The Big Picture
Mike Flanagan is skilled at adapting horror novels, as seen in his work on
The Haunting of Hill House
and
Doctor Sleep
.
Midnight Mass
and
Storm of the Century
have similar beginnings, centered around a small island town and a mysterious stranger.
Both series explore the theme that the real monsters are human, using humanity as the driving force of the story.
Mike Flanagan has certainly cemented his place within the horror community in the last decade. From his first major picture, Oculus, to his first big hit Netflix series, The Haunting of Hill House, his work has captivated many with his well-crafted scares. Flanagan’s 2021 series Midnight Mass, which might be his best yet, shows just how much he knows about the craft. Everything about the series is beautiful and haunting, from the amazing cast, and the practical effects, to the story at its center. Flanagan knows how to scare us — he learned from one of the best and even improved on it. Flanagan has cited the 1999 Stephen King TV miniseries, Storm of the Century, as an influence while making Midnight Mass, and one doesn’t have to look far to see where the inspiration came from.
Storm of the Century
A dangerous blizzard hits an isolated town and brings along a mysterious stranger intent on terrorizing people for his own desires.
Release Date February 14, 1999
Creator Stephen King
Cast Tim Daly , Colm Feore , Debrah Farentino , Jeffrey DeMunn
Seasons 1
Mike Flanagan Knows How to Adapt a Horror Novel
Flanagan is exemplary at taking horror tropes and expanding them in a completely different direction, complimenting his thematic and visual style. He did that with his amazing adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House, which is quite different from Shirley Jackson’s novel and the original adaptation of it. It’s also seen in his merging of two warring interpretations of The Shining in his adaptation of Doctor Sleep. Here we see him take the bones of this concept from Storm of the Century and run with it further. Flanagan took to Tumblr after Midnight Mass and gave insight into his nods and explanations for his inspiration from The Storm of the Century, like “the Sheriff’s office in the convenience store.” Midnight Mass is certainly its own beast, but he goes on to mention the town meeting in Storm of the Century was definitely on his mind when writing certain sequences of Midnight Mass. After watching Midnight Mass, those are not hard to see, as the start of the show’s climax has nearly the entire town at a mass before it descends into chaos.
‘Midnight Mass’ and ‘Storm of the Century’ Have Similar Beginnings
Both stories center around a small island town that sees a mysterious stranger arrive before a storm. The people of Little Tall Island are preparing for a blizzard to blow in when Storm of the Century opens, and along with the storm comes a stranger who immediately murders one of the island’s residents. He’s quickly taken into custody by the part-time Constable Mike Anderson (Tim Daly) and confesses his name is Andre Linoge (Colm Feore). But the terror doesn’t stop there. All this mysterious stranger says is “Give me what I want, and I’ll go away,” and he starts to possess people from inside his jail cell before escaping into the storm.
Midnight Mass starts much the same. Riley (Zach Gilford) returns to his small island hometown of Crockett Island after serving four years in prison for killing a young woman in a drunk-driving accident. At the same time Riley returns to Crockett Island, Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater) arrives as a shock to the town, announcing himself as a temporary replacement for their Monsignor Pruitt, who according to him had fallen ill on the journey home from his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Father Paul Hill’s charisma in the church services quickly wins over the town’s people, and soon church services see more and more attendees, especially when Father Paul seemingly cures Leeza’s (Annarah Cymone) paralytic spinal injury, so she can walk again. The first episode of Midnight Mass even features a storm at the end where Riley sees their Monsignor Pruitt, but his figure in the rain quickly disappears, sewing the seeds for the mystery behind this new stranger leading the Church.
In Mike Flanagan and Stephen King’s Shows, the Real Monsters Are Human
Image via Netflix
The two series may share many setting and plot-driven similarities, but what they have most in common is their themes of humanity, specifically using it as the driving monster of the story. Both series have a dangerous storm (though Midnight Mass’ only lasts a few minutes at the end of the first episode) and feature a monstrous creature that brings danger to the town. In Storm of the Century, it’s Andre Linoge; in Midnight Mass, there’s “the Angel” (Quinton Boisclair) that Father Paul brings along with him. These two entities that have a grip on a small town may be the on-screen monsters we all love to see, but they are not the true monsters of the story either. It’s the people. The town’s residents, neighbors, lifelong friends, spouses, parents, and children.
Related Kate Siegel Confirms Mike Flanagan’s ‘The Life of Chuck’ Isn’t a Horror Movie Flanagan’s adaptation will also star Tom Hiddleston, Matthew Lillard and Rahul Kohli.
Near the end of Storm of the Century, the entity that is Linoge instructs the townspeople to hold a meeting at the town hall. It is there he finally tells them the reason he came. He needs an apprentice. Linoge has lived thousands of years and has more still, but is getting nearer to death. He seeks a young apprentice, one of the children, to continue his work, and if they don’t agree, all of them will surely die, leaving the island mysteriously empty. It is a horrifying proposition that King writes in this miniseries, and the most horrifying aspect is that they follow through with it. Mike’s wife agrees to hold a lottery of the children to save themselves and has to watch as his son Ralphie (Dyllan Christopher) is chosen and taken away by Linoge into the night.
‘Midnight Mass’ Has a Hopeful Ending
Midnight Mass’ very similar theme of self-preservation to Storm of the Century does not stop there though. The vampiric religious fanatics that destroyed their town, and the deaths of many of the people they’d known for years, are the cause of their downfall. Where Storm of the Century makes the characters live with their regret, Midnight Mass sees them punished by biblical proportions: burning alongside their homes, which they set on fire, with the rising sun. Midnight Mass also takes the theme of sacrifice and flips it on its head. This time, several adults sacrifice themselves to save the two remaining teens. Erin (Kate Siegel), Sherrif Hassan (Rahul Kohli), Mildred (Alexandra Essoe), and Sarah (Annabeth Gish) all conspire against the turned townsfolk and try to stop them, all facing their death to save the lives of Leeza and Warren (Igby Rigney). In this series, the kids aren’t sacrificed, they’re saved.
Flanagan notes that his change from bleak stories like Absentia and Oculus, is a product of his life changing after having kids and marrying his wife, Kate Siegel, whom he frequently works with. In an interview with The Mary Sue, he mentions that “no matter how dark the world is that we’re showing, […] If my kids can take that one little […] grain of hope at the end, that’s become more and more important to me as I get older.” There is room for bleak stories like Storm of the Century, it is truly one of the best King stories out there despite its dated effects. Its clear inspiration on Midnight Mass makes it all the more of a fascinating watch, seeing how two major horror artists create a very similar story structure but execute it so differently. If you liked Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass (or any of his other works), give Storm of the Century a shot. It is no secret that Stephen King has inspired many writers and filmmakers, and it’s because of him we have so many great ones today.
Storm of the Century is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
Watch On Hulu