– xxaninvinciblesummerxx asked:
Hey, there. Rewatching Midnight Mass right now and it's got to be one of my favorite shows of all time. I'm cancelling Netflix soon for budget reasons, and I know there's been disputes and frustration over this, but if there was ever a DVD release, I would buy it in a heartbeat. Here's hoping.
– Mike Flanagan replied:
I tried repeatedly over many years to get Netflix to do the right thing and release the original shows on physical media. For a long time they just said no, then they ignored me for a while, then they said no a few more times, then they said they would see what they could do...
At one point, they said they were actually going to do it - an executive told me they were going to package everything into a "Flanaverse" box set (man I hate that word, but I would have lived with it gladly if it meant physical media releases).
I was overjoyed. But months went by without any further updates. When I finally followed up, they sent a single-sentence email that basically said "oh yeah, never mind, we weren't able to get that going." I pushed for an explanation as to why but never got anything more specific than "physical media just isn't a priority for the company".
That outcome, and the dismissive, nonchalant delivery of the news, were entirely demoralizing.
We are seeing more and more movies and series being erased from existence as studios seek to save a little cash. This is only going to get worse.
The fact that Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, Gerald's Game and Before I Wake (and the upcoming Fall of the House of Usher) are exclusively available ONLY on Netflix, and can disappear from the service at any time and be entirely erased from the world - is absolutely terrifying to me.
Physical media is critical.
Being available "exclusively" on a single platform is bad for the business, bad for cinema, and bad for all of us.
I used to be vehemently opposed to piracy.
I have completely changed my stance on that issue.
Yesterday's "pirates" are, in some cases, the only hope for archival preservation of a growing amount of shows and movies.
I have purchased several pirated blu-ray copies of Midnight Mass, am very impressed with the quality and presentation, and I am profoundly grateful they exist.
Godspeed, noble archivists.
(Wanted to point out - Paramount co-produced both The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor. Netflix wouldn't have put those out either, but Paramount retained the physical media rights, so one year after each was launched on Netflix, they were made available on Blu-ray and DVD. They include deleted scenes, extended scenes, and commentary tracks.
Thank you, Paramount.)
