Mike Flanagan, who helmed the adaptation of Stephen King’s 2013 horror novel Gerald’s Game, has created another eerie cinematic delight with The Midnight Club. An adaptation of the 1994 novel of the same name by Christopher Pike, the series follows eight strangers who are mysteriously transported to an alternate dimension where they are forced to participate in twisted dares—or face certain death. The Midnight Club members have just one hour to complete each game, and if they don’t, they end up losing their lives… one at a time. Mike Flanagan’s The Midnight Club is a Creepy Treat
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A Netflix Original
Netflix may have their own special effects department, but at least one scene in season two of The Midnight Club is 100% practical effect. Rahul Kohli had to do some heavy breathing and underwater swimming as Adia, and he ended up needing to be submerged for hours on end. It was … cold. In order for that to look real, he needed to be completely still so that it wouldn’t look like there were hidden wires helping him float or something.
The Midnight Club Cast
Aya Furukawa, Larsen Thompson, Heather Langenkamp, Ryan Pinkston, and Iman Benson. Mike Flanagan has done it again by bringing another creepy TV series to life with his signature style that’s embedded in each of his film’s characters.
Iman Benson Portrays Ilonka
Iman Benson, who has been acting since she was four years old, talks to Rotten Tomatoes about her role on Mike Flanagan’s The Midnight Club, and finding strange ways to relate to her character: Ilonka. I think what really helped me with playing Ilonka was that there were some similarities between us in terms of our personalities, Benson says. She just seemed like someone I could kind of get into and understand. She doesn’t have a filter; if something comes into her mind, it comes out of her mouth immediately. That’s how I am too! So it wasn’t hard for me to put myself in that place because we’re both pretty open people.
Igby Rigney Portrays Kevin
Since I’m (hopefully) not spoiling anything by revealing that Kevin dies in Season 1, Episode 8—in fact, it seems to be pretty much open knowledge based on everyone who has seen it—I can go ahead and talk about his performance. In one of his first acting roles since moving from LA to Austin, Rigney nailed just about every aspect of his character. It was clear he was having fun with how creepy Kevin could be at times, but he also managed to convey serious depth and sadness as well. He felt like a real person with real emotions, which made me want him to succeed even though I knew he was doomed from the start. That’s what good actors do: They make you care about someone you know isn’t going to live past episode 6.
Ruth Codd as Anya
In season 1, Codd serves as executive producer and stars in episodes 4 and 10. She also stars in episode 2 of season 2. Codd co-stars as Emily Davenport on HBO’s Big Little Lies, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award. In addition to acting, Codd has worked behind-the-scenes as a line producer on movies such as The Fault in Our Stars and Hidden Figures , which have garnered her two Academy Award nominations. Codd attended New York University Tisch School of the Arts where she received a BFA in Drama. Her most recent film projects include I Still See You with Bella Thorne, Nia Long and Michael Ealy; The Truth About Emmanuel with William Moseley; A Boy Called Sailboat with William Fichtner; and On Chesil Beach with Saoirse Ronan.
Annarah Cymone Portrays Sandra
Mike Flanagan has delivered some of today’s most creative horror on Netflix. His works in both film and television are truly impressive. He began his career by directing horror films, including Hush (2016), Oculus (2013), and Absentia (2011). But with these projects, he was able to prove his skills as a writer as well. From 2013 to 2016, he wrote episodes for series like Masters of Horror, 12 Monkeys and Dead Like Me. In 2017, he made his debut as showrunner with Netflix’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game. Now, we have another exciting project from him: The Midnight Club. Based on Christopher Pike’s 1994 novel of the same name, it centers around a group of teenagers who solve supernatural mysteries while they struggle to deal with their own personal problems and conflicts.
Chris Sumpter Portrays Spencer
Like most members of his secret club, Sumpter’s character isn’t exactly who he seems—he’s really an African-American scientist named Langston Hamilton and not a socialite at all. And, as it turns out, Sumpter has an important message to convey about AIDS and society’s treatment of minorities. We want people to be aware that we have so much more work to do, Sumpter said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly . So many people are still dying from HIV/AIDS. It’s such a tragedy that we don’t talk about anymore because things have gotten better for gay men. But for black men, things haven’t changed as much.
