All Horror Fans Should Watch Netflix’s Underrated Masterpiece With 87% On Rotten Tomatoes

Netflix has an extensive catalog of horror content, both movies and TV shows, but its best titles are definitely the latter – and all horror fans should watch one of its underrated masterpieces. Despite now having a lot of competition, Netflix continues to be one of the most popular streaming platforms with one of the biggest varieties of genres in movies and TV shows.

Netflix has also stood out for its original work, through which it has partnered with different filmmakers. On the branch of horror, Netflix’s most notable collaborator is Mike Flanagan, with both movies and TV shows. Flanagan’s Netflix TV shows are the ones that have drawn the most attention, with many of them regarded among the platform’s best horror shows.

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The first of Flanagan’s horror TV shows on Netflix was The Haunting of Hill House, released in 2018, followed by The Haunting of Bly Manor in 2020. Both are some of the best horror shows in recent years, but then came an underrated masterpiece that all horror fans should watch, and it’s a different take on one of the most beloved horror creatures.

Midnight Mass Is Mike Flanagan’s Most Underrated Netflix Show

Midnight Mass Is One Of Mike Flanagan’s Netflix Horror Shows

Mike Flanagan’s third Netflix TV show was Midnight Mass, released in 2021. Also written by Flanagan, Midnight Mass brings back some of his frequent collaborators, most notably Kate Siegel and Henry Thomas. Set on Crockett Island, Midnight Mass follows Riley (Zach Gilford), who returns to his hometown after four years in prison for killing a woman after driving under the influence.

Riley’s return coincides with the arrival of a mysterious but very charismatic priest called Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater), who arrives to replace the aging Monsignor Pruitt. However, disturbing events begin to happen in town, and the priest’s deeds only feed the community’s divisions. Midnight Mass is Flanagan’s unique take on vampires, and that’s key to what made the show so good.

Midnight Mass is a slow-burning horror TV show, but that’s what makes it stand out from other vampire shows. Despite its fantasy elements, Midnight Mass is as grounded and realistic as possible, which makes the presence of vampires and other forms of evil so terrifying. In addition to that, Midnight Mass explores serious topics like grief, faith, and death.

Despite its quality and success with both critics and general audiences (with an 87% critics score and 80% popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes), Midnight Mass didn’t have the same success as Flanagan’s Haunting shows, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t as good as they are.

Midnight Mass Doesn’t Rely On Jump Scares To Be Terrifying

Midnight Mass Appeals To Other Fears

Perhaps what led to Midnight Mass not being so talked about when it came out was its different approach to horror, especially when compared to other contemporary horror shows. Unlike many other shows, Midnight Mass doesn’t rely on jump scares to be scary, instead going for psychological horror and the horrors of real-life social issues.

Through topics like religion, fanaticism, guilt, and more, Midnight Mass brought horror on a deeper level, bringing out the darkness of the characters and exploring the evil that lives within many people. Midnight Mass won’t scare you with visuals, instead relying on its story and character development to haunt the audience.