Mike Flanagan’s Best Stephen King Series Wasn’t Based on Anything King Wrote

A town under threat

Midnight Mass follows a new priest who arrives in a small town and claims to replace its previous priest. His intentions include establishing a vampire colony, a premise the article compares with Salem’s Lot.

In King’s novel, writer Ben Mears returns to his hometown and finds it overtaken by vampires. Kurt Barlow has come to Jerusalem’s Lot under the pretense of opening an antique furniture store, but plans to build a vampire colony.

Horror with human meaning

The article describes Midnight Mass as Flanagan’s personal project, shaped in part by his religious upbringing and experiences with sobriety. It says he uses horror elements to deepen the drama and reveal the characters’ flaws.

Vampirism becomes a way to explore addiction, grief and Catholic guilt. The story’s bloodlust and sunlight aversion are compared with the lasting remorse of a drunk driver who caused another person’s death.

Compared with Salem’s Lot

The article argues that Midnight Mass is more satisfying and frightening than the official Salem’s Lot adaptations. It sees the series as using a familiar King-like setup—a quiet American town disrupted by a mysterious outsider—to tell a distinct story. Although Midnight Mass is not based on King’s work, the article says its atmosphere and themes make it Flanagan’s strongest series in the spirit of the author.