Yeah, now that I've finished it, I stick with my ranking of Bly > Hill House > Midnight Mass. All three were great, though.
Don't know that I could rank the three shows, but Bly did hit me the hardest emotionally. Agreed that they're all great.
Why are people always so dumb in scary things. In episode 2 when the guy walks into that house. Idiot. I'd never do that lol.
I don't think I want to rank them really, more just that each one is for a different mood or effect - but I will say that, for me, Mike Flanagan and Netflix is a match made in heaven.
Rating culture on this site seriously sucks. I know it's been said over and over before, but still. Always comparing one thing to another, nothing is ever given the opportunity to exist within its own deserved context. One reason why I think a lot of people loved The White Lotus (and now Squid Game) is because they have nothing else to compare it to (I have a feeling most people here didn't watch Enlightened--I didn't, but now I want to). Anyway, I seriously think people dampen their own experiences with a lot of fantastic art, if only they could have enjoyed it without preconceived expectations or standards.
I really don't see what the issue is with ranking things haha. It's not like I'm shitting on anything - I enjoyed all seasons. It's just something that I find fun to do and can spark discussion. If people don't want to rank, idgaf, and if ranking doesn't spark a discussion, then keep scrolling?
Flanagan's jump scares make sense for the most part. Ouija: Origin of Evil had some silly generic ones, but he typically picks the right moments for them to occur
Bly and Mass have had some moments that have made me jump a little, even when I saw it coming, but the one moment I would say he really got me was in Hill House, in the car, and I feel okay with it because he got everyone with it, including the actresses involved. Honestly, the one Mass part that made me cringe and look away was where Pruitt stabbed himself in the hand so he could suck his own blood. Really not great with things like that.
The ''angel'' in the window was a good one from this show for me . Like mentioned before, Flanagan is a master of creepy eyes, haha.
Basically I can take or leave jump scares. They always strike me as kind of a cheap trick, although I will say that I feel like Mike Flanagan does them pretty well. I'm much more of a fan of the way he does unsettling things, like all of the glowing eyes in this, or the strange way the ambulance lights play off the dead girl's injuries.
I will say that I think Bly coming so close after Hill House, and with it being positioned somewhat confusingly where I wasn't sure if it was a sequel or part of an anthology or an entirely different story altogether definitely hurt Bly for me, especially the first time I watched it. I think I really was wanting it to be Hill House Part 2 because I loved Hill House so much, and it is definitely it's own beast, which I love now.
Maybe I'm misremembering but Bev figured it out because she saw the picture and tested it with the poison. When he comes back she even calls him monsignor and it wasn't revealed at that point I think.
Oh for sure, she did figure it out that way. But what I'm confused by is how does him appearing younger automatically mean he would be resurrected when killed? I don't understand why she would make that jump in logic. I don't think the priest even realized he was gonna come back to life, but maybe I'm wrong, idk
I do believe that they ran for longer than needed, but I don't know if I'd say they were unnecessary. I feel like it fits in with the themes and larger questions the show is trying to present, and frankly, in a show that has people using the Bible to justify vampirism, it's nice to see two characters give a more normal and nuanced conversation about their beliefs.
just crushed this over the weekend. this is the first thing I’ve ever watch from Mike Flanagan and I loved it. not usually a horror guy but this one sucked me right in. what should I watch next? also - I think because I’m religious, this one connected in a really interesting way. so much of the overlap between vampires and religion was so fascinating in a way I had never thought about before. For example, Catholics believe in something called ‘transubstantiation’ where the communion elements (bread and wine) literally become Jesus’ flesh and blood when they eat them, so the whole ‘drinking blood’ thing isn’t actually that much of a stretch. also, eternal life is such an important concept to Christians, the whole reverse aging and surviving the poisonings fits that narrative too. I love it.
Finally finished this. What a rollercoaster of an ending. I was sad that almost everyone died in the end, but I guess there wasn't really any better way for it to turn out. It was super satisfying watching Bev burn to death while trying to dig herself a hole bigger than the one she already dug for herself. The only thing that irks me a little is I wish they were more definitive about whether the vampire died or not. I feel like leaving it open-ended like that makes my spider-sense tingle.