everyone to share advice without true understanding of a person's struggle, which was part of the horror for me. I had a teacher on a comparative discipline of mythology and religion and their influence on cinema and stories in general. It was my favorite class, now when I think of it, it resembled mass, because he would share perspectives on connections between traditions and scripture, and show us a movie that we would then discuss. One time, he shared that he was in Seminary as well, and even then was trying to understand God not only by the teachings available to him. He received an invitation to travel to and visit Mecca, and he was literally jumping out of joy all the way to the walls of the city, where he suddenly realized that entering the holy place, would "turn" him Muslim, as it's an act of faith. Another person saw him standing there like a beaten animal and struck a conversation. He heard my teacher's concern and gave him a warm smile, put a hand over his heart, and briefly said, "It only matters what's here." This is something so strong and sincere, that no ritual, tradition, baptism, communion, or story can interfere with a person's authentic connection to spirituality. Probably, this is why I just had my second run of the show, because it shows the same thing - the outside signs of being "holy" (I am looking at you Bev Keane) mean nothing in comparison with inner workings of belief and personal motivation. This film is one of the instances where most people that dream of making movies go "FFS, I WISH I DID THAT" due to the amount of intent, philosophy, preparation, and undeniable genius in the choices made by the authors.
hey I thumbed up! I liked what you said from the perspective that you have. I had to look at it more objectively although yes I too was "pressured" into certain things... ah yes, and I can't say in detail lol. I do like this movie from the 90s have you heard of it?, Stigmata (1999)... obviously of religious subject put in horror format but is barely horror... I found it fun. If you're still watching films, check it out maybe.
I wasn’t raised Catholic but I was raised very religious so a lot of the ritual went a bit over my head but the preaching and hymns were very familiar. I did feel like Pruitt preached more like a Southern Baptist pastor than a Catholic priest but I’ve only been to a mass like once. My denomination which I left while I was still a kid disliked and disapproved of Catholics to the point that they were not considered Christians mainly due to the role Saints play in Catholicism and the perception of people praying to them
I agree that the preaching style and even the final hymn, "Nearer My God To Thee" seemed more like the those of certain Protestant denominations than Catholic. You have a good ear for those subtle distinctions.
I liked this perspective, and you seem pretty young so mixing up the cults is understandable, but you conflated Heaven’s Gate and the People’s Temple (Jim Jones). Heaven’s Gate were the purple-clad self-castrated dudes who offed themselves to board a UFO hiding in the tail of the Hale-Bopp comet. The Jonestown mass suicide was way back in 1978. Coincidentally, Jim Jones was a Catholic I think, though I don’t think any of his practices toward the end bore any semblance to Catholicism.
Former altar boy here, smalltown New Zealand. Also an alcoholic & drug addict so this show got me both ways! Father Paul & Riley, man did I *get* those characters. I wouldn't shut up about this brilliant show when it aired. *Couldn't* shut up about it. I feel ya, not-Priest-anymore ;) I mean, I WAS A DAMN IRISH CATHOLIC ALTAR BOY... ATHEIST...CURRENTLY DEALING WITH ADDICTION RECOVERY.. DAMN YOU FLANAGAN...!!! 😂
What I love most about this show is that it has a perspective from every single angle. Different people with their different beliefs is put in there. I relate mostly with Erin. My faith and belief in God is like her. I have my belief, not because of a religious institution, but I may attend church every now and then, and I cant stand overbearing religious nuts. Im very much functioning in my own lane like her. And her monologue at the end about what happens when we die is so spot on for me!
I found your commentary really really interesting. I was brought up muslim but no longer consider myself religious so it's really fascinating to hear your view on this show as it kind of gives me an insight into the catholic perspective of this show. I watched Midnight Mass just because my housemate was watching it and I did not expect to love it as much as I did. As you said the cinematography is amazing and the slowburn and horror of the story is really well built up but I was most impressed by the muslim representation. Having been brought up in a muslim household and around a very muslim community and lots of muslim family and friends I am very much aware of islamophobia. I haven't experienced too much personally (my name isn't too noticeably arabic, and I pass as white) but I know a lot of people who have, to varying levels of extremity. I am also very aware whenever I watch any media with a muslim character how often they fall into the tropes of terrorist or subservient oppressed wife etc. So the character of Sheriff Hassan was really refreshing for me, as well as how they accurately presented muslim prayer etc. His monologue to Sarah about islamophobia really struck me and made me so happy and relieved to hear the experiences of so many people I know put into words in a medium where they are usually reduced to stereotypes. Anyways sorry for rambling it was just interesting to hear how other people relate to this show from completely different backgrounds and I wanted to share my perspective of how this show affected me as well. Thank you for posting!
Wow!! Thank you for sharing that. It makes me think that they really put in the work to (more or less) give an accurate representation of both of the religions. In the end, it wasn’t about bashing the religions. It was just showing these events and how these people may have reacted in real life. It blew my mind. Thanks for watching!! ❤️
Rahul Kohli, who played the Sheriff, asked to consult his Muslim friend so he would portray the religion accurately. Mike Flanagan paid the friend for his work. That’s wonderful.
This is a show that doesn't need a review as much as it needs an exegesis! The way scripture was not only regularly and explicitly cited but also thematically and symbolically inverted throughout was amazing. Its one of the most complex takes on a Passion Play I think I've ever seen. So many layers that only come through when you've had time to really dwell on it. If you do do a second rewatch, I'd be very interested to see you do a spoiler full video where you go in depth on it all.
@@iamjudasproject I also loved the parallels with the healing of the lame man, and the inversion of the virgin birth. How while some miracles were being explicitly replicated, although by demonic means and so were inherently subverted, others were being subtly twisted in awful ways that went unnoticed by the community at large. Also, thinking back, I find it interested that on the whole it was Old Testament that was quoted and New Testament that was enacted.
You thought it was demonic? It’s interesting, it was the priest who attributed the creature’s actions to God… it doesn’t appear that he even said one word. Just like how “random evil actions” are put under the perspective of “gods will” throughout the series, so too they forced the actions of the creature to something divine. So many layers to unravel!! ❤️ I am excited to see the series again!!
@@iamjudasproject I think it was certainly an entity that the average Catholic priest who was not suffering from fear, blood loss and advanced dementia would construe as demonic. And that this show certainly played strongly on the idea that the demonic takes whatever God does and inverts it, saying the Lord's Prayer backwards and all that. That said I don't think this was some demonic force sent explicitly to test the faith of Paul and the community. Whatever this entity was, I think it's meeting with Paul was entirely coincidental and random, that it saw a chance and exploited it, and as you said, was eager in particular to take advantage of Paul's stubborn insistence on viewing everything through a hyper religious lens. The communication issue is an interesting one as well. Although the "angel" never speaks, Paul seems somehow able to communicate with it. He must have been able to because how else did he explain how to put the chasuble on and when to make the most dramatic entrance (God I'd love to have seen Paul getting his angel all dressed up for the big night). But it seemed like Paul was sure he was getting some form of communication in return, despite the silence. An interesting parallel to prayer; at least Paul had a "God" he could physically see, if not physically hear. But then, apparently in this case seeing was not enough to stimulate the correct belief - that this thing is totally a vampire and NOT an emmissary of God.
As a Christian, this show moved me a lot. It is not an anti-christian movie. I saw this as a movie aimed at believers to be careful about false prophets who come to seduce you with so called miracles and end up stealing your soul. Not everyone saying "I'm from God" is from God. Always be on the alert, trust the holy spirit only not the men even if it's your beloved pastor, priest. Oh and many people see this movie as a metaphor. It's not. These kind of things do exist. Priests, pastors that take their powers from entities ( djinns, fallen angels or whatever poweful entity they have access to ) just to gain more followers, money, glory or like the father in the movie because they think it will help them and their parishes. It happens more times than you would believe.
One thing I found uncharacteristic of the religious element was how much Scripture was used for the script, albeit sneakily incongruous... never in my 23 years as a passionate Catholic did I hear ANYONE quote The Bible, other than the priest during Mass. Okay I'll stop commenting now. I could talk about the show for hours lol!
I think the director was trying to reach a larger audience than just Catholics… I agree about quoting scripture, but many other Christian denominations had that. It’s the spirit of Bev that counts and what I can relate to. Besides that, I think they did a phenomenal job in representing Catholicism. ❤️
The ending was heavy. Erins philosophy on death was deep. Some of that was from Carl Sagans Cosmos. The idea about the universe experiencing itself through us.
Sorry I only just now got around to watching Midnight Mass The character of Bev is really chilling and really reminds me of people I’ve known. The thing about her and her sort that always strikes me is the inherant narcissism of believing that billions of people have come and gone on this planet but YOU are the one that is baring witness and playing a role in the end times. If and when the end times come any truly spiritual person would (I would hope) humbly struggle to believe that they are actually chosen/part of prophecy. The people that are quick to believe they are the ones . . . beware.
As someone who grew up quite religious, I now do not go to church, but I do still pray regularly. However, I loved this show , and definitely knew some Bev's , and knew people like a few other characters, too. Icansee why I distanced myself and practice my faith as I see fit.
I grew up in a small Baptist town of less than 100 people. It's not really exclusive to Catholicism. Any small, insular community is going to have some "cult-like" elements. That's just the way they live.
