The Midnight Club - General Discussion

[AnimeMania]

To those before.
To those after.
To us now.
And to those beyond.
Seen or unseen.
Here but not here.

The Midnight Club is a 10 episode Horror Series streaming on Netflix, with all episodes being released on October 7, 2022. The Midnight Club is based on a book series by the same name by Christopher Pike started in 1994.

The TV Series will incorporate not just The Midnight Club books, but other works of Pike, like Witch (1990), about a girl with mystical abilities who tries to prevent her catastrophic visions from coming true; Gimme a Kiss (1988), in which a bullied student fakes her own death as part of a twisted revenge scheme; The Wicked Heart (1993), which follows the trail of a high school serial killer whose preferred weapon is a hammer; 

and Road to Nowhere (1993), in which a heartbroken young woman running away from her life picks up two eerie hitchhikers.

Set in 1994, At the Brightcliffe Hospice, a medical facility where teenagers with terminal illnesses go to die, this manor has a mysterious history. Here lives the 8 members of The Midnight Club, a group of patients who meet each night at midnight in the Brightcliffe library to share sinister stories of intrigue and horror – and to look for signs of the supernatural from the beyond.

Is the rumor true, passed from patient to patient that a living shadow prowls the halls of Brightcliffe, that might be death itself, and as you reach the end of your life, this living shadow, gets closer and closer to you. The Midnight Club have all made a pact that the first of them to die would make every effort to contact the others from beyond the grave.

"The Midnight Club" (L to R) Ilonka, Kevin, Sandra, Anya, Cheri Ian, Spencer, Natsuki, and Amesh 

Igby Rigney as Kevin, who used to be a popular track athlete in high school. Once Kevin is diagnosed with his terminal illness, he starts to lose those relationships and his physical prowess. Kevin is earnest, thoughtful, and has to tap into wisdom that is beyond his years as he deals with his terminal diagnosis. Kevin tells the story "The Wicked Heart" about a teenage serial killer.


Iman Benson as Ilonka, a smart high school senior headed to Stanford until she’s diagnosed with terminal thyroid cancer. She and Kevin feel cosmically drawn towards each other.

Annarah Cymone as Sandra is one of the Brightcliffe patients who uses her unwavering religious faith to deal with her diagnosis.

Ruth Codd as Anya, She has had her a lower-leg amputed and is in a wheelchair. She is the rebel of the group.

Aya Furukawa as Natsuki, she is very artistic and creative, but has faced a tough life due to her stuggles with mental health.

Sauriyan Sapkota as Amesh, a video game nerd with a kind heart, he is always looking for ways to make people laugh.  


Adia as Cheri Ian, living in the lap of luxury until her diagnosis, her Hollywood parents are just a little too busy, so Brightcliffe Hospice was a good alternative.  

William Chris Sumpter as Spencer, who come out to his conservative family after being diagnosed with HIV. His parents kick him out of the house. Mark hearing of Spencer’s situation brings him to Brightcliffe where he works.

Zach Gilford as Nurse Mark, a nurse practitioner responsible for supervising the terminal kids' daily treatments at Brightcliffe and lending a sympathetic ear to those in need.

Heather Langenkamp as Dr. Georgia Stanton, the enigmatic lead doctor who runs the hospice for young adults.

Samantha Sloyan as Shasta, a free-spirited neighbor of Brightcliffe. She runs her own naturopathic company, using natural ingredients she finds in the woods to develop medicine.

Matt Biedel as Tim, Ilonka's guardian

Larsen Thompson as Julia

Rahul Kohli

William B. Davis

Crystal Balint

Patricia Drake

Kate Siegel

[AnimeMania]

[AnimeMania]

[AnimeMania]

[AnimeMania]

The Midnight Club   October 7, 2022    Netflix

Episodes 1-10   Titles and Descriptions

Spoiler

S01.E01: The Final Chapter 

When cancer cancels her plans for college, star student Ilonka finds a sliver of hope at Brightcliffe, a mysterious hospice for terminally ill teens.


