When a renowned director who is famous for his successful adaptations of supernatural genre books brings Stephen King’s Midnight Mass to life, certainly there are lots of expectations. Happy to note that the screen adaptation of Midnight Mass more or less fulfils these expectations.

The story begins in Chicago where a drunk driver is arrested on DUI charges as he has accidentally hit another car resulting in an unexpected death of a young girl. His name is Riley Flynn and his life is doomed from that moment onwards. From venture capitalists career to convicted felon, Riley Flynn’s life goes downhill as he is incarcerated for four years in prison.

Once he is through his ordeal, he has nowhere to go and that’s why he decides to return to Crockett Island where his parents still live in his childhood home. But he is not the only one who is returning to the island on that fateful day; a mysterious young priest for their local parish also arrives on the island on the same ferry. The series really kicks-off at this point with lots of speculation about the new priest for St. Patrick’s Church, unpopular opinions surrounding Riley’s return to his family home and mysterious illness of the old priest supposedly admitted in a hospital on the mainland.

This new priest- Father Paul Hill, vigorously tries to revive the local Catholic Church with the help of Bev Keane who commands certain influence among the faithfuls. Suddenly there are increasing numbers of churchgoers, more people attending regular mass sessions and widespread enthusiasm across the island. While most people including Riley’s childhood friend- Erin Greene is becoming a devout attendee, Riley is sceptical about this new movement.

But things really start going south after the incident of washed up dead cats post a deadly storm. This is followed by bizarre incidents around the town often leading up to miracles. Who and what is behind these activities definitely worthy of a watch on the screen.

Directed by the acclaimed director Mike Flanagan who is famous for his detailed and gripping take on horror stories, this onscreen adaptation of Stephen King’s novel lives up to that reputation. Despite the longish monologues, scripture quotations and tad lengthy final episode, the series doesn’t loose its grip till the very last scene. Minor glitches in makeup, specifically for portraying characters on a journey similar to Benjamin Button are more than compensated by the atmospheric lighting and sharp editing.

All in all, this brilliant adaptation is worthy of your time.