So, I’m very late to seeing this because, ahem, I think well your content isn’t typical content for me and because I’m unlike probably majority of viewers, a current practicing Catholic who lives IN a fairly small community, Anchorage, Alaska. But I am so glad I found your review specifically. I truly enjoyed this show. It wasn’t haunting for me, and probably because of all of the many reasons you list. It almost felt like “home” watching it. Small churches, everyone knowing one another, I found myself singing the hymns as well with a smile on face even lol (as morbid as that may sound in this context), my previous parish, as we moved at the end of last year across town even IS St. Patrick’s. But, I’m especially glad I found your video review because I enjoyed it so much and because since I’m fairly devout, and so are the people I surround myself with are as well usually, they don’t tend to watch “horror” and nor do I. This show wasn’t horror for me until the end episodes, it was more interesting and nuanced all the way through and I’ve been dying to talk to or hear someone else’s thoughts on it lol. Unfortunately, as you also talk about in this review, it’s the silent albeit somewhat well meaning generally judging of others that prevented me from speaking openly with others (aside from my husband) about it. People like Bev, exist and while they may not be who I spend my “free time” with, they often work themselves into integral pillars of Church society, and while I haven’t met a person I’ve actually disagreed with to a meaningful extent within the church thus far (at my Parishes), I certainly don’t want to attract that kind of attention and audience lol. So thanks for your video! 😊
Oh hey, the algorithm did something useful again. This is a really cool perspective to hear. Midnight Mass was a hell of a trip for me, and definitely what solidified me as a Mike Flanagan fan. I was raised catholic but had the fortune(?) of finding myself in a primarily moderate parish so I didn't have to deal directly with these kind of people frequently but I certainly KNEW all these people. My kind and understanding mother has consistently had at least one Bev as a close friend, so her cruelty and ego were viscerally familiar to me.
Fascinating analysis of a fascinating show. Religion, at least the evangelistic ones, makes people into Amway salesmen. Father Paul's always gotta be closing. He's always going to bring it back around to how you need some Nutrilite vitamins to get you right.
I worked on this. And want to thank you for your thorough dissection. Mike and I are both refugees of Catholicism (Catholic gradeschool, highschool, both altar boys)...and it's incredibly meaningful to hear others relate to the subtleties - and shames - that come from that life. Your perspective (as a former priest) is incredibly illuminating. Thank you for watching. For relating and for sharing your experience.
What an honor!! Thank you for watching! ❤️
There are many of us "refugees" and not just from the Catholic church. My background is evangelical - and I am so grateful to now have distance that allows me to utilize critical thinking and realize the dangers of the "message" I was preaching. Midnight Mass SO moved me. When she said, "I am that I am" - I felt complete exhilaration. Thank you.
Like Chris Stuckmann and Jehova's Witnesses. His story really moved me....
It's great to see someone associated with the series in the comments section. I want to thank you people personally for the show. Although I am an Indian and was brought up in a liberal Hindu family, I could relate to the show to a great extent. So did my brother. Our parents are generous and selfless people and they both work in the medical sector. They're both victims of religious brainwashing and it has not only destroyed them, but it had destroyed our family, well beyond repair. I used to believe in God until I saw how selfless people like my parents are destroyed by self proclaimed religious gurus. I believe this film is more relevant than ever, especially in a country like India where extreme right-wing nationalism is on the rise, backed by an atmosphere of religious polarization. I've seen what blind faith can do to people- it can rob them of their financial stability, their sanity, their family and perhaps their rational faculty.
The show hit home hard. Loved the long debates between Riley and Father Paul Hill. Loved Riley's explanation of death and his acceptance of people with opinions opposing his own. Loved the overall theme of abandoning binary thinking in favour of something that's more complex, nuanced and inclusive. Thank you for this thought provoking series. I hope you guys make many more. ❤
@@sreeradhaseth176 I really felt this. Thank you for sharing your story!
my blood would boil (pun intended) everytime Bev opened her mouth to twist scripture for her own good. Like Paul literally murdered a man and she's using scripture to justify it. She scared me more than the bloody vampire
😂🤣. Same!!
I agree!
As someone who grew up in an evangelical christian family, with a preacher for a father, I agree. But I also recognised her. I've known many Bevs in my life. Those so locked in their own self-righteousness and hypocrisy that they are beyond redemption.
Because vampires aren't real. People like Bev are.
@@jmboyd65 Truth. I've never met a vampire, but I've met more than a few people like Bev. It's the same reason that "bully" type villains always hit harder in audiences than grand and horrific ones do. I mean, in the Harry Potter fandom people very often reserve their most vitriolic hate for Delores Umbridge over Voldemort because no one has to deal with a Dark Lord in their life, but a petty bully who abuses their power? People deal with that a lot.
My favorite part of Bev Keene is that, just like in real life, she dies without ever understanding that she's the villain. So many stories redeem characters like her, but Mike Flanagan made sure she stayed a self righteous coward to the very end.
Wonder why. Maybe because he is a Christ hating asshole.
Spoiler alert
As a Muslim I went in watching the show just as a horror story but man it impacted me so much. I cried at the end. Because it seemed so close to home for me. The racism by bev, the idea of few people interpreting religion in a extreme wrong way and the horror of humanity just broke me in tears. Last scene with the two Muslims dying with their own religion just left me in hiccups too which even I don’t know yet why it broke me more then anything else.
Their story also choked me up. Their are human realities beyond the religious implications. Thanks for the comment!!
That scene with father and son facing the rising sun back in their faith really shook me. I grew up evangelical Christian & my boyfriend is Muslim. It was amazing all the way around. It’s been months and that show still haunts me.
yeah it’s pretty impactful
As a parent I was kind of grateful that Sheriff Hassan died from his wounds before he'd had to watch his son burn. It felt like a mercy, and how screwed up isn't that?
Randy seems to be a guy. Muslim women aren't forced to wear hijab, the “Light” verse assumes everyone is already wearing a head covering (as they did at the time) and just tells girls to cover their breasts (the horror!) Muslim men are literally allowed to marry Christians. The Quran actually says you can strike your wife after she denies you again and again, without anything hard or actually painful. Plus, most Muslims being Sunni, they will follow the Prophet’s sunnah: Prophet Muhammad never beat a man, woman, nor child. Do not lie.
I was raised evangelical, and this show really messed with me. Bev pulling up scriptures to justify the atrocities that were going on was something that struck me. A line that really stuck with me was Riley's mother telling Bev that God does not love her any more than anyone else and that it angered Bev that God loved Riley just as much as he loved her. That one hit for me.
Riley's mom was right.😄👍
More people need to hear that.
@@Ujuani68and that is the point. If you REALLY believe Jesus died for you and that God created you and wants the best for you, but that you have free will, then church is for YOU and you are loved just the same
The craziest part of this whole spectacular, mind-numbing series is that the word 'vampire' was NEVER used to describe the entity ('angel')
Just like Walking Dead never says the word Zombie.
Because the creators didn't want this word to be used. And I think that it serves the purpose. It's so possible for a priest with a hardcore faith, to see a creature that reacted to prayers, made him young again and so on, as an angel. In the Bible, but also in the Torah (if I'm not mistaken), angels are described quite well and they are nothing like what we, humans, created (to replace the horrifying images with something nicer to an eye).
It's not just Catholics who get this. My family are evangelical protestants. My father was a preacher. I watched this and had that feeling too. I felt this show on a really deep level. I could type a whole damn essay on the layers of symbolism, and the way the vampire myth was tied so perfectly into Christian doctrine.
Subscribing for this essay
I found the character of Father Paul to be ultimately far scarier than Bev - precisely because he was so likable. Bev was easy to reject, but Paul was the one who started it and led everyone as far as it went.
Mike Flanagan has a really interesting way of hiding very deep conversations under a thin veneer of "horror". I look forward to whatever he does next.
Right? There's a reason cult leaders are usually charming men, they need to appeal to the people, not repeal them. If beverly had been alone with the community and the "angel", without Father Paul, she wouldn't have managed to convince them of anything. It was the charming, miraculous, soft spoken man they trusted and admired who drove everyone to the end.
Hating on Bev is easy, seeing the selfishness and wrongdoings of Father Paul takes a step back. The audience itself gets charmed by him to the point that most only see his "noble intentions" but not what he has done with them.
Very true. Pruitt was the one who made the entire tragedy happen.
So you couldn't accept that he was a good person struggling with what was right and what was wrong, just as everyone else does in life, and ultimately choosing what was right after a descent into weakness? What's not scary is that a good person is likeable. What's scary is that even a good person can do the wrong thing.
What's scary is that Father Paul's will always have Bev's right there WAITING for it to be damnation time lol
@jschap712 I agree with this. I wonder though if it's the even further descent into weakness that turns a good person like Pruitt into a bad person like Bev.
Good feedback. As a Muslim, I loved how they portrayed Hassan, and the final scene which was well done (the son on the left is leading the prayer, fajr prayer is done right before sunrise so perfect timing, the father died while prostrating which is the IDEAL Muslim death to draw nearest to God). Juxtaposed perfectly with Bev's terror in facing her own death.
