"Here but not here." - The Midnight Club

“To those before, to those after, to us now, and to those beyond. Seen or unseen. Here but not here.”
- The Midnight Club.

A good, old friend recommended this series to me. I love it when people who know me well make recommendations. They often surprise me with something I like more than I expected! I was intrigued by it, although, when I sat down to watch it, I was somewhat indifferent about it. Nevertheless, that quickly changed as I was introduced to the concept and was immediately hooked! (Guilty of resonating with it.)

The characters can be quite diverse and relatable, if you’d like to see yourself and others in them, but what stood out the most to me were the setting and the dynamics between them, along with some of the themes that were brought up.

It’s a horror series by Netflix that came out on October 7th, 2022. I recommend watching it if you’re into the kind of stories that take place at a specific location, tying together different people with a problem and/or goal in common, each bringing something unique to the table. More specifically made for you if you seek depth under the surface. So far, it is only 10 episodes, each less than an hour long. An option if you’re looking for more to fill your autumn nights with.

But whether you choose (or are able) to watch it or not, here’s what I have to say about it…

 SPOILERS ALERT!  If you want to avoid spoilers, you can stop reading right now. 

The Midnight Club (2022)

I have a weakness, a softness, for settings that are a blend of a home, a school, and a hospital. Bonus points if they’re haunted or seem like they could be. And this is one of the biggest appeals of The Midnight Club: Brightcliffe.

There, a group of young people suffering from serious, terminal illnesses gathers to wait for and welcome their death. This creates a grim atmosphere, no doubt, but also pulls them closer together as the facade of normalcy no longer applies to them. They know that death is around the corner for them and that their time is short. So might as well live as fully and truly as they can before they pass.

The director in charge considers this and allows them autonomy (within reason). Also letting them get away with behaviors that they’re not supposed to indulge - like staying up and meeting up past their curfew.

Being such, they make a habit, a ritual even, of sneaking into the library to share stories with each other, sitting by the chimney. And this is where it gets especially captivating for me… 

The stories that they tell may be a way to cope with what they’re going through, to put together what is happening (or has happened) in ways that they can process, and to get it out of their system, expressing themselves. To know themselves and be known by others. Not to mention, to get a thrill out of it.

The stories may be mostly fictional or not. They may be extremely personal or not. They may reflect fears or desires. Include romance or other matters. And, as they are told, the members of the club appear as characters in the stories. At times quite fittingly, and at times not so much. But they get to play a part, whether it’s exaggerated, even absurd, or completely on point for them. Not always all of them and not always in main roles. But they all pop up somewhere. They play with possibilities, with alternatives, as well as with symbols and metaphors in their storytelling. Anything to keep it going, being engaging. And they take turns. Nobody has to hog all of the attention. The genres vary, too. Including sci-fiction, crime, and more.

Admittedly, I’m an absolute sucker for this. And I’m guessing that if you’re into storytelling, into RPing and maybe even LARPing, it’d speak to you too. Their circumstances are sad, to say the least, but they lose and find themselves in the stories that they share, making the most of it.

Outside of this, they all have their own stuff going on. With their relatives, their conditions, and among themselves and the puzzling place they’re staying in. Which intervenes with or feeds into the stories. It all intermingles in interesting and fascinating ways while they also weave in important topics. Some of which can be quite heavy but still important to talk about. E.g. Perfectionism, depression, guilt...

The first season revealed a few harsh and crude truths. Yet, still left unanswered questions. I'm in for what follows.

  Would you enjoy being a member of a club like this? (Minus the impending doom.)