The Midnight Club - Blog Posts

My thoughts on

The Midnight Club (2022)

I just finished watching The Midnight Club last night and couldn't help feel how it was like a beautiful work of art left unfinished. When I started the show, I was really impressed by the way the foundation was laid but several things were left unexplained but we'll get there later.

First off, let's talk about the true essence of the show; the stories. While I absolutely loved the way the characters expressed their unconscious/concious desires through the stories knowing that they wouldn't come true, that the future they paint will continue to remain trapped behind words, I couldn't help but feel that we could've been introduced to this world in a better way.

By the time we learn about Natsuki's story regarding the Japanese myth, it's already progressed into a "frenzy of jump scares" which completely ruined the atmosphere for me and I found myself wanting it to be over as soon as possible.

The next thing I wish to address is Ilonka's character. She is a complex teen who is unable to accept the terminal nature of her life and that she cannot be saved. Initially, I liked her drive to survive but as the episodes carry on, we see her completely lose herself in the desperate attempt to grasp what's left of her life. Her character itself had multiple flaws which were further enhanced by the fact that so many things about her were left unexplained.

Why was Ilonka having visions?

Was it because of her medication? Maybe. But it could also, be due to her being most open to the spiritual aspect of the place. She openly sought to achieve wellness through the nature and was engrossed by the past which might've manifested in the form of visions. Maybe her sharing these thoughts with Kevin was the reason for his own visions.

Another aspect of the show I really wanted to see were the stories coming together in the end (as we had in the haunting series) but was really underwhelmed. There were too many plot holes which raised a lot of questions.

Who is Dr. Georgina Stanton?

In the final episode, her ties to the Paragon are hinted at. I personally found myself drawing ties between her and Regina Ballard (Aceso). Regina, upon performing the ritual had lost her hair which kinda made me think if Stanton had also tried to do the same for her son (resulting in the loss of her hair, being the only survivor).

Who are the old ghosts?

This really got me scratching my head finding answers. Maybe they're yet again manifestations of the negative emotions arising in the kids but I'm not sure. Also, how is Kevin connected to the old woman and why does Ilonka keep seeing her where Kevin is?

All these are left unanswered which really irks the viewers to know more.

(I have not read the books and all my interpretations are solely based on the show)

You said it was a ghost story. It isn’t. No? It’s a love story. Same thing, really. TJ MIKELOGAN’s HALLOWEEN 2024 EVENT day thirteen ↬ horror television template

Happy Birthday @flanaganfilm! Thank you for all the incredible gifts you've given us fans throughout your career!

So, I recently watched The Midnight Club and I saw a lot of people say that they don't like Ilonka and I get it. She doesn't make the best of decisions, but she is also a dying teen who is just trying to make the best of it.

I never disliked Ilonka for making bad decisions. It actually made sense for someone in her position and there is no guarantee I would not have done the same.

But it did annoy me that she never faces any consequences for it. Like when Sandra strikes out with Spence she makes up for it with her story …we see that she actually feels bad about it but when Ilonka is reprimanded by Stanton for the right reasons she gets angry and initially it was understandable, but we never see her realizing that it was still wrong to take Anya down to the basement no matter how she felt about it. When Sandra admitted to that intercom prank, we see the other characters looking somewhat pissed though they warm back up to her later but with Ilonka when she tells them about the murder ritual with Julia Jayne they all seem unaffected by it. We never see her feeling bad for being unreasonably rude to Katherine, in the moment I understood her, but we should have seen her regretting lashing out and I know she apologizes to Kevin but what she said to Katherine did not sit right with me...coz Katherine seemed like a genuinely nice person. We never see Tim's reaction to the ritual either though it was implied that Stanton discussed it with him. He wouldn't have yelled at Ilonka but he would have still talked to her about it. She should have acknowledged that taking herself and her other sick friends to an unclean basement full of mold and whatnot (as Sandra tells her) was wrong.

So, I think a lot of people disliked Ilonka not for making bad decisions but because she never took accountability for it especially when the other characters did. I feel like that would have added depth to her character.... her realizing that though she was smart she was not always right. Maybe they would have dealt with that in season 2 but I don't know.

Also Fuck cults and fuck cultists for manipulating and taking advantage of vulnerable people.