Adia Portrays Cheri
With just three episodes of The Midnight Club aired, it has already become clear that showrunners Mike Flanagan and Leah Fong are very smart in how they treat their young cast: putting them at ease. It seems to be working; Adia as Cheri, for example, is clearly having a blast playing someone so different from herself. She’s also clearly relishing her character’s pathological lying. I love that she’s such an awful liar, Adia said during our interview. She tries to do these white lies but gets caught up in her own lies and I love it!
Aya Furukawa Portrays Natsuki
She’s incredibly endearing as Natsuki, who has terminal cancer and depression, in Mike Flanagan’s horror thriller about an online role-playing game that drives its players mad. Although she was hospitalized for much of her youth due to her cancer, Aya Furukawa plays her character with such warmth and empathy that you can’t help but fall in love with Natsuki. Her relationship with her mother is one of my favorite things about The Midnight Club—the way their bond comes across on screen makes me want to hug my own mother more often. As far as actors go, I think it’s safe to say that Furukawa will be around for many years to come—she’s definitely got a bright future ahead of her.
Sauriyan Sapkota Portrays Amesh
With season one of THE MIDNIGHT CLUB now on Netflix, it’s well worth taking another look. It’s a creepy little treat! Amesh (Sauriyan Sapkota) isn’t alone in his affliction and has been brought to Brightcliffe by his parents. But why? And can Dr Lazlo (Olivia Taylor Dudley) cure him? It looks like there are a few members of staff on board as well with their own agenda. There’s something strange going on at Brightcliffe and I for one can’t wait to see what happens next. What about you?
Matt Biedel Portrays Tim
And, speaking of recent television, what can you tell us about your upcoming project? It’s a remake of one of Christopher Pike’s novels called The Midnight Club ?. Tell us how it compares to his work. Flanagan: I think that we have taken a lot of liberties with it. But that’s kind of what we wanted to do with it. We didn’t want to just copy and paste something from 30 years ago onto our show. So, we took some liberties with it. He wrote an amazing book—it was his first novel—and he has written many more since then. But he did such an amazing job on that first book; if you go back and read it now, there are so many things in there that are great seeds for stories now—that could be developed in ways they couldn’t have been developed at that time because technology wasn’t where it is now.
Samantha Sloyan Portrays Shasta
While there’s still no official word on what happened to Shasta after Brightcliffe closed, according to Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy, executive producers on the show, you can expect an answer to that question in an upcoming episode. Shasta was originally conceived of as potentially having died at Brightcliffe when it was closed; we kind of knew that from very early on in writing [the first] script, Macy says. But I think it would be hard to have her die because she had such a strong presence. We wanted her character to live on in some way or another. So if she didn’t die at Brightcliffe, then where did she go?
Zach Gilford Portrays Mark
Creaky and packed with stunning scenery, Flanagan’s show—which runs in 15-minute segments on Yahoo! Screen—is made for binge-watching. It features an all-star cast (including Douglas Smith, Olivia Cooke, Beth Riesgraf, Adam Goldberg, and James Landry Hébert) as residents of Brightcliffe Hospice who begin to suspect that their new orderly may not be all he appears to be. But what exactly does Mark want? And how far will he go to get it? You’ll have to watch episode two to find out. The series was renewed for a second season by Yahoo!Screen on July 16, 2015 which premiered October 9, 2015. On November 19th, 2015, Netflix announced they had picked up The Midnight Club from its original network; they began streaming Season 2 of The Midnight Club globally January 1st 2016.
Heather Langenkamp Portrays Dr. Georgina Stanton
Heather Langenkamp, Actor: A Nightmare on Elm Street. Heather Langenkamp was born in Madison, Wisconsin, to Nancy and Kenneth Langenkamp. She grew up with one younger sister and an older brother who passed away when he was fifteen. Her mother is a former actress/model; her father was a professor at Indiana University… Famke Janssen as Dr. Lillian Strand, a renowned expert in infectious disease who runs Brightcliffe Hospice’s medical wing alongside Dr. Stanton.: Famke Beumer Janssen (born 5 November 1965) is a Dutch actress and former model.
