The Midnight Club ending explained: Is there anything supernatural at all?

The Midnight Club premiered with all ten episodes this Friday, October 7, 2022, on Netflix. The latest series from the modern genius of horror, Mike Flanagan, was every bit as incredible as his previous work, combining equal amounts of horror, dread, emotion, and reality. Except, this time, it is not clear if the show was a supernatural-themed ride at all.

In a tribute to classic shows like Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the new Netflix show depicted one or more tales of horror in each of the episodes, and by the time the climax came, it was all about fear and acceptance.

The finale teased some big moments in the penultimate episode, but Flanagan once again chose the unconventional way out by making the ultimate theme about fear of death and eventual acceptance.

So what exactly happened in the last episode that changed the perspective of the show completely? Read on to decipher the ending of The Midnight Club episode 10.

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The Midnight Club episode 10 ending explained: An act of letting go, but some mysteries still surround

The tenth episode began in the high-adrenaline setting of Shasta trying to poison Ilonka (Iman Benson), the terminally ill patient who was searching for a cure for something that does not exist.

After Dr. Georgia Stanton (Heather Langenkamp) somehow managed to stop the cult leader, she made her escape, leaving behind Ilonka and her broken belief.

The next part of the episode surrounds Ilonka's journey into complete acceptance. Though she initially asks Dr. Georgia not to tell her peers about her misdemeanor in helping Shasta and the members of the cult enter the building, she eventually reveals it to them at the very end.

Before that, on the next family day, Ilonka makes peace with herself by completely accepting her death.

She tells her foster father about her will and her wishes for the funeral, indicating that she has finally moved on from the phase of rebelling against death to greeting it like a friend. She also meets and talks to Rhett (Daniel Diemer), giving him some personal possessions of Anya, in the process also accepting her death.

The third act of the episode sees the group rejoin for another round of storytelling at the Midnight Club, this time led by Kevin (Igby Rigney), who finally decides to finish his tale. After this one fascinating story, Ilonka comes on and finishes her own story, each of them injecting the stories with their fears and resolutions.

In an intimate and emotional ending, Ilonka and Kevin both accept their fates, and aided by the others in the Midnight Club, they all come to terms with what is lying ahead.

By the end of the series, it all becomes an act of letting go. Ilonka and Kevin share a kiss after their storytelling session, indicating how life is too short to ponder over the impossible.

But the final part of the show indicates some things that may yet be out of the ordinary. The last part reveals that Dr. Stanton was wearing a wig all this time and has a tattoo that resembles the symbol of the cult. Also, some photographs reveal the faces of the ghosts that Ilonka and others have seen around the place.

After completely demystifying the premise and possibly showing that it was not a supernatural tale, the show went on to establish that there are indeed mysteries surrounding the manor.

This kept the path open for a sequel and left viewers wondering what the thematic setting of the show actually was.

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