The Midnight Club Trailer: Mike Flanagan Is Back With A Ghost Story Based On The Work Of Christopher Pike

Get ready, the Midnight Club is about to meet.

Young Adult horror is a very important, yet somehow rare thing. The horror genre is one of the most malleable ones out there, capable of adapting and molding to tell stories aimed at any demographic and offering something unique and valid. That's why it is especially important to have gateway horror stories for kids and young adults. Horror can help prepare young audiences for the real world in a way that is controlled and safe, offering a respite from real life and some understanding of the real world — all while scaring the hell out of them.

We've had some great YA horror in recent years, from the "Fear Street" movie trilogy and "There's Someone Inside Your House" and "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark." Truly, it feels like younger audiences are finally getting their due, and it's about to get better, because Mike Flanagan is entering the fold. Flanagan is a master of making horror movies that also hit hard in the feels, and he is adapting the works of celebrated author Christopher Pike with "The Midnight Club."

In just over a decade, Mike Flanagan has become one of the most unique voices in horror working today, as he's crafted movie after movie that combine unforgettable scares while also delivering deeply emotional and grounded stories that stick with you as long as the fear does. 

Not only that, but Flanagan has also helped bring back the horror TV show format, with his "The Haunting" series and "Midnight Mass" becoming big event shows everyone talks about. Who can forget about that jumpscare in "The Haunting of Hill House?" Or what about those emotional monologues about faith and death in "Midnight Mass?" The fact that we talk about the actual stories Flanagan tells as much as we do the scares is a testament to his work.

Now, Flanagan is setting his eyes on the YA horror genre, and it already looks like a winner. The trailer for "The Midnight Club" is full of references for those who enthusiastically picked up Pike's novel in the '90s, while introducing the story of a hospice for terminally ill young adults who gather every night to tell horror stories. Given the very tragic real-life origin of Pike's novel, it isn't hard to imagine Flanagan's take will mirror the real world and give the story even more of an emotional edge.

"The Midnight Club" stars Iman Benson, Adia, Igby Rigney, Ruth Codd, Aya Furukawa, Annarah Cymone, Chris Sumpter, and Sauriyan Sapkota ad the titular club, with Flanagan alums Rahul Kohli, Zach Gilford, Samantha Sloyan and Matt Biedel also have roles in the show. More exciting, arguably, is that Heather Langenkamp herself will also play a role.

"The Midnight Club" premieres October 7, 2022 on Netflix.