As for the whole Catholic bit, since IDK as much about all the rituals, it was neat to learn (like which color clothes--vestiments?--to wear during services). I also read the Bible this last year and noticed a lot of Biblical references, including I believe when Bev told the priest to get behind her (as if he's Satan). Then you have the "I am that I am" from Erin as she sort of shifts to a pan(en)theist, bridging her Christian with a more universal sort of spirituality she got from Riley. The priest was also a nuanced figure, and became much more relatable when you realized he wasn't just high on his priestly status and trying to be miraculous (you mentioned priests trying to be semi-divine and have God work through them all the time which is offputting to me). He acted out of love, and love is one of the highest human experiences and derives from God. So, even though he did some bad, he realized it in the end, and still was willing to be true to love, even if it meant shedding the whole priestly "attire."
Granted, I found the parallels between the eucharist, vampirism, and cannibalism all very, very disturbing, and still was uneasy that so many people just embraced the demon "angel" when clearly it looked like an ominous, evil figure. Can't imagine anything holy from feasting literally on the flesh of screaming, terrified people, so it was still a bit odd that those in the end just sang the hymn and all was well o.O I feel like the best Christians were the ones who tried to escape the vampire, including Riley's mom who epitomized the faith (and Erin to a degree, although her faith seemed more nuanced).
Amazing read! Thanks for sharing your perspective. I agree with you!
As a muslim i agree too i also learnt that 'give so that your left hand doesnt know about what your right hand gave' (paraphrased) in terms of help and charity is mentioned in both Quran and the Bible didnt know that
To the oddity you find in them singing, part of the Father's sermon during ash Wednesday is
"That's What It Means To Have Faith. That In The Darkness, In The Worst Of It, In The Absence Of Light And Hope, We Sing."
There were many other lines alluding to this ending such as "the sun shines on the just and unjust alike"
It seems very intentional that the church is St. Patrick's, named after the saint of another island filled with snakes, and now associated just as much with heavy drinking. A second watch of the show has so many clever little things like that.
Wow!! Never thought of that. I’m going to watch it again in a few months.
Nice! I'm super impressed by the layers that can be analyzed in the show, but I hadn't made that connection!
Well, the last name of the show's writer/director is Flanagan, which is an Irish name (although he is American) so yeah, the allusion might well be deliberate!
OH SNAP! I think you are right and they did that on purpose haha
Came here because the show still haunts me emotionally. The final song of them singing by the beach is just the saddest but also the most beautiful thing. As someone who grew up being exposed to zero Christianity (or any institutional religion for that matter) this is legit an eye-opening experience. I can't determine whether the show is pro-Catholic or anti-Catholic because it's so multi-dimensional. In the end, despite all the horror, I think the ending was a resounding affirmation of humanity.
Agreed!
I don’t think it’s pro or anti any religion, but the peace that came to all the characters (most of them 😅) showed that at the end of the day, we are just all trying to figure things out and do the right thing.
Erin's death made me think it's more a commentary against Christianity as her last monologue showed her surrender to a gnostic, antichrist gospel, especially with the blasphemous words, "I am that I am"!!!
@@justkenzie but Rileys death ended up being more of how Erin described death. Meeting the girl he killed as she forgave him and reached out her hand.
When they had their death conversation, she specifically said how they want death to go speaking for themselves only. If either of their experiences were the correct one, you'd think BOTH of them would experience it the same way.
This comment goes for me as well. I'd only add the part that scared me the most. It wasn't the supernatural horror stuff. It was the scene when all these people in the church started willingly drinking the poison. That just freaked me out.
@@justkenzie you smart to notice. Sorry bad english:)
I loved Midnight Mass mainly from a writing/filmmaking POV, especially as a horror dweeb. It was really neat to hear your perspective since the setting of a small, insular, traditional Catholic community felt totally foreign to me (a secular Jew from the large diverse city of Toronto). A lot of the show's themes did resonate really deeply for me, though; trauma, self-destructive guilt/shame, feeling desperate for answers, seeking atonement, etc... Those types of feelings and experiences are universal and completely secular, which IMO is a big part of what makes the writing so impactful for (ex-)Catholics and non (ex-)Catholics alike!
Also, I really appreciated how nuanced it was in its approach to religion. Like if Flanagan wasn't such a great writer this could have gone off the rails into annoying "ALL RELIGION BAD!!!" edgy atheist mode, but even though he clearly didn't make this as a glowing endorsement of the Catholic church, there were still examples of faith being a legitimately positive force in some of the characters' lives; Liza's devoutness is what led her forgive Joe Collie, which was a profoundly healing thing for both of them (even though Joe's redemption arc didn't end well for him, poor dude). Hassan said he wasn't all that religious growing up, but he eventually embraced Islam both as a way to honour the memory of his late wife, and to connect with his heritage in the face of all the racist bullshit he was subjected to in NYC. Erin's views on what happens after death seemed like a really healthy, constructive way for a spiritual person to cope with grief. Even the Monsignor was almost more of a tragic hero than a villain, since he genuinely believed that he was doing the right thing and saving the town, even though he ended up royally fucking everything up.
Anyways, sorry for the rambling comment lol. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on this awesome show - I'm really glad to have found your channel, definitely stoked to watch more of the stuff you've posted about your experiences as an ex-priest!
Welcome!! Thanks for you comment. I didn’t find it rambling at all. You bring up some great points. ✌🏻😎
Isn't it funny that ones own boring reality can be interesting, baffling or even exotic to others?
For me seeing the Catholic aspects of this show was like being plunged into my past without missing a beat (although I haven't been part of that world for decades). It was unsettlingly familiar.
But to you it was foreign.
Weird.
But as you noted, the real meat of the story was a generally human one.
Good show.
I found Father Paul an immensely compelling character. I was very worried at the start that he'd be portrayed as the villain, and was happy it was a lot more complex than that. Like most people he is struggling to make sense of the world around him and what happened. The discussions at the AA meetings were highlights for me. Flanagan is generally very good at creating genuine feeling characters (even if they are awful people). I highly recommend his other work too (Hill House & Bly Manor of course), his films Hush and Ouija: Origin of Evil (Ouija was terrible, but this prequel was actually really good. Especially in comparison).
I was not raised religiously, but faith and religion has always had a fascination for me. The idea of a higher being (or higher beings, plural) with expectations and a plan for us? Terrifying, if I'm being honest (Not because I'm a sinner, though that wouldn't help). I never understood how people found the thought comforting. I prefer the nihilistic implications of my skeptical agnosticism, thanks.
Flanagan also directed Dr. Sleep. That was a really good movie, but since it is a sequel to The Shining, it might not being for everyone.
@@davidokinsky114 True, that movie was fantastic.
Don’t forget Oculus. That was the first of his works I watched and oh the dread was so heavy!
@@salyx Have not seen that one yet, but looking out for it.
Erin's BRILLIANT monologue in the last episode is the most beautiful expression of my agnosticism/atheism I've ever seen or heard. I try to describe my belief in an 'always', but no one knows what I mean. I listened to her and thought, "THAT'S WHAT I MEAN!"
I was raised in a pentacostal family and found this haunting as well. Father Paul was so compelling and felt real. I loved that his motivations and cognitive dissonance make sense. He's not "bad." He's flawed and mistaken while trying to be good, and that is frightening on a whole different level. Also, Riley being a skeptical atheist and not portrayed as an asshole who ruins everything made my heart happy.
I’ve loved watching people react to this series. I grew up in the church but being gay didn’t exactly endear me to many. I was forced into a, what are they calling it now, pray away the gay group. Conversation therapy. I left after 3 guys in the group committed suicide and chose that way out for myself, but realized before the act that I was a fool for trying to be what I wasn’t. I left seminary, came out, and never looked back. Then AIDS crisis hit and religious people were the absolute worst to us. I saw elements of this show play out on a national scale. Similar to what is happening now. Crisis really exposes people. Your reaction was wonderful and insightful. Thank you.
Gosh… I would love to hear more of your story. That topic of conversion therapy is starting to gain traction again… damn… I’m happy that you made it through all that… 😞
@@iamjudasproject we have a few things in common except my seminary was southern Baptist, or frothing Baptist as I like to call it. I’m a wee (lot) bit older than you are. When I came out, they put people like us in asylums if you were lucky. The whole conversation therapy thing was pretty new. I had only been out a year or so when people started calling GRD, AIDs. I’m a little damaged from those experiences. I consider myself very lucky and more than fortunate to have found the love of my life. Sadly he died about 10 years ago. Rough seas my friend, rough seas. Those calm patches were glorious tho. The trick is, for me at least, learning to whistle in the storm. I’d love to talk to you more. Right now I’m very isolated living with my very kind father. Very few gay people out here though.
@@fxbear
Jesus loves you. Make effort to know him.
@@piusochigbochristian1079 Bev. Jesus isn’t the issue. His followers are.
@@fxbear
Yeah, but we can ignore the followers and be Christ like. Let nothing or no one separate you from the love of God.
Been dying to talk about this show, but no one will watch it. Grew up Catholic, loved it.
It was popular here in Mexico, actually. I was surprised!!