S01.E02: The Two Danas 

Anya brings bitterness to a tense group therapy session, and Ilonka meets a healer on the grounds. A deep cut sends a shaken Spencer to the infirmary.

S01.E03: The Wicked Heart 

Family Day at Brightcliffe brings news from home — but not for everyone. A series of strange clues lead Ilonka down a path of startling discoveries.

S01.E04: Gimme a Kiss 

The club explores a hidden chamber, where Sandra's unsettled by items in the room. A voice calls to Spence through the intercom. Anya sees a dark shadow.

S01.E05: See You Later 

Ilonka digs deeper into Brightcliffe's mysteries — and receives an unexpected gift. Later that night, the club gathers for Amesh's "Death Day" party.


S01.E06: Witch 

With Anya's health hanging in the balance, Ilonka and the others move quickly to perform a ritual from the Midnight Club's past.

S01.E07: Anya 

Anya's eyes open to a strange new reality. Ilonka blames herself for a crushing loss... then overhears a conversation that could change everything.

S01.E08: Road to Nowhere

Armed with new information, Ilonka is determined to find answers. Shasta extends an intriguing offer. The club convenes to find the library doors locked.

S01.E09: The Eternal Enemy

Kevin confesses he s been seeing things. Dispiriting news sends Ilonka away from Brightcliffe, but an optimistic Shasta urges her to go back.

S01.E10: Midnight 

Dr. Stanton reprimands Ilonka the following morning, revealing more about Julia Jayne. Sandra says her goodbyes. At long last, Kevin concludes his story.

[Anela]

I’ve watched the first episode, and I like these kids.  They’re also around the same age as me, given the year it’s set in.  The music, the outfits, scary stories being told at midnight. :) 

[krankydoodle]

I've been disappointed by the last few Mike Flanagan series, but this one is off to a good start. It helps that I have a lot of affection for Christopher Pike's books even though some of them got pretty ridiculous.

I really like Ilonka, Amesh, and Anya. Kevin seems kind of bland so far and it's too soon to say about the others. But it's nice to see Heather Langenkamp onscreen again, and in something similar to her Dream Warriors role.

[Shorty186]

This 90s soundtrack is my life. I was born in the 80s but 90s alternative is my absolute fave. 

[millennium]

7 hours ago, Shorty186 said:

This 90s soundtrack is my life. I was born in the 80s but 90s alternative is my absolute fave. 

I think they're using my Spotify.

[NeenerNeener]

Damn, this thing is sad. But I guess, considering the premise, that's to be expected.

[PurpleTentacle]

I'm on episode 5. This show is really good so far.

But I'm a bit confused with this episode. In the story that is told, the present-part seems to be in 1994, as all other stories are and as indicated by Sega Genesis games being sold and the looks of the cars. But the ISS didn't begin construction until 1998.

It was announced in late 1993, so Amesh could have absolutely known about it, but I'm still wondering why nobody of the other kids questioned what it was or why it was already on orbit when Genesis games were the hot new thing. In general I guess I'm wondering if the writers just made a mistake or if I'm not getting something.

-

Unrelated, I hope Spence can hold on for another year. Because if he can do that, he'll likely live to be an old man.

That is of course if they aren't all killed by ghosts or demons or whatever is in that house, before this is all over.

-

I'm wondering if the doctor might be that cult leader and she is syphoning life energy from the dying teens. Then again, would that be too obvious?

Edited October 9, 2022 by PurpleTentacle

[Anela]

5 hours ago, PurpleTentacle said:

-

I'm wondering if the doctor might be that cult leader and she is syphoning life energy from the dying teens. Then again, would that be too obvious?

I wondered, too. When the one girl started talking about that - that she could be evil, not as kind as she seemed - I laughed, because I'd been thinking the same thing. 

[PurpleTentacle]

So I'm finished with the season. Interesting that this seems to be angeling for a second season. Seems like everything else the creator has done was one and done. I hope they get it, but then end the story after that. You don't want to drag this out too long and also Netflix has a habit of cancelling shows after two to three seasons.

I'm a bit sad that Anya won't be there. She was my favourite character.

