The Midnight Club episode 8 review: A darker exploration of human nature

The Midnight Club, a much-anticipated show from the master of modern horror Mike Flannagan, dropped all ten episodes on October 7, 2022.

The series follows a dark premise of a group of terminally ill teenagers coming together to form a club in an ancient manor to share scary stories. Within just a few episodes, the series has developed quite astonishingly into a classic Flannagan flick.

The eighth episode of the show featured perhaps the most exciting story so far after the entire season dealt with multiple stories in each episode. A large part of this beautifully shot and edited episode dealt with Natsuki's (Aya Furukawa) story.

This episode also dragged the pace down a bit after the previous episode's rapid exploration of the horror theme.

Read on for a detailed review of The Midnight Club episode 8.

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The Midnight Club episode 8 review: A bone-chilling tale filled with metaphors

The eighth episode of The Midnight Club opened with a frustrated Illonka (Iman Benson) running to confront their warden about the non-terminally ill resident among them. Though the first half of the episode mostly dealt with the aftermath of Anya's death, which affected almost everyone in the group, the latter part of the episode delved into more horror-oriented zones.

Before the episode went in that direction, it lingered on a more logical plane with everyone dealing with death and loss. Flannagan continues to explore the brutality and unfairness of life in his signature style as most teens cope hard with the loss of a friend. This also affects some interpersonal relationships between them, making it harder for them to come back together.

After spending some time exploring their relationships, this episode shifts its focus to Natsuki and Amesh (Sauriyan Sapkota), who hit a rough patch following the brutal infringement in the previous episode.

The second part of the episode has some exemplary filmmaking, with the episode diving headfirst into Natsuki's story. However, this does not come without its complications. Natsuki tells this story to Amesh in private, telling him that she is letting him inside.

What follows is perhaps the most intriguing story told in The Midnight Club so far. The incredible episode takes us on a perfectly-made journey across a metaphorically rich story that is cleverly written from top to bottom.

Assuming the role of a girl leaving her house in search of solidarity, Natsuki delivers a tale of suicide in stunning manner. This story has all the necessary elements of a perfect thriller and keeps viewers guessing till the very end.

This sequence is elevated by some brilliant camera work, production design, and soundscape. There is almost no room to complain in this packed story, and by the time it ends, viewers are left wondering about the deep-lying metaphors in the story.

As the episode draws to a close, The Midnight Club leaves behind another cryptic twist with Illonka venturing in the elevator and into the basement. The show previously teased the elevator as a particular object of interest, but at the end of the episode, something bizarre happens, that leaves fans questioning. This will perhaps be resolved in the final two episodes of the show.

All the episodes of The Midnight Club are now streaming on Netflix.