I realize I’m a year late but I’m about to rewatch a second time; I too loved it and would LOVE to talk about it!
i just finished the show and experienced so much catharsis. i was so angry and sad and emotional to see my mother onscreen and to see my religious abuse shown so graphically. i am an atheist who grew up very evangelical christian fundamentalist. i was taught that my gayness was a sin and would send me to hell and that my gender was strictly "how God made me". I tried to kill myself. i prayed for death nightly. my pastors and youth leaders would assure me always that i was within God's plan and i strived to be whatever they and my mother wanted me to be. I didn't allow myself to feel attraction or emotions other than guilt. and my mother justified all of her frequent abuse with words from scripture. i have been told many times that i am possessed and am told all the more now that i am out of the church, on testosterone, and with the woman of my dreams.
my mother and bev keane are cut from the same cloth. and this show has me reeling, but i needed it.
Well, I can relate to some elements of your story… thank you for sharing that. I too felt deeply what was happening in the series - it’s a rare experience to have something hit home so hard.
It’s hard to find peace in our lives externally… life always crashes up against us. Interior peace is only possible: knowing that we are where we should be for this moment.
I hope that you do well. Being open is a huge step. Thanks for making your comment. I hope to hear from you again!! ❤️
"That scene" in the church where there is all the chaos reminded me so much of the audio recordings of Jim Jones and his People's Temple as they "drank the kool-aid"(spoiler - it was actually Flavor-Aid). If you haven't watched it there are some amazing documentaries out there on the subject, which is by and large forgotten by the public today despite how batshit insane it was at the time. I´m sure the show runners used it as a reference.
People in the US are trying to forget that little American endeavor into Communism
@@tylergannon7398 wow. Super loaded remark, yet misses the point
@@fxbear They were Communist. Not pointless, they literally had permission to move their communion to a Communist country and had a direct line to the Soviet Union.
I keep seeing people saying “No one would drink that poison!” And I tell them it literally happened. We need to not forget things like Jonestown.
The entire scene I was screaming at the screen, “Don’t you people know about Heavens Gate?!! Jim Jones?!! Auuugh”
But then again neither of those groups actually witnessed a resurrection or had a real life angel at the altar.
Pretty compelling reason to drink rat poison.
very interesting to hear your take on this. I thought Father Paul was one of the best written characters I have seen in a very long time, and I found him absolutely terrifying. I grew up culturally catholic (I am Italian) so I definitely got all the references, but I don't believe this story is specifically about catholicism. it's about the dangers of fundamentalism and of cultish behaviours more than anything. Father Paul was so scary to me because he actually genuinely believed in what he was preaching. A Bev Keane we can all immediately recognise as evil, but someone like him? preaching with such conviction and unknowingly bringing everyone down with him on the path to destruction? absolutely terrifying.
Yes. Unhinged and irrational belief… it can lead to the rationalization and justification of any action. ☠️
Paul aka John Pruitt was the scariest one for sure. He was this kind, soft-spoken, Mr. Roger-esque kind of man, and used the you can catch more flies with honey approach. However, as the series goes on, you see this other side of him, when he yells, becomes increasingly unhinged as he completes his transformation into a vampire, and continues along his path of destruction missing the most obvious signs that what he was doing was wrong. And the most terrifying part of all is that he truly did believe everything he was saying and doing, was completely blinded by faith. He was the reason the entire tragedy happened yet he wasn't evil or bad, he was very complex.
We had a few bev’s at our parish. Just watching her, her speech, and her mannerism, really irritated me. There’s something about the traditional churches that attract these self righteous people. And like you Francis, I too sang along to the many hymns and the Neil Diamond. Perhaps we would have been served better, had we had Neil Diamond in the choir loft ;)
🎶 🎤
I was raised in a small catholic community, as teen my interest in my mother's jewish roots grew and I decided to stop going to mass and taking communion because I thought it would be disrespectful to keep doing it while I was so confused about religion, man our sunday family dinners got hella awkward after that, I have an aunt just like Bev and she just couldn't stop herself from turning me into the elephant in the room.
Omg. That sounds horrible. I really like the idea of eating as a family… but dang we’re they awkward.
Good for you, btw, Not wanting to fake it no matter how many Bevs there are. Lmao
So when young father "Paul" told Riley that God can take your bad actions and turn them into something good, he did. God had a plan... Let me explain;
If Riley didn't go to jail and then return to the island to complete his probation, then he would have never been able to let Erin know about the evil plot that was about to take over the island. Also, Erin had an emotionally traumatic childhood, where she remembers the clipping of the birds wings. But later she clips the wings of the "angel" so that it never makes it to the mainland.
So both of their pain and suffering was a path to redemption. Gods plan was to bring them to that exact moment in time where they were both in a state of grace. (And this is coming from an atheist)
Very observant!
Wow I forgot about the clipping wings reference until I read this comment. Well spotted.
I'd this thinking too. I thought was brilliant that was the "sinners" who where the purer ones and the enlightened Beth was digging her head in the sand in the end
Sounds like you were an English Lit major
Sounds like the Futurama god episode : “when you do things right, people won’t be sure you did anything at all” that sums up my actual religious beliefs
i have seen for the first time an English series showing Muslims correctly and authentically. the climax was so good to see his dad and his son died while praying and i teared on it very much because for us Muslims it's most honored death ever. Alhamdulillah
I absolutely LOVED this show. As a former forced-christian it did a great job highlighting the evil that lurks in churches and "holy people" disguised as good. I adored Erins "what happens when we die" monologue. It was beautiful and touched me on a different level. Hassan and Ali at the end doing their morning prayers was tragically beautiful. It made me so sad that they were innocent victims dragged into the cults psychotic happenings. They deserved better, but its also true to life. How plenty of innocent people fall victim to the church. Great video on your perspective! I havent been to this channel before, but I liked it a lot.
Thank you. As a formerly very religious person, this helped me see a little bit more clearly some of what I was feeling. The pressure to spiritualize EVERYTHING all the time and the way that, even with the best of intentions, this can alienate us from our humanity.
It felt like Father Paul really wanted to genuinely befriend Riley, but at every point where he could have been vulnerable and just tried to connect with Riley, it felt like he would make a sharp course correction back to religious language.
It would have been so easy for this show to trash and mock and demonize religion, and as a currently practicing Christian, that made me weary.
But it blew me away with its ability to distinctly show the difference between good and bad Catholics, righteous and self righteous Christians.
At the end of the day, Mike Flanagan managed to give us a show that warned us of the dangers of religious justifications while displaying how good and well intended religion can be when it’s followed as God intended.
What a dang masterpiece.
Mike Flanagan (show creator) is by far my all time favorite horror movie/show creators, I would highly reccomend looking into his other work. "the haunting of hill house" is another incredible horror show on netflix, i would highly reccomend watching, youll definitly be hooked after the first episode
I agree with you about Mr. Flanagan as a film maker, but I did not start out as a fan. The first thing I saw of his was Hush, which I thought was promising, but nothing to make me state he was the future of horror. Based on that I gave The Haunting of Hill House a try, since I like the book so much, and the original movie adaptation The Haunting (from 1963 - NOT the god-awful remake from 1999!) and, while a good horror series I was so very disappointed that it strayed from the book so much it didn't resemble the novel at all. All he did was use the first and last line of the novel - and even then he changed the wording! Why call it something 'based on' and destroy the entire inner workings of the original novel? So I avoided watching anything else by him - Including his 'new' (at the time) Bly Manor. I refused to. But then, I heard about this new series on Netflix called Midnight Mass that was getting rave reviews. I saw Mr. Flanagan was at the helm and said 'meh' at the time. But then I decided to take a 'leap of faith' :-D because of the continued good things I heard and the fact I love vampires (yes, that was spoiled for me before I watched it). I was absolutely blown away by the show, easily my favorite Netflix show - by far. So I went back and gave Bly Manor a try and I was so surprised how good it was. While another 'loosely based on' adaptation this time of Henry James' Turn of the Screw I was so happy he at least stuck with the basic premise of the two 'haunted' children, and even with the addition of so many characters not in the novel it worked. So now, I will look forward to his Fall of the House of Usher, and see how he handles Poe, and continue to shout out my praises for Midnight Mass to anyone who will listen (much like religion! hahaha)
Final thought, Midnight Mass gets an enthusiastic 10 in my 'book'! :-D
@@cdolan13 you should really give the haunting of hill house another try. I’ve never read the book so I can’t speak on how accurate it is, but if you look at it as it’s own separate piece of work I think you can really appreciate it. It’s a fantastically well written story, that manages to keep you hooked throughout. I really liked how they set up the show by basically starting with the beginning and the end, and then slowly filling in the middle as the series progressed. Good drama, good acting, and a dope ass plot line
@@bigmozzarella9670 I understand, it's not like it wasn't a good show, I'm not saying that at all. I just was disappointed because I was thinking it would follow the book more closely: a house that has stood abandoned for decades and a paranormal investigator hires three people to stay the weekend at the house to uncover whether or not ghosts exist. What I got was family drama. Again, not saying it wasn't done well, which it was, I was just roped in on the premise it would be a closer adaptation, so was disappointed in the end - especially with Mr. Flanagan using the most quoted line in the book at the end, which ended up not making sense - if you've read the book.
He's still a good filmmaker, I just won't watch Hill House again. Sorry. But I do appreciate your argument.
@@cdolan13 I loved Flanagan's Fall of the House of Usher the best so far. have you seen that?
