Netflix original series Midnight Mass has hit the streaming world in a big way since its release in Sept. 2021, with critical acclaim for the mysterious Stephen King-style horror series.
Set on the remote Crockett Island, it follows the death and rebirth of a small Catholic church and its ominous new priest. The milieu of small towns, coastal villages, and horror has been struck upon a lot in fiction, and here are a few similar entries from a broad range of TV, movies, and video games that we reckon you’ll enjoy if you liked Midnight Mass.
The Fog (1980)
John Carpenter’s The Fog is an understated and smart film revolving around a small coastal town’s reaction to a deadly fog that brings the spirits of long-dead mariners to shore. Starring frequent Carpenter collaborators Adrienne Barbeau (Escape from New York) and horror scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween), The Fog is very clever. It doesn’t need over the top jump-scares or ridiculous gore⏤its ambience is what drives you. The film has a classic John Carpenter score, which is worthy of a look-in alone.
While the film wasn’t released to much acclaim in 1980, much like John Carpenter’s The Thing, it picked up a strong cult following in the decades following.
Fallout 4: Far Harbor
This downloadable content pack for Bethesda’s Fallout 4 takes place on the island of Far Harbor (based on real-world Bar Harbor) off the coast of Maine. It’s an intricate story about finding the truth to the island and unravelling the conflict between the rival factions of the Harbormen, Children of Atom, and the Arcadia Synths.
An eerie vibe as you traverse the island keeps you ever on your toes and eager to discover more. The classic New England aesthetic also means plenty of room for some fun H.P. Lovecraft-style shenanigans.
Frailty
A seemingly forgotten 2001 release directed by Bill Paxton, Frailty has similar themes to Midnight Mass about religion and is also a tense watch. Fenton Meeks (Matthew McConaughey) reveals to an FBI agent (Powers Boothe) that he knows the true story and identity of the serial killer known as the God’s Hand. It’s a non-chronological film that is much more than the sum of its parts. A thoroughly interesting and compelling watch, Frailty is well-worth a viewing.
1922
Based upon the Stephen King novel of the same name, 1922 is a slow-burn thriller set in, er, 1922. Farmer Wilfried (Thomas Jane) is thoroughly opposed to his wife (Molly Parker)’s plans to sell the family farm in rural Nebraska and move to the capital, Omaha. The family tensions rise and their most sinister urges come to fruition. 1922 is a Netflix original (like Midnight Mass) and is currently available for streaming.
The Outsider
Another Stephen King adaptation, The Outsider is a television series based on the book of the same name. After a local Little League coach and family man (Justin Bateman, also director) is convincted of murdering a young boy, the investigation only gets more complicated as new details arise.
Starring Ben Mendehlson (Captain Marvel, Rogue One) as Cherokee City police detective Ralph Anderson, this one went under the radar but has very strong episodes. The tension and writing throughout is fantastic, and you’ll never be too sure of what’s really happening.
A second season is in the works according to Stephen King, but not by HBO, with production company MRC trying to shop around to get it on air.
If you haven’t seen Midnight Mass yet but these other titles have intrigued you, you can stream it now on Netflix.
