Okay, I’m watching. Shocktober is almost here and I’m excited. I’ve never had time to do an actual ‘movie a day’ challenge for October but I stil try to squeeze in a bit of the latest Halloween horror. This year Netflix has two great series you should check out: Squid Game and Midnight Mass.

My son told me about Squid Game. It’s one of those Korean survival horror shows and it’s pretty brutal and suspenseful. Maybe a tad predictable but still thoroughly fun with a lot of likeable characters. It’s dubbed into English instead of subtitled so you can keep your eyes on the carnage, and the voice acting is actually pretty good.

Midnight Mass, on the other hand, is not what I’d call fun. This is the latest offering from Mike Flanagan, creator of Haunting of Hill House and Haunting of Bly Manor. I loved both of those, though they’re much different from each other, and Midnight Mass is different yet again. This one isn’t based on a novel, but instead it takes heavy inspiration from the bible for its story, themes, and even episode titles. It’s slow-paced and emotionally focused, building towards catharsis and tragedy. I found it quite moving and some of it was frustratingly familiar from my semi-fundamentalist childhood. Especially the self-righteous snake Bev Keane–I daresay most churchgoers knew a few people like her.

I don’t think you need any real religious background to enjoy this show but as someone who’s experienced religions from inside and outside and places way off to the side I saw parts of my journey in many of the characters. I really felt for them as their fortunes rose and fell. I think Haunting of Hill House is still my favorite of the three series, but this one will definitely stick with me as well.