It says a lot that the scariest thing in this show is the mean church lady, and not the seven foot tall demonic monster running around.
The only unrealistic part of this show for me was that there was only one Bev Keene. People like that were a good 25% of my community.
This show was absolutely incredible. Former Roman Catholic, most of my family is still practicing. Like you said, loved the nuances of the show that would be missed if you didn’t have that Catholic exposure in life. I found myself singing along with some of the hymns surprised I still remembered the words. Definitely want to dive into this show again, just giving it some months between viewing
I was raised Catholic in Cuba when Catholicism was somewhat outlawed. That meant that when I was allowed to actually go to church, I had not been thru confirmation and communion. I took the classes but because I was leaving the country, all of my friends ended up finishing them, except me and I sat every time communion came around. That part in the show felt visceral to me, because the rest of the church didn’t know why I was sitting still, why everyone in my family participated in communion and I didn’t.
The whole show is so well done, I love that the priest was trying his best to rationalize the trauma he suffered and in the process, hurt everyone in his town.
I love Riley and Erin (they could had been the same character in a lot of ways, because they were the compass and grounding rod) I love their death conversation because I’ve had that same conversation before with people I love when grieving.
I loved the sheriff and how desperately he tried to both blend in and have a normal life as an unwelcome outsider (I am an immigrant, brown skinned in a very small town)
I am not going to say I loved the Bev character because she is absolutely the worst person, but I felt we have always seen people that wield religious rhetoric as a weapon to feel superior.
Anyway, this is an amazing show.
Worth the rewatch, specially if organized religion has been a part of your life.
Theres another great "priest becomes vampire" movie called Thirst from Korea that does a nice job of address similar themes but on a more individualized level than how a community is affected. With so many vampire stories having a level of eroticism, there is more a questioning of purity and repressed sexuality rather than faith.
Thank you for sharing this. I’m still a practicing Catholic (music minister), and I note there’s a lot of former Catholics here. I loved this series, preparing myself to watch it again. Some brilliant monologues, and I love the depth of characters and fragility of all of the characters. I guarantee you some of my staunch Catholic brothers and sisters would find this movie blasphemous, but I’m nowhere near that camp. Thank you for your commentary on this series, I truly enjoyed it
I think any Catholic (former or current) would have to admit the Church has already been guided by evil at times. Every nation and every faith has had someone take advantage of it and warp its purpose. I think we're very much living in a time like the island and if we all don't wake up and stop agreeing that it's ok to harm each other we'll all be watching the final sun set together.
Oh snap, do you play the organ?! I love the church music ministers, you guys are amazing! I go to church mostly to listen to the music and to get to sing 💕
No, I'm a guitar player and singer. Been doing music in church since 4th grade and I have a pretty successful UA-cam channel where I demo some of the commonly used songs and psalms. I can fake my way through piano charts but a truly gifted organ player is wonderful to listen to. I play guitar, but I appreciate all kinds of music including organ and chant@@KatieLHall-fy1hw
Bruh I’m not even Catholic (I was raised evangelical Christian) and I was singing a long with those hymns…Not even sure why I know them. What I love so much about Midnight Mass is that it comes from a place of such sincerity and understanding. It definitely shows the horrors of overzealous fundamentalism, but also conversely the beauty in piety, or at least the beauty to be found in sincere faith of any kind. It doesn’t squash the truth in humanity’s need for faith in something, and that must have been tough to write. Because the religious horror in this runs so deep and is so spot on, and anyone with religious trauma of any kind has known someone like Bev Keane at some point in their lives. She was the real monster.*shudders*
Im glad you picked up on the dichotomy presented in the series. It is dishonest for those who say it is “against religion.” Thanks for the comment!! ❤️
First off, I am SOOO glad I stumbled upon your channel...here's why:
I discovered Midnight Mass from a fellow filmmaker's recommendation, so unlike you, I went into it looking at things like; the writing, cinematography, acting, etc. What my fellow filmmaker friend did not know about me is; I was born and raised Catholic and even went to Catholic School for 9 years. Catholicism was actually a HUGE part of my upbringing...and I can tell ya (as you already noted in your video); My oh my, Mike Flanagan (the writer & director of the series) NAILED the characters! ANY life-long Catholic knows a Bev, a Joe Colly, a Reilly....ALL of the Characters are super relatable.
As of late (over the past 3 years or so), I have essentially lost my faith...and in doing so, I'm super glad I came across your channel, and realizing I wasn't the only one who was so deeply affected by this series.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and reaction to this fantastic series. I put off watching it for a long time because I thought it would disturb me, and OH BOY was I right! But not about the nature of the disturbance. For context, I grew up in an evangelical church. I drifted away after I went to college and wasn't really any flavor of religion until I met my (now ex) husband. He was Catholic, and I converted before our marriage. And while it was strange to me for a long time, I found some comfort in the rituals. Now I'm back to non-religious.
Some congregations have a Monsignor Pruitt/Father Paul, but every congregation I've ever seen has a Bev. I had more sympathy for the priest, though, because **SPOILERS**
Before he met the "angel," he was suffering from dementia. And he was right about the Bible saying that every human visited by angels was afraid - some of the biblical descriptions of angels are terrifying. Also, it took some time before the "communion" worked on him. While his body became young, I think he still carried that dementia-addled interpretation of what the creature actually was. And even when it became clear that he had given in to something evil, he still had hope to temper it, e.g. the meeting with Riley and keeping the doors of the church locked until he could explain to the congregation what had happened to them. BUT he corrupted his faith, the ideals of communion, and led his flock down the same path. Bev was already corrupt and merely found the perfect outlet for her bile.
This Flanagan series is second only to The Fall of the House of Usher in my opinion. And Usher only barely edges out MM because of how much I love Poe. MM is masterfully told and full of some truly moving and powerful scenes (the scene with Leeza and Joe Collie, for example).
I was raised religious (liberal Protestant), so was very familiar with the Bible which I read twice because I read everything I could get my hands on. When I was 16, I met a girl who asked me out which thrilled me because I was the classic awkward nerd who never got a date. It turns out she was a very far-right Evangelical who thought my fantasy books (like Lord of the Rings) were vessels of evil that Satan used to lure people away from God. My insecurity led me to overlook all of this (and there were many more red flags) because I thought how would I ever find another woman interested in me. That went on for a few years (and with marriage + two kids) before I realized that I definitely wasn't happy and needed to get out. We got divorced.
Anyway, while I had drifted into agnosticism, I was very fascinated by religion. I've read a lot of books on the history of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. What interested me was less the dogma than what people did in the name of their faith. I've also read a lot about cults. Again, my interest was more in what sorts of people joined cults and how they rationalized the cult's teachings.
One of my favorite things about Midnight Mass (and it's become one of the best things I've watched in the last couple of years) is how respectful it was of Catholicism. It would have been very easy for Mike Flanagan to say, "See how bad religion is!" but he didn't. It wasn't religion that was the problem. It was the people. As I said, I'm agnostic, but I don't look down on people who have faith. I know lots of very good people who believe in a religion. On the other hand, I've met a lot of not-so-good people who are fervent believers. I know very nice atheists and not some not-so-nice atheists. It's rarely the beliefs that are the problem; it's the people.
Because Flanagan was Catholic, he did a good job representing that religion as well as respecting it. I appreciate your perspective on other people’s beliefs. ❤️
As an ex Jehovahs Witness I found this series to be so much scarier. JW's are far more cult like than even the Catholics. Episode 6 was the most frightening thing I've ever seen, due to my religious upbringing.
really nice commentary / review. This was one of my favorite series of the past decade ❣
I was raised United Methodist. I kept screaming at Bev and Father Paul the most. It was so frustrating watching most in the town fall in line.
I was a Christian before reversion to Islam. I can feel what Shariff is going through. This is really an excellent series that I highly recommend. Builds up very slowly fleshing out the key characters properly before/as things starts unraveling.
This show was a complete mockery of Catholicism. No other belief system would be portrayed with such degradation and mockery. How can you take Catholicism's most sacred ritual and subject it to such ridicule. It is fitting that you call yourself Judas.
Sorry you had a bad experience as a Catholic. Your talk of being ostracized for not going to communion shouldn’t have been an experience for you. I’ve been a Catholic for 34 years. Won’t ever stop because of graces it brings. I never had that negativity in the Catholic Church, lots of people don’t go to Communion for various reasons and it does NOT absolutely NOT mean anything is wrong with you!!! Fasting, sickness, disease, etc. Going to Communion is a great gift given to us by God Himself (eat my body drink my blood). Maybe you should stop assuming your experience is the case with all Catholics because I assure you, you are the minority
I hope one day you return to the Catholic Faith as I can’t imagine living without it!!
I am late to the party but one interesting I heard a Muslim say which is the drunk kept calling the Sheriff, Sharif. You would see it spelled that way in the subtitles. And Sharif means “Noble” in Arabic.
When Communion becomes a 'show' and people are pressured into it even if they know/feel they shouldn't, then the meaning is lost and it becomes 'social pressure'. Sure, it would be great if EVERYONE was in a state of grace and worthy of receiving communion, but not everyone is all the time. People shouldn't be driven to false or hypocritical outward shows of faith just to appease or fit in with "Man". I saw parts of this in the Presbyterian Church I went to growing up, and which I eventually left for a less pretentious and more down to earth variation of Protestantism where the focus is on the message and not the outward ritualistic displays.
