Netflix Series MIDNIGHT MASS Ending Explained

MIDNIGHT MASS ​ending explained. This page features questions and answers explaining the ending of Midnight Mass on Netflix. If you haven’t watched Midnight Mass yet, then stop reading and go watch it on Netflix first. Read our spoiler-free review of Midnight Mass here >

Do you want the ending of Midnight Mass​ explained? Or maybe there are some elements of the story that you’re still wondering about? There certainly was a lot to take in. Well, you’ve come to the right place for a further explanation.

We’ll go over the ending of Midnight Mass along with a few other details necessary to explain the ending of Midnight Mass which is out on Netflix now!

Warning: Since this article is all about explaining the ending of Midnight Mass, it is obviously full of spoilers.

If you haven’t watched Midnight Mass on Netflix yet, then you should read our review of Midnight Mass instead.

Last warning.

Netflix Series Midnight Mass ending explained

Let’s jump right into it with some of the questions you may have. We’ve certainly wondered about a few things ourselves and are seeing these questions asked on social media as well. Some are about the plot of Midnight Mass while others are about the ending of Midnight Mass.

What happened to Monsignor Pruitt?

Monsignor Pruitt encounters a vampire and is ultimately turned into a vampire himself. A process that begins with him being bitten and drained by the vampire. As part of this process, he becomes a young and healthy version of himself instead of the frail and dementia-ridden old man, he actually should be.

He returns to Crockett Island as Father Paul and claims to just be “filling in” for Monsignor Pruitt, who is recovering in a hospital on the mainland.

With this excuse, he also has a built-in explanation as to why he knows everything about everyone (“Monsignor Pruitt told me”).

Why does Father Paul want to turn everyone into vampires?

His intentions seem to be good at first. How is that possible, you might as yourself? Well, clearly he is in complete denial.

He has been given a second chance at life and convinces himself that surely it must be an act of God. While The Angel comes across as the Devil or a Demon to everyone else, this creature saved his life and made him young again.

Surely such a miracle can only come from God.

What is in the Sacrament?

As soon as Father Paul begins “taking over” for Monsignor Pruitt, he begins adding small amounts of vampire blood to the sacrament that everyone takes as part of communion. He simply adds it to the wine being given as “the blood of Christ”.

Why does everyone seem to become younger?

Since Father Paul only gives people a small amount of vampire blood (via the Sacrament), they don’t immediately turn into their ideal selves. Monsignor Pruitt was drained and then brought back to life which made him the younger and healthier version of himself.

For the people getting sacrament, they slowly look and feel younger. We especially see this with Riley Flynn’s parents at first. Annie Flynn (Kristin Lehman) suddenly no longer needs her glasses and Ed Flynn (Henry Thomas) no longer has back issues.

More than anyone, it is obvious in the character played by Alex Essoe. Unrecognizable at first, she ultimately looks like her own real self. And, of course, Leeza (Annarah Cymone), the paralyzed girl who can suddenly walk again.

Who poisoned Joe’s dog?

Well, everything points to the Godfearing “church lady” Bev Keane (played perfectly by Samantha Sloyan). She’s the one who had access to rat poison (a lot of it) and we saw a female figure giving a hotdog to the dog. Shortly thereafter, the dog died a violent death. Also, Bev really does not like Joe.

Why does Bev Keane have so much rat poison?

Bev Keane has probably been using the rat poison for its intended purpose at first (to get rid of a rat infestation). However, it would appear that she keeps stocking up because she has realized there’s power in having this poison.

How does Father Paul (Hamish Linklater) die – was he poisoned?

Again, it would definitely appear so. Of course, since he’s in the process of becoming a vampire he only dies for a brief moment before coming back to life as a full-fledged vampire.

It seems that Bev Keane is definitely to blame in some way. Either by accident or because she’s sneaky.

After all, she poisoned rats and as irritating and judgmental as Bev Keane can be, she is also damn smart. She suspected early on that Father Paul wasn’t who he claimed to be and got “in on the secret”. It’s quite possible that she purposely tried to poison him to see the effects.

Let’s be real, Bev Keane feeds on being needed. She has all the classic “Münchausen by Proxy”-signs that lead someone to hurt others in order for them to then be able to comfort and help afterward.

Who killed all the cats?