I hope we can maybe see Spence's "friend" next season. They were very cute together in the story he told and he seems to have forgiven him, for having given him HIV. Like I said, I still hope Spence lives and I think he has a good chance. Same goes for his friend.

At the moment my working theory is, that all the greek stuff is just superstition and not real at all. But that the toshi no taberu hito (which don't actually exist in japanese folklore, as far as I can tell) are real. Although it is curious that the two people who really studied the photos in the hallway, are the only ones who can see them. Maybe it's really just their meds making them hallucinate, and there is nothing supernatural at all.

My working theory with the doctor has changed with the stinger at the end of the last episode. I think she is the daughter of the cult leader, who came back to the house to do something good there, to make up for her mothers crimes. I actually think her motives are pure.

Edited October 9, 2022 by PurpleTentacle

[Shorty186]

I'm not sure why I never read any Christopher Pike books as this was the same time period I was reading "Goosebumps." But the premise of this show is super similar to "Are You Afraid of the Dark" (the original). They even called themselves the Midnight Society, although obviously that was G-rated and no one had a terminal illness. 

I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. From the trailer, I thought it was gonna be PG-level tame. I hope it does get a second season and we're introduced to new club members. I also think the doctor is probably Athena.

[I-Kare]

First five episodes? Awesome! But I'm now at the end of episode 8 and for some reason it's shifted from awesome to "tedious" for me. I'm still going to finish out the season of course, but I'm not even sure why these last few episodes haven't been as good for me. 

[millennium]

I'm on episode 2 or 3, which I interrupted halfway through to go do something else without a second thought.   The premise of terminal teens in a strange old house telling personal ghost stories is intriguing but the main character, Ilonka, is tremendously boring.   Maybe it's the role, maybe it's the actress, I don't know.   I read a review of the show before trying it.   The reviewer called it "very binge-able" or something like that, but I'm not feeling it.  

[paulvdb]

Same for me. There were many times during the season where I just took a break before I continued. Most episodes did have a cliffhanger ending that made me want to start watching the next one, but I took a lot of breaks in the middle of episodes to do something else. With really binge-able shows I only take breaks to get something to eat or drink or go to the bathroom. And sometimes to sleep depending on the total runtime and what time I start watching. For very binge-able shows I often stay up a bit later than usual if I have only 1 or 2 episodes remaining.

[Anela]

Was that a sign from Anya? The statue?

[paulvdb]

Or maybe Dr. Stanton fixed it or replaced it. Not sure why she would do that. But the fixed statue seems a bit of a low-key sign from Anya considering that she mentioned multiple times that if there was an afterlife she'd send an undeniable sign (or something along those lines). Ilonka would never have even noticed the fixed statue if Anya's friend hadn't visited to get some of Anya's stuff.

Of course it was easy for Anya to say that, but even if there is an afterlife there was no way for Anya to know if it would be easy or even possible at all to send any sort of message to the world of the living.

[Anela]

I liked it, didn't love the whole series. I'm depressed in general, but it is really sad that the kids will actually die. I thought something was up with the lady on the property next-door, but sacrificing people - including a teenage girl - in order to hopefully heal yourself again, is downright evil. 

I ended up finding it annoying, when the kids kept going against what Stanton asked of them, but they're also teenagers who would be drawn to anything like that. Especially if it would help their friends. 

I like the idea that the statue was a sign, so I'm just going with it. 

[Mabinogia]

18 hours ago, I-Kare said:

First five episodes? Awesome! But I'm now at the end of episode 8 and for some reason it's shifted from awesome to "tedious" for me. I'm still going to finish out the season of course, but I'm not even sure why these last few episodes haven't been as good for me. 

I made it to ep 7 before I realized I was bored and not paying attention anymore. 

One of the things that bugged me was them hitting me over the head with the idea that Anya being a total asshole to everyone was a sign of how strong she was. I am pretty sure it was the ep that focused on her that was the nail in the coffin for me. I was done after that. I already figured out the "twist" with the neighbor and while I liked the rest of the kids well enough I wasn't truly invested in any of them for some reason. I read how it ends and don't feel disappointed that I didn't stick around. 

