Horror TV shows have often had the reputation of having too many jumps, scares and recurring tropes, making the genre not among the most popular among viewers. But 'The Midnight Club' has taken a complete U-turn from the stereotypes of a typical horror show, and in its ways, it has been quite successful.
The television show was created for Netflix by Mike Flanagan and Leah Fong, the former already involved in the successful anthology series 'The Haunting.'
The show, since its release, has received critical acclaim for having a one-off plotline and for representing teenagers suffering from chronic illnesses, a demographic that hasn't found much representation in television history.
The story revolves around Ilonka, a teenager with thyroid cancer who, after learning that her condition is incurable, finds out about a hospice that focuses on optimizing the lives of teenagers suffering from terminal illnesses who do not have much time on this earth. Ilonka befriends a group of other people in the place, with Anya, Kevin, Sandra, Natsuki, and Spencer among the notables.
The teenagers assemble at a secret place inside the hospice every midnight and tell each other horror stories; the name of their club is 'The Midnight Club.'
Afterward, Ilonka learns about some secrets of the hospice, and a few paranormal events ensue in the lives of the teenagers. The show is supposed to run for a few more seasons.
The show is aesthetically quite pleasing and has been able to capture the anguish and agonies of each of the characters, which makes the viewer sympathize with them and relate to them.
Despite incorporating a lot of non-supernatural elements that add to the overall beauty of the series, the writer never shies away from using old-school supernatural elements like cults and ghostly apparitions, despite the fact that the show hardly has anything resembling a jump-scare.
'The Midnight Club' is certainly one of the best, if not the best, horror shows to be released this year and has grief and sadness poetically and poignantly woven into the horror set-up. It certainly is the kind of show that will make people who previously despised the genre love it.