It would appear the vampire (or The Angel) was feeding on the stray cats while waiting for bigger “blood donors”. The Angel then moves on to the local drug dealer and other people that appear to be deemed “undesirable” by the Crockett Island community.

Who is the father of Dr. Sarah Gunning?

Father Paul is Dr. Sarah Gunning’s dad. Or actually, Monsignor Pruitt is the father of Sarah Gunning since Father Paul is simply the restored younger version of Monsignor Pruitt.

Sarah Gunning never knew who her real father was, but finds out right before dying. Her father tries to save her by giving her his vampire blood, but she refuses, which he respects and accepts. Instead, he carries her dead body out of church alongside Sarah’s mother (Alex Essoe).

What character does Alex Essoe play in Midnight Mass?

Alex Essoe is virtually unrecognizable for the first several episodes of Midnight Mass. However, she plays the mother of Dr. Sarah Gunning (Annabeth Gish), who suffers from dementia.

Why does Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford) kill himself?

One could argue that he was already dead. Mostly because he was! He was killed by The Angel and then brought back as an immortal vampire. This was in no way something Riley wanted, so he spends his final moments telling Erin (Kate Siegel) everything about the vampire infestation on Crockett Island.

The final proof to make sure Erin believes him, is letting himself burn during the sunrise. Also, we’re certain that Riley felt this way of dying was his fate. After all, it was his recurring dream to sit on a boat at sea during sunrise.

For anyone who has seen Saint Maud, the way this particular scene was shot came across as a beautiful tribute. 

What is the Angel?

Short answer: The “angel” is actually a very old vampire who is given strength by feeding on Monsignor Pruitt. Then the “Angel” gives blood to the Monsignor and turns him into the young and healthy version of himself.

This person returns to Crockett Island as “Father Paul” and brings along his Angel, to also bring health and youth to everyone.

Is the Angel a vampire, demon, devil?

We know that the Angel is a vampire. Whether he is also some sort of demon or the devil, is another question, but it is certainly a possibility.

The Angel does share traits with alukah, a type of vampiric demon. Alukah is first mentioned in Proverbs, which is also the title of Midnight Mass episode 3 where it first appears.

Does the Angel / Vampire die in the end?

In theory, the Angel Vampire shouldn’t be able to make it to safety before sunrise. However, we never see the Angel Vampire burn up.

As any horror fan will tell you: If you don’t see it then you don’t know if it actually happened.

Maybe he came across a boat and was able to find shelter from the sunlight there. The possibility is very much alive (pun intended).

According to creator Mike Flanagan when talking to TheWrap, the faith of The Angel is very open:

“We’re not saying he died… Our hope really there was just to say that Leeza’s concentration in her blood had begun to tip back, that she was going to be OK. We didn’t want it to confirm about The Angel, in that way that you can never kill fanaticism, it’ll always kind of come back.”

Who survives in Midnight Mass on Netflix?

Only two people survive in the end: Leeza and Warren. The two survive because they get away from the island without having been turned into vampires. They sit and watch the sunrise as Crocket Island burns to the ground.

Leeza is the girl who was in a wheelchair after having been paralyzed (shot by Joe in a freak accident). She regained her ability to walk after having taken the vampire blood Sacrament for a while. After all the vampires have died, the effect wears off and she can no longer feel her legs again. Warren is the younger brother of Riley Flynn.

Is Midnight Mass anti-Christian?

No, it most certainly is not. Nor is it anti-religion in general. It is, however, very much anti-fanaticism!

The character of Father Paul/Monsignor Pruitt manages to brainwash himself into becoming a Christian fanatic that uses the Bible only as it fits into the narrative he is building for himself. Bev Keane is right there beside him, but she has clearly been a fanatic for a long while.

Father Paul feels the end justifies the means, which includes the murder of innocent people. The logic being: After all, they come back as immortals. And instead of preaching love, he talks about being soldiers and dividing people into “them” and “us”.

As far as Bev Keane is concerned, it seems that everyone knew she has been pocketing money from the church for a long time. Her excuse being: I built a Rec Center with the money and I am clearly more loved by God than anyone else. When confronted with the fact that she is not special to God, she almost can’t hold herself together any longer.

That’s all we have for our ending explained piece for Midnight Mass. If you have more questions, then feel free to send them our way and we’ll do our best to update this post with more questions and answers.