It was very well acted, and the sets were stunning. I liked the idea of a group of terminal youths gathering to tell ghost stories that are meant to show us some insight into their personalities or lives, but for some reason it just didn't click with me. 

[jmonique]

It took me far too long to realize that nearly every story was actually a Christopher Pike book, of which I read many as a teen in the 90s. 

As someone with cancer, much of this hit home, especially the nausea meds with nausea as a side effect. True story.

Spence was my favorite; Illonka was annoying; I'm OK with Anya missing from any future possible seasons.

ETA:

Janitor (as he's credited), about Anya: "Your friend? She lived deep. And she was kind."

LOL, OK, Janitor man. I'm assuming that was in the 5 months before we saw.

Edited October 10, 2022 by jmonique

[PurpleTentacle]

12 hours ago, jmonique said:

Janitor (as he's credited), about Anya: "Your friend? She lived deep. And she was kind."

Yeah, she certainly wasn't kind. But she was fiercely loyal. Her whole speach in episode two about how they didn't do the pity thing there and her talking about how people out there called him having AIDS a punishment from god, so they specifically wouldn't make a destinction between their cancer and what he has, when Spence cut himself, endeared her to me and made me forgive her rough edges. YMMV, I guess.

[raeb23]

On 10/9/2022 at 12:30 PM, PurpleTentacle said:

I think she is the daughter of the cult leader, who came back to the house to do something good there, to make up for her mothers crimes.

I also think that Stanton is Athena. She's following in her mother's footsteps somewhat, but not in the way Regina wanted her to - she's using science instead of faith.

I didn't really see the show as angling for a second season though...the teens have come to terms with their fates and nothing supernatural actually seems to be going on at Brightcliff. The final scene cleared up the only remaining questions for me.

[PurpleTentacle]

20 minutes ago, raeb23 said:

I didn't really see the show as angling for a second season though...the teens have come to terms with their fates and nothing supernatural actually seems to be going on at Brightcliff. The final scene cleared up the only remaining questions for me.

The final scenes were obvious cliffhangers. Also the creator has already said that he hopes for a second season.

[Black Knight]

I hope they do get a second season. There are plenty more Christopher Pike books to use for the midnight stories! They did a couple of my favorites in this season (See You Later and Witch), and I'd love to see them do my other favorites. I liked the meta about how stupid the herpes motive was. Pike is an EP for the show, and it appears he has a sense of humor instead of being precious about his work.

I watched the show over the space of two days and generally liked it. The main issue it had, for me, is that when Anya departed the canvas there was a loss of energy. But the kids noted in the finale that the empty seats will eventually be filled with new people, so there is the opportunity to fix that by introducing a couple new kids.

I disliked the decision for the camera to be pulling so far away from the kids when Ilonka was explaining to them about Anya's statue. It really robbed the moment of the cathartic effect it should have engendered.

I guessed a couple of episodes before the end that the doctor was likely the daughter of the cult leader. It was cool to see her tattoo at the end.

[PurpleTentacle]

On 10/14/2022 at 8:27 PM, Black Knight said:

The main issue it had, for me, is that when Anya departed the canvas there was a loss of energy.

It's probably not going to happen, but I'd still like for Spence's old boyfriend to get there. That would be an interesting dynamic. We know that he has HIV as well, so if it progesses to AIDS he'd have a good reason to be there and I assume he has to have been somewhat local right? While Spence's story was taking place in college I don't think he actually did go to college yet, did he?

[Brn2bwild]

Just finished watching this: one thing that struck me was that Regina Ballard might have "cured" Julia Jayne by putting herself into Julia.  Regina had the same long hair, spoke with the same tone, and used the same expressions ("bright girl").  I don't think it was simply Julia's homage to Regina that she used the "bright girl" phrase so frequently.  I think that was Regina, and if Ilonka had drunk the tea, "Julia" would have absorbed her essence, too.   

I enjoyed this series overall, as I typically do Mike Flanagan's works, with its lovely meditation on life and death.  However it was frustrating to see them stretch out the mystery by not having, say, Ilonka ask the questions it would have been so natural to ask in the moment.  Such as:

"Why does Julia's journal have bloody handprints?  That doesn't seem good."