I grew up Protestant in a tiny community with a lot of churches but only one Catholic Church. Everyone who went to the Catholic Church were known as the Catholic kids at school. They were a mood. It’s kind of helpful to understand a bit more of their perspective. There can be shaming in Protestant churches, but you actually do tend to have much more privacy. You can make public declarations of faith, but the absence of them does not mean anything. Skipping communion is almost totally unnoticeable and is a totally private affair-it might not even mean you sinned. It could just mean you aren’t in a good frame of mind. That public sign post is so much pressure.
I grew up with a very religious parent, and a very atheist parent. I consider myself an atheist, but I’m comfortable having conversations about religion, faith and others beliefs. This series had so many important conversations on God and death, and what faith is to everyone, including atheists. I still can’t stop thinking about it. Thanks for your two cents too, I love hearing peoples different perspectives on the show.
Bev was definitely a horrible character who was portrayed well.
As for movie recommendations, not sure if you've seen this German one titled in English "Stations of the Cross". I watched it once and the ending was disturbing. Had an uncomfortable feeling for days.
I’ll look it up… 👀
Really appreciate your unique perspective. "Haunting nostalgia" is a perfect description. As an ex-Catholic , I felt the same way. The familiar ceremony and tradition was comforting yet not. And then with the death monologue at the end, juxtaposed with the Catholic view of death and suffering, it fully expressed my current belief about death. I had never considered how well the vampire myth fit with the language of the Mass. The belief that we are truly eating flesh and drinking blood is so disturbing. Flanagan is brilliant!
I absolutely LOVED that show for so many reasons. The performances are off the charts.
Thank you for your views on Midnight Mass, very interesting. I finished watching the series a few days ago and it has stayed with me, it is literally haunting me. I was raised a catholic and attended convent schools, and even though now I’m an agnostic, I still can’t shake the belief that Catholicism is the only ‘true’ religion, it shows what indoctrination can do to you. I did find the various concepts of death described in the series fascinating and moving.
You were not indoctrinated. You were told the truth and that's the reason why you still can't shake it off. Truth is truth no matter how much you fight it. Please return to the church and give your life to Jesus. He wants you to be saved..
The congregation seemed more Evangelical Protestant than Roman Catholic to me, but that may be because I am more used to city and suburban parishes in the Northeast of the U.S. Although some may say that a particular relgion is the only truth, I just finished Pope Benedict' book, "Many Religions-One Covenant." In it, he says, "What we need, however, is respect for the beliefs of others and the readiness to look for truth in what strikes us as strange or foreign; for such truth can correct us and lead us farther along the path." (pg. 110). I think that Pope Francis has said something similar about God permitting many religions. They are two Popes, who differ in many ways, saying a similar thing. By the way, I am a practicing Catholic who attends Mass weekly when Covid allows.
@@piusochigbochristian1079 You have no right to tell people that. Your statement is a proof on how much brainwashed you are
I know I'm two years late to this video, but I thought Midnight Mass was great and remember it vividly. One thing that stuck me when watching it was the use of the song Ye Sons and Daughters, I think in the episode where Father Paul rose from the dead. I sing in a church choir, so my first reaction was, "You can't sing that before Easter! 'Alleluia' is right out from Ash Wednesday until Easter!" (I think that episode was Good Friday). But of course the music was drawing the parallel between the way the community reacted to Father Paul's resurrection and the days following Jesus' resurrection. I don't know if part of the point was also to point out that just as this modern-day "miracle" was being misunderstood by the community and seeming to begin to spawn a rather horrifying offshoot of Catholicism, so might Jesus' disciples and the community of that time misunderstood and misinterpreted Jesus' resurrection and put their own misguided direction on the early church. But the use of the song definitely pushed my thoughts in that direction.
Ye sons and daughters, let us sing!
The King of heav’n, the glorious King,
O’er death today rose triumphing.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
and (skipping a bunch of verses)
That night the apostles met in fear;
Amidst them came their Lord most dear,
And said, “My peace be on all here.”
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Im an immense Flanagan fan and this isbone of my faves. The catholic experience is always there with his productions but, as a Catholic raised girly myself, it was CHILLING to see faith going this far
I was raised to be a Christian and our community is a lot like yours by how you broke it down to to T 👏🏿😎
i loved the series, it was a little slow at first to me but i stuck with it and i'm glad i did. it for sure got trippy
Yeah!! But it was great character development in the end
Ah yes, Bev: the ultimate hypocrite.
"Do not cherry-pick the glories of God" *cherry-picks scripture to fit her reality*
As a convert to Catholicism (and now a “Trad” Catholic) I found MM to be almost fanatically hyperbolic (it’s horror I know) and completely confused about what type of Catholicism it’s trying to critique.
The majority of the time it feels like we’re watching Catholic characters written by charismatics.
Since I came from Mormonism the portrayal of the type of social contagion that “can” spread in isolated communities was very familiar to my former experience; yet completely alien to my “trad” Catholic experience. Example; nobody at my traditional Parish has ever asked why I didn’t receive communion. However if I attend a Novus Ordo liturgy and don’t receive, and don’t participate in the “sign of peace” people absolutely approach me afterwards, so to me the critique falls flat (unless it’s critiquing post V2 liturgy & culture and isn’t self aware enough to realize it).
Ultimately whether or not you believe in “the fall”, or God; man as a social creature is vulnerable to social and biological contagion. To borrow the Gnostic worldview, there’s no escaping this “prison of the flesh” except in death (if you’re Gnostic) or in Christ, if Catholic.
I pray the Truth & Life finds you again father. God Bless 🙏🏻
I'm a Catholic and it's sad to say there are real Bev Keene I have encountered in my life and I was really young when I started noticing these things. As I slowly grew up I made sure to stay as far away from them as possible. These kind of people really is a turn off for Catholic. When I was younger, I have experienced praying at 3:00pm and 6:00pm daily with my family. I miss doing these because I still remember I feel at peace - I can't really explain it. I can't fault people for my religion is not perfect because of the different understanding and interpretation of each individual. I may not be a devout Catholic but I will never change my religion for my prayers and my faith have saved me numerous times I would even consider it a miracle. Anyways I miss going to mass because of COVID. 🙏 Thank you for your review I didn't mean to rant but just like you the show resonated with me because the set up of the church and the community is so spot on. Oh, and I love horror films.
I am raised Jehovah's witnesses and I just had PTSD watching this... People will never understand that this could be what's happening in the organization but without out the vampire... Well I truly hope there is non🤦🏾♂️
Oh boy, I was also raised JW. I've seen some Bevs in Kingdom Hall.
I finished watching the series yesterday and I was freaked out like you. I grew up catholic, went to catholic school but I stop practicing when I was 18. I am now 36 and even tho I have not set foot in a catholic church for more than a decade I found myself reciting the prayers along with the show. That scared me more than the monster. They did a fantastic job recreating mass.
So as a former Catholic Priest, can you answer me this question that has been on my mind for decades? If Alcoholics are addicted to alcohol, are Catholics addicted to cats?
Thank you for your perspective! I (Italian) watched it with my American bf; we're both atheist now, but unlike him, I grew up Catholic in a Catholic country. The accuracy of this series was uncanny for me - extremely boring for him in the early episodes.
I loved Bev character: her unbreakable conviction that everything makes sense according to the Bible is so realistic! It feels like being part of a Nostradamus-worshipping cult.
I also found myself having to explain to my bf the meaning of sitting during Communion, or why there were no nuns.
I felt the same… I was explaining a lot in the beginning. Many people that I know, who weren’t very Catholic before, found the series extremely slow and boring in the beginning. From my perspective, I thought it was perfect in its timing.
Bev was super jealous of Father Paul so much so that she killed him by poisoning him with the water and food. I'm sure she justified it somehow with scripture LMAO. You could see it on her face during the first miracle. She was seething.
She didn't poison or kill him...he died because he was becoming a vampire. It's a huge part of vampire lore. Vampires are undead...to fully transform into a vampire, you have to die first. Paul died because he had consumed so much vampire blood that he finally turned into one, and it further cemented his belief that he had come upon the power of resurrection like it was described in the Bible. All the townspeople who turn into vampires die when they drink at the Easter midnight mass, and of course Riley dies a particularly gruesome death after the "angel" attacks him, gets his neck broken, and is "resurrected" as a vampire. Also Bev wasn't jealous of Father Paul, he was the only person she actually liked and she was devoted to him until the end when he tried to stop her because he finally realized the madness that he had inflicted upon the town.
Loved midnight mass, who dont!!!
In that scene Jim Jones moment. Crazy
Dude! Yes. All of the yes.
I'll supply that the likening of Jesus to a vampire is bloody (haha) genius.
Eat my body, drink my blood, become eternal.
Where is the difference, really?
Where is it?
"All who have seen angels are at first afraid."
Why though? Why would we need to be told not to be scared of something holy, something here to help us?
Everything throughout the series was so relatable--so on point.
I believe in God. I even taught Sunday School in my teens. But I've never, not once, felt comfortable at church. The look Bev continues to give is exactly what I saw on everyone's face: Dead eyes and a plastic smile.
