The terrifyingly genius mind of Mike Flanagan has once again produced a terror tale for Netflix.
And, while we all may want it to be true, Midnight Mass, Flanagan's latest project for the streamer, is not a third installment of his critically acclaimed The Haunting of series. This may be confusing for some, as the new horror story has several actors who've appeared in The Haunting of Hill House and/or The Haunting of Bly Manor, including Kate Siegel, Henry Thomas, Rahul Kohli, Annabeth Gish, Robert Longstreet, Samantha Sloyan and Alex Essoe.
But, as Hill House alum and current Midnight Mass star Sloyan exclusively explained to E! News, this is where the comparison ends. "It is a stand alone [series]," she said. "Crockett Island is a world within itself, and it is not connected to Bly or Hill House."
Yet, she did promise that you will see "Flanagan's bits sprinkled throughout." For instances, she said eagle-eyed fans may spot a call back to Flanagan's 2016 Netflix film Hush, as the book written by Maddie Young (Siegel) in the film is located in the background of Midnight Mass.
And it's not just the change in locale that makes Midnight Mass its own unique show. We hate to say it, but there's a significant lack of ghosts.
In fact, the only person haunted in the series is Riley Flynn, who is played by Friday Night Lights alum Zach Gilford. As Gilford detailed to E! News, this isn't even a proper ghost, as it's likely the manifestation of Riley's guilt for killing someone in a drunk driving accident.
"It's just something that he carries around with him constantly," he said of this haunting. "There's no other examples of, like, ghosts in this world. I think it just plays into him and what he's struggling with...He can't get away from what he did, and he doesn't think he deserves to."
Instead of ghosts, Midnight Mass' supernatural occurrences come in the form of an eerily powerful priest, Father Paul (Hamish Linklater). Without giving too much away, a series of miracles inspire both a rabidly devout following and a rising suspicion that something unholy is going on.
This explains why Gilford called the new show "a seven-hour movie," adding, "It's not Hill House, it's not anything else. I can't think of anything that this is like."
You can experience the spine-chilling series for yourself, as Midnight Mass is streaming now on Netflix.