Larsen Thompson Portrays Julia Jayne
The series premiered on October 11, 2017 on Shudder. On November 14, 2018, it was announced that Hulu had given a two-season order for Midnight, to consist of eight episodes each season. Production is set to begin in early 2019 in Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. In Canada, CBC Television has broadcast rights to both seasons one and two.In Australia, both seasons are available on Stan as well as Foxtel Now. In New Zealand, both seasons are available on Lightbox as well as Sky TV. In Germany and Austria, both seasons are available on Amazon Video.
William B. Davis Portrays a ghostly figure in Ilonka’s visions.
Christopher Pike may have been inspired to write the novel, which was first published in 1994, by an incident that occurred while he was working as a screenwriter. In 1992 Pike was hired to re-write an early draft of The Lawnmower Man (1992), a movie about virtual reality and artificial intelligence in which Pierce Brosnan starred. While working on his revisions, Pike became interested in virtual reality himself and decided to read everything he could find on it. One day, when he was reading a book about virtual reality at home, his daughter Ilonka came into his office and asked him if she could use his computer for her homework assignment. He agreed but told her not to turn on any programs because they were very new. She said okay but then later told him she had turned one of them on by accident.
Crystal Balint Portrays Maggie
Mike Flanagan has cast ‘ Insidious ‘ actress Crystal Balint in a recurring role for his new Netflix series ‘The Haunting of Hill House,’ an adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel of the same name . According to TV Line , Balint will play Maggie, Ilonka’s late foster mother who died from cancer several years prior to when the events of ‘Hill House’ take place. Her character was briefly mentioned in episode three, where it was revealed that she had left her estate to be used as a shelter for troubled children. But after her death, her husband and son have kept its existence under wraps and it’s only now that her family wants to sell off their property.
Patricia Drake Portrays a ghostly figure in Ilonka’s visions.
I’m excited for our audience to see Ilonka. She is an amazing character and Laura Torres really brought her to life on set. It was great getting to spend time with her off camera as well, she’s a wonderful woman who I am sure we’ll be seeing more of in the future. As far as working with Mike [Flanagan], he’s one of my favorite writers working today so it was an honor to get to work alongside him. He always has such a strong vision but also leaves room for collaboration which made it very easy to jump right into his world. The Midnight Club will premiere on October 5, 2017 on Syfy.
Rahul Kohli Portrays Vincent
When you first meet Vincent in Amesh’s (played by Rahul Kohli) story, he seems like he’s mostly on his own. He asks to help Amesh carry his bags, and when Amesh introduces himself as Ames, Vincent quickly corrects him: It’s Amy. You know it is. I mean we were friends in middle school. We have Facebook pictures of us at Disneyland with Mimi and Hope and their families. And then, just like that, Vincent starts calling him Ames again. In fact, if you listen closely to what he says next—I can’t believe it took me so long to find you—it sounds like they haven’t seen each other since high school. But that doesn’t make sense because they’re clearly in college now…which means they must be living together! So where are all their stuff? And why does only one twin seem to live there?
What are the critics saying?
Let’s take a look at some of critic reactions to Mike Flannagan’s midnight club. It took me back to my childhood of late night monster movies from when my parents would leave me home alone on Saturday nights because they had important things to do. Now I have no friends and nothing better to do, so I binge-watch television—which explains why I know what episode of which TV show is playing at any given time.
If you like…
you won’t want to miss The Midnight Club, an atmospheric, creepy and dark series from Netflix. And if you are already a fan of director Mike Flanagan (Ouija: Origin of Evil) or Netflix shows like Stranger Things, then it’s safe to say you’ll love it. It isn’t groundbreaking horror—in fact, some may find it too familiar—but what stands out about The Midnight Club is its detail and nuance.
What’s coming up next?