Just to add to my oversharing...
When my mom died suddenly, a church counselor had the gall to tell my father that it was his fault. That his faith wasn't strong enough to protect her. It almost killed him too. And that sound, the off kilter violin... I heard it. I can't explain how, but I've heard that piece of noise my entire life, infact, when I know something is bone deep wrong.
That ending mass where certain characters realize that the message is in all reality terrifying was excellent in its execution. Looking around, searching for the confirmation on someone, anyone's, face as you try to contain your horror because something here is not right... Woof. So relatable.
Loved your review! Thank you. 😊
I love hearing this perspective on a religious horror series, especially how little mundane things that do happen in normal churches are emphasized just enough to turn it into paranoia, horror, etc. Like the communion thing, you just hit the nail on the head right there.
Whoever experienced the incredible sense of constant guilt that roman catholicism ingrains in you will find that this show effectively reveals the horrifying mystery of faith of this religion: communion/cannibalism.
As a Catholic church musician, I'm a little dismayed the organist didn't choose to go down with the ship and stay in the church while it burned.
I think most viewers were seething with frustration at the woman who represented religious fervor at its most mindless and destructive. I know I was. I wanted to reach through the screen and knock her unconscious before she could poison anyone else.
I'm happy that so many shows and movies are exposing this madness, albeit in fictional form, just as I'm happy that so much gay representation in entertainment is shifting people's attitudes and beliefs. I do sometimes wonder how long it's going to take for the human race to grow up, though.
I'm sorry they tried to twist you out of shape and make you hate yourself, but I'm happy that you didn't let them do it and that you escaped from it all.
I'm sure your videos will add to the pool of experience which other victims of religion can draw on to help them do the same as you, even if there might be emotional bruising that has to be dealt with afterwards.
Bev was a kind of Renfield character to Father Paul. She just put ones teeth on edge. She has such a need to have importance and a place of power on her ant hill island. Father Paul is a devastating character. He's a speaker of great charisma. His very intonation is stunning. There is a certain theater involved in keeping a congregation...'coming back'. It was riveting listening to him. I would have been affected at a certain point in my life. Why, even as I listened now to this actor, I could feel the current. Great job!
All the above from a graduate in Study of Religions UCLA. Father Paul crossed the line from Shepard into cult leader. Fascinating series...weirdly touching ending.
I was bought up in a Catholic orphanage. Cardinal Mc Klosys in White Plains NY. No complaints. It was just my strange little world : > No longer practicing in that way, but thankful I landed there for a time.
you talked right upfront about how you found yourself singing the Hymm along with everyone there....i loved how they used hymns as an almost juxtpoposition to what was happening...When you listen to a lot of the word and sentiment in hymns there is rarely "doctrine" but instead "longing" almost a longing for understanding...The version of "Were you there" just had me in tears....it was an amazing show, and i cant wait for the next Netflix show he is doing...Fall of the House of Usher
Thank you for your perspective! I was raised Catholic and have since departed from the faith with a perspective I found kindred to Riley’s character. I loved watching it and seeing familiar elements, but feel as if on a broader scale, it’s universally relatable in the vein of fanaticism. Characters like Bev are so disgusting because they represent the far end of any belief structure; blindly manipulating scripture to fit their own agenda. I appreciated Sheriff Hassan’s perspective as someone who had also read the Bible, understood it, peacefully chose to separate his religion from actions relating to educating and governing the people of the island, and then was still treated with such hate for standing up to the fanatic faction.
(Spoiler ahead)
I saw the monster as a personified version of fanaticism. It’s covert. It is insidious. And by the time it has gone too far, everyone has been victimized by the evil or become the source of the evil itself. Even the ambiguous ending with the “Angel” flying off into the night was telling. Fanaticism is never really gone. It doesn’t die. It may lose power, but it will rise again under the right circumstances.
Lord God please save him!
Mike Flannigan is amazing!
As an ex-Catholic (now atheist) who has family in a very progressive congregation and whose father went through the seminary during a really revolutionary time (I grew up learning about primacy of conscience) this show tapped into some really visceral things for me. My parents current church isn’t the church I grew up in. The woman who led my confirmation group was a Bev. I knew I was gay from an early age and my archdiocesan youth group leader told me love the sinner and hate the sin when I asked him about the church’s stance.
Midnight Mass shows that faith can move people to acts of amazing humanity and grotesque horror, and in it the latter is more common than the former (a thing which to me appears to be more true than its mirror). Anyway, thank you for this video. I’m glad I found your channel.
Dang. I’m sure we have had similar experiences in our pasts. I’m happy that you found my channel too. This series has really stuck with some people… and Im happy that I was able to watch it.
I hope to hear from you again!!
@@iamjudasproject Definitely 🙂
Gay ex-Catholics tend to find/build community with each other. Catholics are very misunderstood in the the states and there’s something unique to being gay and having been brought up in Mother Church. I’m also black so that’s also a wild experience in The Church. I’m at the point where I’m deconstructing my vocabulary because atheists who grew up Christian still default to cultural Christianity. I was fortunate to grow up in a family that encouraged my exploration of other religions and faiths, and to live in a Jewish community so I’m always aware of the way Christianity shapes the way I move through the world.
I hope to have more conversations with you.
I really like how the Sheriff told his son that God doesn't do transactions to relieve suffering... You don't pray to get your Jeanie wish, & for me that was one of the messages from the movie, nothing more I wish than for that wretched degenerate creature to feel the holy light AKA the sun, also nice video, great perspective!!
The church misses you!
There is always a single middle aged holier than thou woman who follows the priests everywhere. Whether in Kuala Lumpur or in Crockett. It's the same everywhere haha.
As a former SSPX member this series was simultaneously so hard to get through but also so hard to turn away from. It was accurate and I could see this happening at my old church. Just like you said, it was unsettling nostalgia.
Yes. Same. Hahaha
I love EP 3. That focused on Monsignor Pruitt the most and he's the best, most complex character in that story. There's almost no villain in the story; even the vampire wasn't that menacing compared to the normal, very predictable religious zealots like Bev Keane. That's the genius of the story. All the human frailties and the results of their decisions and remorse afterwards when it doesn't go according to plan were so believable. Awesome execution.
Recently I went to a funeral to say goodbye to my friend. His service quickly became a recruitment drive for his family's church. He wasn't very active, but he was big on making them happy. At one point the preacher delivering the eulogy(that started out "I never met brother "), said "Stand up if you stand up for Jesus!".... As an Athiest, I stayed seated. People started giving me prayer books and cards, and after I was witnessed. I know they meant well and I was polite, but I just wanted to say goodbye to my friend.
I am orthodox, and our doctrine seems way less intense, judging by the show, this commentary, and things shared by people here. It was so interesting to observe the empasis on a community when clearly the comaraderie is not natural. Just like in families guilt and "obligation" for everyone to share advice without true understanding of a person's struggle, which was part of the horror for me. I had a teacher on a comparative discipline of mythology and religion and their influence on cinema and stories in general. It was my favorite class, now when I think of it, it resembled mass, because he would share perspectives on connections between traditions and scripture, and show us a movie that we would then discuss. One time, he shared that he was in Seminary as well, and even then was trying to understand God not only by the teachings available to him. He received an invitation to travel to and visit Mecca, and he was literally jumping out of joy all the way to the walls of the city, where he suddenly realized that entering the holy place, would "turn" him Muslim, as it's an act of faith. Another person saw him standing there like a beaten animal and struck a conversation. He heard my teacher's concern and gave him a warm smile, put a hand over his heart, and briefly said, "It only matters what's here." This is something so strong and sincere, that no ritual, tradition, baptism, communion, or story can interfere with a person's authentic connection to spirituality. Probably, this is why I just had my second run of the show, because it shows the same thing - the outside signs of being "holy" (I am looking at you Bev Keane) mean nothing in comparison with inner workings of belief and personal motivation. This film is one of the instances where most people that dream of making movies go "FFS, I WISH I DID THAT" due to the amount of intent, philosophy, preparation, and undeniable genius in the choices made by the authors.
hey I thumbed up! I liked what you said from the perspective that you have. I had to look at it more objectively although yes I too was "pressured" into certain things... ah yes, and I can't say in detail lol.
I do like this movie from the 90s have you heard of it?, Stigmata (1999)... obviously of religious subject put in horror format but is barely horror... I found it fun. If you're still watching films, check it out maybe.
I wasn’t raised Catholic but I was raised very religious so a lot of the ritual went a bit over my head but the preaching and hymns were very familiar. I did feel like Pruitt preached more like a Southern Baptist pastor than a Catholic priest but I’ve only been to a mass like once. My denomination which I left while I was still a kid disliked and disapproved of Catholics to the point that they were not considered Christians mainly due to the role Saints play in Catholicism and the perception of people praying to them
I agree that the preaching style and even the final hymn, "Nearer My God To Thee" seemed more like the those of certain Protestant denominations than Catholic. You have a good ear for those subtle distinctions.
I liked this perspective, and you seem pretty young so mixing up the cults is understandable, but you conflated Heaven’s Gate and the People’s Temple (Jim Jones).
