Date of Award
5-22-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
First Advisor
Rebecca Umland
Committee Members
Annarose Steinke; Greg Brown; Theodora Ziolkowski
Keywords
Krantz;Midnight Mass;Mike Flanagan;Terror and Faith;The Gothic Horror Tradition
Abstract/Description
Writer/director Mike Flanagan’s titular serial-television series, Midnight Mass (2021) created both critical controversy and acclaim. The television series, which aired on Netflix, employs elements of the Gothic tradition found in both literature and its later development in the film medium, especially that of the Gothic’s subgenre, horror, but its popularity is also reliant upon its originality, this resting largely on its combination of the horror genre with religious questions—ideas of the holy. Through a study of this series’ thematic and formal features, I show the vitality of the Gothic tradition by identifying elements in Midnight Mass that are either recognizably part of the Gothic Horror genre or are present in a displaced manner (setting, for instance). Following a discussion of what makes Flanagan’s work traditional, I turn to its innovations, some of them in content, but also in the particular medium of the television mini-series—the demands of this venue and audience expectations created through this form of filmmaking. I argue that this Flanagan’s reliance on the Gothic tradition, balanced by his own originality as a writer/director, is the reason for the critical and popular attention it garnered. Questions related to religious belief and ideas of the holy are especially what distinguishes this mini-series from many other Gothic Horror works. Midnight Mass (2021) has not been widely written about by academics, although the Gothic horror in literature and film has a long tradition of critical inquiry. Moreover, the religious dimension of Flanagan’s mini-series fits within a well-established branch of criticism. My thesis adds to this discourse through its study of Midnight Mass (2021).
Recommended Citation
Krantz, Kalen Thomas, "The Gothic Horror Tradition and Religious Sanctity: Terror and Faith in Midnight Mass (2021)" (2024). English Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity. 14.
https://openspaces.unk.edu/eng-etd/14