‘The Midnight Club’: The Hidden Meaning in Anya’s Story
The new creepy series from Netflix, The Midnight Club, boasts Mike Flanagan at the helm working off of author Christopher Pike’s original novel by the same name. Flanagan, known for expertly weaving emotional stories into his horror, knocks it out of the park again with this series. The Midnight Club follows a group of terminally ill teens at Brightcliffe Hospice. Each night they meet at midnight and tell scary stories, but each group member has a story that symbolizes something else. Here’s the hidden meaning in Anya’s (Ruth Codd) story.
[WARNING: This article contains detailed spoilers regarding The Midnight Club.]
Anya’s story in ‘The Midnight Club’ is called ‘The Two Danas’
Only a couple of the stories told in Pike’s version of The Midnight Club make it into Flanagan’s series, but Anya’s story is one of them. Anya’s story revolves around a straight-A student named Dana. Dana spends her time studying and practicing ballet, leaving little time for parties and boys. Every night Dana goes to bed and prays to God that He would free her of those desires so she can return to being perfect. One night, Dana sees something moving in the shadows of her bedroom before two red eyes look out from the darkness. The devil, played by Heather Langenkamp, shows up and makes Dana an offer. She tells Dana she can create two of her so one Dana can still be the perfect student, daughter, and friend, while the second Dana can “party, smoke pot, make out with boys, and drink herself stupid.” Both Danas will experience the feelings of each one simultaneously.
Dana takes the offer, but before long, Dana Number Two’s wild ways begin taking a toll on OG Dana. Her grades suffer, she can’t sleep, and things start going downhill. The original Dana decides she has to kill the second Dana. However, they share a brain, so Dana Number Two knows OG Dana’s plans. When they meet in their standoff, both Danas realize they no longer know which was the original Dana. They each fire a gun simultaneously, and when Dana wakes up in the hospital, she begs the devil for her old life back. However, the devil refuses.
Anya’s story ends with one Dana in hell and one Dana on earth, and the Dana on earth feels everything happening to the Dana in hell for the rest of her life. She never figures out which Dana lives inside her body.
Anya’s wracked with guilt and blames herself for ruining her family’s lives
In The Midnight Club Episode 5, Anya confesses to Ilonka (Iman Benson) that she killed her parents. She explains that she used to dream of becoming a professional ballerina. When she got accepted to a ballet company in the States, Anya’s parents came with her. However, once she arrived, she began to sneak out and party. Anya’s parents noticed her absence one night and drove around looking for her. During their search, they hit black ice, wrecked their car, and died. Anya blames herself for their deaths.
After her parents died, Anya became addicted to heroin. Her best friend, Rhett, tried to get her into several rehabs, but she refused. When Rhett told Anya she would die if she didn’t get clean, she threw a ballerina figure at his head, breaking off one of its legs. A few weeks later, doctors diagnosed Anya with cancer, which led to the amputation of one of her legs.
Anya’s story represents her feelings that her desire to have the best of both worlds ruined her life. Her cancer diagnosis feels like a version of hell, and the “good” Anya pays the price for what the “bad” version did. At first glance, Anya’s story seems like it leans into horror, but a deeper look reveals the guilt Anya lives with daily.
Anya dies at peace in ‘The Midnight Club’
After Anya confesses to Ilonka, Ilonka and the rest of the Midnight Club try to perform a ritual to save Anya. The ceremony fails. Instead, Anya wakes up in a different reality. However, we soon realize that it’s all in Anya’s head. Her friends gather around to tell one last story, but Ilonka stays to apologize. Ilonka tells Anya she’s not alone and the Midnight Club will always be by her side. When Ilonka says goodnight, Anya whispers her reply before closing her eyes and dying.
Stream all episodes of The Midnight Club exclusively on Netflix.