Heaven’s Gate were the purple-clad self-castrated dudes who offed themselves to board a UFO hiding in the tail of the Hale-Bopp comet. The Jonestown mass suicide was way back in 1978. Coincidentally, Jim Jones was a Catholic I think, though I don’t think any of his practices toward the end bore any semblance to Catholicism.
Former altar boy here, smalltown New Zealand. Also an alcoholic & drug addict so this show got me both ways! Father Paul & Riley, man did I *get* those characters.
I wouldn't shut up about this brilliant show when it aired. *Couldn't* shut up about it. I feel ya, not-Priest-anymore ;)
I mean, I WAS A DAMN IRISH CATHOLIC ALTAR BOY... ATHEIST...CURRENTLY DEALING WITH ADDICTION RECOVERY.. DAMN YOU FLANAGAN...!!!
😂
What I love most about this show is that it has a perspective from every single angle. Different people with their different beliefs is put in there. I relate mostly with Erin. My faith and belief in God is like her. I have my belief, not because of a religious institution, but I may attend church every now and then, and I cant stand overbearing religious nuts. Im very much functioning in my own lane like her. And her monologue at the end about what happens when we die is so spot on for me!
I found your commentary really really interesting. I was brought up muslim but no longer consider myself religious so it's really fascinating to hear your view on this show as it kind of gives me an insight into the catholic perspective of this show. I watched Midnight Mass just because my housemate was watching it and I did not expect to love it as much as I did. As you said the cinematography is amazing and the slowburn and horror of the story is really well built up but I was most impressed by the muslim representation. Having been brought up in a muslim household and around a very muslim community and lots of muslim family and friends I am very much aware of islamophobia. I haven't experienced too much personally (my name isn't too noticeably arabic, and I pass as white) but I know a lot of people who have, to varying levels of extremity. I am also very aware whenever I watch any media with a muslim character how often they fall into the tropes of terrorist or subservient oppressed wife etc. So the character of Sheriff Hassan was really refreshing for me, as well as how they accurately presented muslim prayer etc. His monologue to Sarah about islamophobia really struck me and made me so happy and relieved to hear the experiences of so many people I know put into words in a medium where they are usually reduced to stereotypes. Anyways sorry for rambling it was just interesting to hear how other people relate to this show from completely different backgrounds and I wanted to share my perspective of how this show affected me as well. Thank you for posting!
Wow!! Thank you for sharing that. It makes me think that they really put in the work to (more or less) give an accurate representation of both of the religions.
In the end, it wasn’t about bashing the religions. It was just showing these events and how these people may have reacted in real life. It blew my mind.
Thanks for watching!! ❤️
Rahul Kohli, who played the Sheriff, asked to consult his Muslim friend so he would portray the religion accurately. Mike Flanagan paid the friend for his work. That’s wonderful.
This is a show that doesn't need a review as much as it needs an exegesis! The way scripture was not only regularly and explicitly cited but also thematically and symbolically inverted throughout was amazing. Its one of the most complex takes on a Passion Play I think I've ever seen. So many layers that only come through when you've had time to really dwell on it.
If you do do a second rewatch, I'd be very interested to see you do a spoiler full video where you go in depth on it all.
Yeah. The correlation between the Different ceremonies of Holy Week and what was happening in the community was really well done.
@@iamjudasproject I also loved the parallels with the healing of the lame man, and the inversion of the virgin birth. How while some miracles were being explicitly replicated, although by demonic means and so were inherently subverted, others were being subtly twisted in awful ways that went unnoticed by the community at large.
Also, thinking back, I find it interested that on the whole it was Old Testament that was quoted and New Testament that was enacted.
You thought it was demonic?
It’s interesting, it was the priest who attributed the creature’s actions to God… it doesn’t appear that he even said one word. Just like how “random evil actions” are put under the perspective of “gods will” throughout the series, so too they forced the actions of the creature to something divine.
So many layers to unravel!! ❤️
I am excited to see the series again!!
@@iamjudasproject I think it was certainly an entity that the average Catholic priest who was not suffering from fear, blood loss and advanced dementia would construe as demonic. And that this show certainly played strongly on the idea that the demonic takes whatever God does and inverts it, saying the Lord's Prayer backwards and all that.
That said I don't think this was some demonic force sent explicitly to test the faith of Paul and the community. Whatever this entity was, I think it's meeting with Paul was entirely coincidental and random, that it saw a chance and exploited it, and as you said, was eager in particular to take advantage of Paul's stubborn insistence on viewing everything through a hyper religious lens.
The communication issue is an interesting one as well. Although the "angel" never speaks, Paul seems somehow able to communicate with it. He must have been able to because how else did he explain how to put the chasuble on and when to make the most dramatic entrance (God I'd love to have seen Paul getting his angel all dressed up for the big night). But it seemed like Paul was sure he was getting some form of communication in return, despite the silence. An interesting parallel to prayer; at least Paul had a "God" he could physically see, if not physically hear. But then, apparently in this case seeing was not enough to stimulate the correct belief - that this thing is totally a vampire and NOT an emmissary of God.
As a Christian, this show moved me a lot. It is not an anti-christian movie. I saw this as a movie aimed at believers to be careful about false prophets who come to seduce you with so called miracles and end up stealing your soul. Not everyone saying "I'm from God" is from God. Always be on the alert, trust the holy spirit only not the men even if it's your beloved pastor, priest.
Oh and many people see this movie as a metaphor. It's not. These kind of things do exist. Priests, pastors that take their powers from entities ( djinns, fallen angels or whatever poweful entity they have access to ) just to gain more followers, money, glory or like the father in the movie because they think it will help them and their parishes. It happens more times than you would believe.
One thing I found uncharacteristic of the religious element was how much Scripture was used for the script, albeit sneakily incongruous... never in my 23 years as a passionate Catholic did I hear ANYONE quote The Bible, other than the priest during Mass. Okay I'll stop commenting now. I could talk about the show for hours lol!
I think the director was trying to reach a larger audience than just Catholics… I agree about quoting scripture, but many other Christian denominations had that. It’s the spirit of Bev that counts and what I can relate to. Besides that, I think they did a phenomenal job in representing Catholicism. ❤️
I used to get the quoting allllll the time as an ex Christian
The ending was heavy. Erins philosophy on death was deep. Some of that was from Carl Sagans Cosmos. The idea about the universe experiencing itself through us.
Sorry I only just now got around to watching Midnight Mass
The character of Bev is really chilling and really reminds me of people I’ve known. The thing about her and her sort that always strikes me is the inherant narcissism of believing that billions of people have come and gone on this planet but YOU are the one that is baring witness and playing a role in the end times. If and when the end times come any truly spiritual person would (I would hope) humbly struggle to believe that they are actually chosen/part of prophecy.
The people that are quick to believe they are the ones . . . beware.
As someone who grew up quite religious, I now do not go to church, but I do still pray regularly.
However, I loved this show , and definitely knew some Bev's , and knew people like a few other characters, too.
Icansee why I distanced myself and practice my faith as I see fit.
I grew up in a small Baptist town of less than 100 people. It's not really exclusive to Catholicism. Any small, insular community is going to have some "cult-like" elements. That's just the way they live.
Yeah!! I totally get that. There are common threads in all those types of communities.
So, I’m very late to seeing this because, ahem, I think well your content isn’t typical content for me and because I’m unlike probably majority of viewers, a current practicing Catholic who lives IN a fairly small community, Anchorage, Alaska. But I am so glad I found your review specifically. I truly enjoyed this show. It wasn’t haunting for me, and probably because of all of the many reasons you list. It almost felt like “home” watching it. Small churches, everyone knowing one another, I found myself singing the hymns as well with a smile on face even lol (as morbid as that may sound in this context), my previous parish, as we moved at the end of last year across town even IS St. Patrick’s. But, I’m especially glad I found your video review because I enjoyed it so much and because since I’m fairly devout, and so are the people I surround myself with are as well usually, they don’t tend to watch “horror” and nor do I. This show wasn’t horror for me until the end episodes, it was more interesting and nuanced all the way through and I’ve been dying to talk to or hear someone else’s thoughts on it lol. Unfortunately, as you also talk about in this review, it’s the silent albeit somewhat well meaning generally judging of others that prevented me from speaking openly with others (aside from my husband) about it. People like Bev, exist and while they may not be who I spend my “free time” with, they often work themselves into integral pillars of Church society, and while I haven’t met a person I’ve actually disagreed with to a meaningful extent within the church thus far (at my Parishes), I certainly don’t want to attract that kind of attention and audience lol. So thanks for your video! 😊
Oh hey, the algorithm did something useful again. This is a really cool perspective to hear.
Midnight Mass was a hell of a trip for me, and definitely what solidified me as a Mike Flanagan fan. I was raised catholic but had the fortune(?) of finding myself in a primarily moderate parish so I didn't have to deal directly with these kind of people frequently but I certainly KNEW all these people. My kind and understanding mother has consistently had at least one Bev as a close friend, so her cruelty and ego were viscerally familiar to me.
What was the significance of Bev complaining about Paul wearing the wrong color chasuble please?
Fascinating analysis of a fascinating show. Religion, at least the evangelistic ones, makes people into Amway salesmen. Father Paul's always gotta be closing. He's always going to bring it back around to how you need some Nutrilite vitamins to get you right.