Although no plot details for season 2 have been released yet, it’s safe to say that Patty will continue to lead her band of misfit ghost hunters as they investigate unexplained phenomena in Chicago. For now, though, viewers are still reeling from last night’s finale which wrapped up one major storyline and opened up plenty more for season 2. Mike Flanagan’s The Midnight Club is a Creepy Treat
Do you need to read the book first?
Considering that Christopher Pike’s original novel was published in 1994, I don’t think you need to read it before watching Mike Flanagan’s The Midnight Club. Pike’s story centers on a group of high school friends—including sisters Mandy and Kristin, Matt Biede (Igby Rigney), Crystal Balint (Sauriyan Sapkota) and William B.
What is this series about?
It stars Annarah Cymone (The Walking Dead) and Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights). It’s produced by Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Before I Wake), Leah Fong, Trevor Macy and James Moran. NBCUniversal International Formats produces for Syfy.
How does it fare?
Adapted from Christopher Pike’s 1994 novel of the same name, Leah Fong and Mike Flanagan’s horror mystery-thriller centers around eight kids who form their own secret society after their parents get together to help solve their son’s murder.Featuring an all-star cast including Patricia Drake (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) as Mrs. Chandler, William B. Davis (The X Files) as Mr.
Why should you watch it?
If you love true crime, police stories, and creepy endings, Mike Flanagan’s The Midnight Club has it all. This dark and at times disturbing series weaves together many of your favorite elements from books, movies, television and art to create something entirely new. Christopher Pike’s novel remains untouchable in comparison (although having an episode directed by Phantasm star Heather Langenkamp does add some measure of nostalgia), but fans will be pleased with how true to form Mike Flanagan stays here.
Why isn’t it more popular?
From executive producer Mike Flanagan (Hush) and showrunner Leah Fong (The Messengers, Fox’s upcoming Ten Days In The Valley), alongside an amazing cast that includes Game of Thrones star Chris Sumpter and Anne of Green Gables actress Ruth Coad, you’d think that a show like The Midnight Club would be able to find an audience. But it has been criminally under-watched. Mike Flanagan’s The Midnight Club is a Creepy Treat
Are there other pieces to this story?
Ruth Codd’s performance stands out as she embodies both an open-mindedness that challenges stereotypes about witches and also how a real young woman would be feeling in that situation. She shows us strength, compassion and lots of heart. Her character Samantha Sloyan (Sam’) grew up with her father and grandmother, which made her somewhat estranged from society.
Frequently Asked Questions
What will The Midnight Club be about?
Mike Flanagan has already made his mark in Hollywood as an actor, writer, and director. He is best known for his work on the horror films Oculus and Ouija: Origin of Evil. Now, he’s taking a trip back to his roots with something that might be even creepier than those movies—at least if you take into account all of its source material.
What is The Midnight Club based on?
Based on Pike’s novel of the same name, The Midnight Club follows eight strangers who wake up in an elevator with no memory of how they got there and no way out. With a mysterious ninth passenger refusing to answer any questions, they face their deepest fears as secrets from their pasts come back to haunt them. But who can be trusted when everyone has something to hide?
Is Midnight Club connected to Midnight Mass?
Just to clarify, Mike’s adaptation of Christopher Pike’s 1994 novel does not have anything to do with an actual mass that occurs at midnight. When I spoke with Chris Pike, who wrote it and started it all, he had no intention of making it into a TV show but he was aware that we had that title and he thought there was potential in mixing them up in people’s minds.
Does Netflix have Midnight Club?
Probably not, but you can stream it on Amazon Prime if you have an account. It’s also available for purchase from Vudu.
Is The Midnight Club a horror?
Sure, but it’s also something much more than that. If you want jump scares and monsters, then yes, Mike Flanagan’s latest series will deliver for you; however, if you appreciate great character-driven horror stories then we strongly encourage you to check out what should be your next binge watch. This show has everything: mystery, intrigue and some of most unique characters on TV right now. Mike Flanagan’s The Midnight Club is a Creepy Treat