"Why was Dr. Stanton crying over that photo in the hallway? Who is the woman she's crying about?"

"Julia, if you're so out and proud about your recovery, why did you lie to me about who you were?"

[When confronted by Dr. Stanton after Julia fled.] "How did you know that something bad would happen if I drank the tea?" 

"Who are the creepy man and woman who keep following us, and why are they hungry?  How am I able to sleep and be calm knowing those psychos are stalking me?"

Edited October 16, 2022 by Brn2bwild

[Faceplant]

On 10/14/2022 at 2:27 PM, Black Knight said:

I hope they do get a second season. There are plenty more Christopher Pike books to use for the midnight stories! They did a couple of my favorites in this season (See You Later and Witch), and I'd love to see them do my other favorites. I liked the meta about how stupid the herpes motive was. Pike is an EP for the show, and it appears he has a sense of humor instead of being precious about his work.

I used to love Christopher Pike books as a teenager and couldn't wait for the next one to come out. I wish I had kept some of my paperbacks from back then. It would be interesting to reread some of them as an adult. I remember not liking his books as much when he veered more into science fiction. Final Friends series and Remember Me (the first one) were some of my favorites, but I wonder if they aged well. Gimme A Kiss was one of his earlier books and the herpes motive was pretty dumb. Scavenger Hunt was another favorite. It had a bit of a supernatural twist and a bittersweet ending. Whisper of Death started off really creepy, but ended up turning into some kind of anti-abortion propaganda. Did not enjoy any of his adult books - think one was about a woman who was god and another was about a mission to Mars. I just remember being bored with both. 

I had no idea Pike was an EP on the show. That's really cool. He always seemed so reclusive, only sharing a paragraph bio in the back of his books and using a pseudonym and all. Oh, I just remembered his books always used to include a chapter of the next book that would be coming out. That was fun.

I enjoyed the series overall. I remembered just enough of the source material for the stories to tell when they were leaving things out or changing the stories, but enough that overall I could tell what the book was. A second season would give them a chance to tell more of Pike's stories. He certainly wrote enough to keep the series going for years!

Edited October 20, 2022 by Faceplant
spelling

[Brn2bwild]

Pike fans: this is a bit OT, but it's driving me crazy. One of the books had a character who ran track, whose biggest rival ate doughnuts before the race (!) and was a sex god apparently. The rival was another character's boyfriend and ultimately got killed. What book was this from?  It may have already been covered in the series.

[millennium]

I'm at an episode called "See You Later" -- ironic, because that sums up my feelings about the whole series at this point.  What a tedious, drawn out piece of crap this episode is.  The time travel story made me feel like I was back in 9th grade algebra class, pretending to understand what was going on but actually so confused that I began to mentally shut down.

[MaggieG]

On 10/10/2022 at 12:16 PM, Mabinogia said:

I made it to ep 7 before I realized I was bored and not paying attention anymore. 

One of the things that bugged me was them hitting me over the head with the idea that Anya being a total asshole to everyone was a sign of how strong she was. I am pretty sure it was the ep that focused on her that was the nail in the coffin for me. I was done after that. I already figured out the "twist" with the neighbor and while I liked the rest of the kids well enough I wasn't truly invested in any of them for some reason. I read how it ends and don't feel disappointed that I didn't stick around. 

It was very well acted, and the sets were stunning. I liked the idea of a group of terminal youths gathering to tell ghost stories that are meant to show us some insight into their personalities or lives, but for some reason it just didn't click with me. 

Yeah this is where the show kind of lost me. Anya has for sure had it rough and I can imagine the situation she and the rest of them isn't fun, but she was incredible rude to everyone. And then they went on and on about how much they loved her. Ilonka also really annoyed me in the end. 

[Shenanigan7070]

Quote

Did not enjoy any of his adult books - think one was about a woman who was god and another was about a mission to Mars. I just remember being bored with both.

I gotta disagree about the Mars book - Season of Passage. I found that one creepy as hell for some reason. 

