Who survives in Midnight Mass?

When watching the trailer for Midnight Mass, you might suspect this Netflix Original to have frightening moments and probably include a few deaths. After all, if you watched Mike Flanagan‘s previous series The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, you’ll know he doesn’t shy away from horror or highly emotional scenes. For his latest show, however, you’d better buckle up. Midnight Mass pulls out all the stops and it’s definitely worth a binge session.

The new seven-episode series follows the small town of Crockett Island, an uneventful place where people are just comfortable to be where they are. However, everything changes when a new priest named Father Paul (Hamish Linklater) comes to town and informs everyone that he’s here to temporarily replace their well-liked and trusted Monsignor Pruitt.

Spoilers ahead for Midnight Mass.

Though Midnight Mass is a slow burn, it doesn’t take long for you to suspect there’s something off with Father Paul. Though he’s charming and becomes pretty popular in town, there’s just something not right about him or his intentions. And a few episodes in, it’s revealed that he’s actually Monsignor Pruitt, turned younger.

What happens to Monsignor Pruitt in Midnight Mass?

As we see in a flashback, while Pruitt (as his older self) was on a trip to Jerusalem, he got lost and somehow ended up in a mysterious cave. There, a horrifying angel approached him and attacked him. The angel drank his blood, but then it slit its wrist and gave Pruitt his blood to drink. When Pruitt woke up the next day, he was completely de-aged and from there, he felt he had a calling to head back to Crockett Island and hoped the angel would follow.

Throughout the show, a few people are killed and resurrected by God, including Pruitt again, and Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford). Though Monsignor Pruitt and Beverly Keane (Samantha Sloyan) believe this is a wonderful thing and something that’s meant to prepare them for something, Riley doesn’t see it that way. We learn that if you’ve been brought back to life and you drink the angel blood, you cannot go outside in daylight. Riley tries to do it, and he ends up being burnt like a vampire.

Just in time for Easter, Riley sacrifices his own life by being out on the water as the sun rises, in order to prove to Erin Greene (Kate Siegel) that she has to warn the others. Something is coming, and she must protect the townspeople from Monsignor Pruitt and whatever plans he has.

Well, his plans end up being even darker than expected, as the midnight mass at church the next night brings out just about everyone in town, and quickly puts everyone in danger.

The churchgoers are told to drink poison so that God can resurrect them and they can become apostles, and surprisingly, a handful of people go along with it. It’s truly a chilling scene that depicts the horrors of the cult Pruitt is running.

Who dies in Midnight Mass?

Unfortunately, even though many people kill themselves and then are brought back by God, they still don’t survive through the finale. Riley is hardly the only character who dies in Midnight Mass.

When Erin returns back from the boat earlier that day, she tells Dr. Sarah Gunning (Annabeth Gish) and her mother Mildred Gunning (Alex Essoe) that they need to get out of there, but unfortunately the ferry isn’t running. It looks like Beverly is strategically making sure no one can get off the island, and the same goes for later that night.

After people begin taking the poison in the church and come back to life, Beverly and her followers set all of the boats and the houses in town on fire. This is so anyone who doesn’t want to commit to God and drink the poison is exposed, however, it doesn’t work out considering the sun is due to come up soon.

In some of the final moments of Midnight Mass, we see the sun come up and those who had been resurrected begin to turn to dust. Riley’s parents Ed (Henry Thomas) and Annie (Kristin Lehman) are among those who die, along with the sheriff’s son. Beverly dies, as much as she tries to stop it from happening, as do Leeza’s parents, and almost all the townspeople. Sarah sadly is shot earlier on in the episode, and she’s not brought back.

Sheriff Hassan (Rahul Kohli) is shot and killed by Beverly, and his son burns up as the sun rises. It’s particularly upsetting to see these two fall victim to the evil on the island because they’re Muslim, and the sheriff begged his son not to go to the church or drink the poison. After everything we learn about their life prior to coming to Crockett Island, it’s so heartbreaking to see their fate.

Though we don’t see him die, it’s suggested Monsignor Pruitt dies in the end. The light from the sun heads towards him while he’s sitting with Mildred — who it’s earlier revealed was once his lover — and a dead Sarah is on their laps — who it’s also revealed earlier is actually his daughter.

We don’t see Pruitt burn up, but considering he’s been killed and brought back multiple times, we’re sure he can’t survive the daylight. As for Mildred, earlier on in the episode she’s attacked and killed by the angel and is brought back. It’s assumed she burns up with Pruitt.

Who lives in Midnight Mass?

So many characters unfortunately die in Midnight Mass, so who survives? Well, not that many. Leeza (Annarah Cymone) and Riley’s little brother Warren (Igby Rigney) manage to survive, and they flee by rowboat. They know their families are about to die as they watch Crockett Island burn, and it’s such a strange and sad moment for them.

As for Erin, she’s attacked by the angel and is not brought back. It appears that she dies before the sun comes up and even if somehow she is resurrected, she’d burn up in the sun by that time.

Midnight Mass ends on quite a somber note, leaving the viewer with so much to think about. Flanagan has truly delivered with this series, and it’s deserving of a rewatch for me! Be sure to stream all seven episodes on Netflix right now.