1 Netflix Horror Show Has So Many Jump Scares It Broke a Guinness World Record
Halloween naturally has Netflix subscribers in the mood for something spooky. And, of course, the streaming giant offers a bit of something for everyone. But many viewers might not realize that one Netflix horror show recently broke a Guinness World Record for the most jump scares. Here’s how The Midnight Club established a new benchmark for spine-tingling thrills and chills.
‘The Midnight Club’ premiered on Netflix on Oct. 7, 2022
Co-created by filmmaker Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Doctor Sleep), The Midnight Club — which premiered on Netflix on Oct. 7, 2022 — is an adaptation of the 1994 novel by Christopher Pike. Pike wrote dozens of books, all fair game for this series. The story centers on a group of hospice patients who meet daily at midnight to tell scary stories.
The Netflix horror show has gained attention for not only Flanagan’s involvement — he also serves as showrunner — but also its cast of up-and-coming young actors as the members of the Midnight Club. Moreover, the addition of A Nightmare on Elm Street star Heather Langenkamp as the mysterious doctor who runs the hospice has caught the attention of horror fans, young and old.
‘The Midnight Club’ has a record-breaking number of jump scares
The Midnight Club isn’t just another horror show. In fact, according to Netflix, the series broke a Guinness World Record for “most scripted jump scares in a single episode” of television. The streaming service claims the series premiere of The Midnight Club, ironically titled “The Final Chapter,” features no fewer than 21 jump scares across its 58-minute runtime.
Guinness World Record adjudicator Andrew Glass presented the award to Flanagan, co-creator/executive producer Leah Fong, executive producer Trevor Macy, and the cast during The Midnight Club panel at the 2022 New York Comic Con (NYCC) the day before the episode went live on Netflix. Funnily enough, Flanagan admitted during the NYCC panel that he despises jump scares.
“I just hate [jump scares],” he said. “For most of my career, people have come to me while we’re working on scripts and said, ‘Add more jump scares.’ On this project, we thought we were just going to empty the missile silos, put as many jump scares as could ever fit into one scene so that, hopefully, by the end, they would be meaningless. In the future, if anyone ever comes to us and says to add more jump scares, we could say, ‘Actually, we have the Guinness World Record for most jump scares in an episode of television, and we think it’s fine the way it is.’”
Other Netflix horror shows you can stream now
Fans who’ve already binged The Midnight Club still have plenty to watch on the streaming service. In fact, The Midnight Club isn’t even the only Flanagan-produced Netflix horror show. He’s also a creator and driving force on The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and the miniseries Midnight Mass.
Lately, fans might be caught up watching Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, starring Evan Peters. But Netflix has a lot of other horror series to watch, including Stranger Things, The Watcher, and Santa Clarita Diet. Then there are licensed series Netflix has streaming, including The Walking Dead, Supernatural, and Ash vs. Evil Dead. So there’s plenty to make you scream.