Quote

Pike fans: this is a bit OT, but it's driving me crazy. One of the books had a character who ran track, whose biggest rival ate doughnuts before the race (!) and was a sex god apparently. The rival was another character's boyfriend and ultimately got killed. What book was this from?  It may have already been covered in the series.

I seem to remember the donuts and track from the Final Friends series - didn't Russ run track? Not sure the rest fits, though.

[Brn2bwild]

On 10/26/2022 at 8:24 AM, Shenanigan7070 said:

I gotta disagree about the Mars book - Season of Passage. I found that one creepy as hell for some reason. 

I seem to remember the donuts and track from the Final Friends series - didn't Russ run track? Not sure the rest fits, though.

Finally figured out it was Spellbound.  

[Ilovepie]

I finished it, but if there is a second season, I won't be watching. I am frustrated at the surprise at the end with Dr. Stanton. I had to go online and figure out what it meant. I guess I should have been paying better attention. Both my husband and I went "huh? what's happening?" and then it was just over! No answers about the time warp hallway or creepers and shadow people. I guess we're just supposed to assume it has something to do with the weird energy in the house?

I was way more invested when it was the scenes with the kids, but lost interest every time they launched into their club stories. Like, I really didn't care. Only one I found gripping was the one Natsuki told with the road to nowhere. Ilonka kept saying how smart she was, but man, she was pretty annoying at how gullible she ended up being. Stanton should have kicked her out after that first ceremony! I was actually happy when she defied Stanton yet again and told everyone about someone going home and was wrong about who it was. Awkward! I did like how conflicted Sandra was when she found out she was leaving. I am guessing that's going to be some massive survivors guilt she will have to deal with. I'm glad she and Spencer became friends.

The only "flanaverse" netflix show I haven't watched is Midnight Mass. I would put this one par with Bly Manor. Ok, but not great. I like that these are horror light because I don't really like horror, but I wish they were all as good as Hill House. Oh well. I will watch definitely be watching Fall of the House of Usher.

[paulvdb]

‘The Midnight Club’ Canceled By Netflix After One Season

[AnimeMania]

‘Midnight Club’ Creator Mike Flanagan Reveals All Answers to Unresolved Mysteries After Show’s Cancellation, Including Mirror Man and Cataract Woman

[Brn2bwild]

I'm bummed we won't get to see the second season, but also a bit relieved, as I'm sure it would have had me crying buckets.

[Black Knight]

I really appreciated Flanagan putting up everything on his Tumblr. Even though it stabs me in the gut to know that we were supposed to get Remember Me! And probably Monster!

[Ilovepie]

Well now I'm kind of bummed as what was planned for season two sounds a lot more like Hill House. I really wish he had incorporated these season two plots into this season instead of the club stories. I would have liked it a lot better.

[Anela]

It sounds like the janitor would have been like the main character of Doctor Sleep (the little boy from The Shining, as a man). He would talk to the patients in a home, when the cat visited them, and they were sure that they were dying. And I've just finished it, and seen that he was Death. How sweet. 

I wish that we could have seen it play out, but I'm really grateful that he told us what he wanted to make. I hate it when things are left with no answers. 

[foxfreakinmulder]

I must say I'm not disappointed it was canceled. The thought of watching these kids die one by one is not something I find entertaining. I really thought llonka would find a cure with help from the lady in the woods. It had a lot of plot holes that didn't get answered. I found the stories boring and started fast forwarding through them the only one I liked was the road to nowhere, it reminded me of an old Twilight Zone episode.

[Enero]

On 11/1/2022 at 6:42 PM, Ilovepie said:

Only one I found gripping was the one Natsuki told with the road to nowhere.

It started off interesting enough. Reminded me of a Twilight Zone episode, but the main character in that story was so stupid. I got so annoyed with the story I just started fast forwarding until the story started to move forward. Once what was happening was revealed it made a lot more sense why the main character behaved so illogically. 

I finished this series. It started off pretty good. I liked all the characters but got bored by the end. I like ghost stories especially if they have a Twilight Zone twist but all these poor kids fate being death with no chance of escape was depressing.