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Lifestyles
Get spooked watching “The Midnight Club” BRIEFS
By Chase Vialpando
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Halloween may have passed, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacri ce your horror- lled movie nights. If you’re still in the mood to pop some popcorn, dim the lights and maybe spill the popcorn after a jarring jump scare, tune into Net ix’s “ e Midnight Club”.
Created by Mike Flanagan, who’s also behind the hit gothic Net ix series “Midnight Mass” and the 2018 rendition of “ e Haunting of Hill House”, “ e Midnight Club” o ers a unique story structure from a set of unlikely perspectives. e series is sort of a spooky anthology collection stitched together by a stable yet haunting main plot. e show follows a group of terminally-ill teenagers living out the remainder of their lives in a Victorian mansion serving as a hospice called Brightcli e Academy. e plot centers on 19-year-old prodigy Ilonka (Iman Benson), who planned to attend Brown University before her cancer diagnosis led her to Brightcli e. As she’s introduced to the eerie campus and the mysterious forest it inhabits, Ilonka learns her new home isn’t all it appears to be. Within her rst night, Ilonka is welcomed by her fellow Brightcli e residents to e Midnight Club, a secret group that shares nightly ghost stories. However, there’s a supernatural pact all members must take, a pact that strives to throw back the veil of uncertainty clouding the afterlife. is is where the anthology aspect of the series takes ight.
In each episode, di erent stories told by di erent club members practically steal the show. ese stories-within-a-story share actors from the ‘real world’, with smart costume designs making these scene-transitions seamless.
For example, leukemia-stricken resident Kevin (Igby Rigney) tells a story of a teenage serial killer named Dusty who’s haunted by murderous demons. In the story he spins, Kevin’s actor, Rigney, also plays Dusty. Most of the residents’ stories follow this pattern, allowing each of the smaller stories to include the diverse cast of the main story. rough their stories, the members of e Midnight Club grapple with the crippling frustrations, regrets and inspirations spawned from their cut-too-short lives. However, it’s clear from the start that ghosts occupy more than just the minds of Brightcli e residents. Supernatural sightings and creepy ghost encounters run rampant at the hospice as Ilonka tries to discover the secrets of Brightcli e Academy. And, possibly, discover the secret of an allusive Brightcli e resident who made a full recovery from cancer decades prior. e series borrows from almost every horror-genre trope and setting as it explores science- ction time-traveling, noir crime-solving, wicked cult antics and more. I was especially impressed at the depth of horror techniques implemented within the show. For example, the creators embrace jump scares just as well as situational terror and body horror. Both realistic and supernatural scares wait around every corner.
While the series leaves on a bit of a cli hanger and many unanswered questions, one can only hope Net ix releases a second season to tie up the frayed ends of the story. Even if the series is left at one season, it stands well on its own if you’re okay with interpreting some of the more ambiguous elements yourself.
CSC Concert and community choirs perform Sunday afternoon
CSC’s Wind Symphony and Community band will perform this Friday in Memorial Hall Auditorium from 7-8:30 p.m. Under the direction of John Wojcik, the bands will be playing music honoring the heroes from 9/11, a medley of popular songs from “Dancing Queen” to “La La Land” and compositions from several new composers. e Wind Symphony will also feature a piece by CSC student and bass clarinet omas Hughes, written in memory of those we’ve lost.
CSC’s Concert Choir and Community Choir will perform this Sunday 3-4:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall Auditorium. Under the direction of Joel Schreuder, the choirs will perform a variety of songs including folk and acapella pieces from around the world.
