Netflix Horror Series ‘Midnight Mass’ Warns Christians To Be Careful Who They Worship
A scene from “Midnight Mass” on Netflix. Photo by Eike Schroter/Netflix.
This review contains spoilers.
(REVIEW) Who should Christians worship?
The answer certainly seems obvious: God, of course. But don’t roll your eyes yet.
How do you know who — or what — is God?
Christian teaching suggests any number of signs: spiritual discernment aided by prayer and the Bible, the performance of miracles, the presence of the Holy Spirit. Still, these signs are subjective and spiritual.
The new Netflix miniseries “Midnight Mass” explores the terrifying consequences of getting it wrong. It may raise questions of trust and belief, but those questions are worthwhile, and the show — rather than suggesting we abandon our faith — challenges us to grow a more solid faith.
Showrunner Mike Flanagan is best known for directing two other Netflix shows, “The Haunting of Hill House” and “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” which each have devoted fan bases. Though in the horror genre, Flanagan’s work focuses primarily on philosophical questions surrounding love and humanity — “Midnight Mass” is no different. If anything, it’s more personal and thoughtful: Flanagan said he was an altar boy himself growing up, and that heavily influenced the show. Most importantly, the show absolutely lives up to its hype from fans of the “Haunting” series.
Do not fear, the angel says
“Midnight Mass” takes place on sleepy gray Crockett Island, a small community of about 100 people. They make for a desolate crew, battered by financial hardship and personal struggles.
Among these struggles are conflict and physical disability: The town drunk shot the mayor’s daughter Leeza in the spine years ago while she walked in the woods, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.
The town expects the return of Monsignor Pruitt, the single decrepit priest who has led Mass in Crockett as long as anyone can remember. But Pruitt doesn’t come.
Instead, Father Paul, dragging a thumping crate with him, comes to take his place. While they question Pruitt’s apparent disappearance, the town quickly becomes smitten with Paul — particularly when he’s deemed responsible for the miracles that begin to grace their lives.
At the beginning of Lent, after a divine moment of connection, Paul commands the paralyzed Leeza to rise and take her communion. So she stands and walks for the first time in years, to the shocked elation of all.
After Leeza’s miracle, the church explodes: Townspeople who hadn’t come to church their whole lives begin begging Paul for miracles of their own and filling the pews for daily Mass.
But Paul confesses to God — and the audience, in a dramatic but delightful monologue performed by Hamish Linklater — that he isn’t the one performing the miracles. It’s the angel he brought to the island with him.
Only Paul’s angel is a fleshy creature with the bloodthirst of a vampire that awakens a mutual bloodthirst in its victims, creating a feeding cycle between them that lasts an eternity. It bit Paul and fed on his blood, then offered blood from its wrist in return. Taking advantage of the evangelical opportunity in service to this new being, he chose to bring the angel back to his home.
Certainly no Edward Cullen or even Dracula, this angel is a truly terrifying beast. Just human enough to be unsettling, it is looming and heartless. When Paul introduces the angel to others, he references Bible passages in which angels tell people not to fear. But this angel doesn’t bring good news, and it’s certainly made to cause terror.
The blood of the angel is responsible for the miraculous healings, and it makes all those who feed on it immortal. But the blood comes with a price: To continue offering its blood, the angel will have to feed. And once it has, the new converts will be compelled to convert others to sate their hunger. In accepting the miracle of new life, they lose their humanity.
The town doesn’t know this, of course. All they know is that miracles are changing their lives for the better, revitalizing the island to what it used to be. All they hear are the encouraging, riotous messages of their false prophet Paul. Why wouldn’t this be God? It’s the first true good that’s happened to them in years.
Caught up in miracles
“Midnight Mass” takes a fearsome monster and translates it well into real fears many have about Christianity. It makes me think of certain Christian conferences populated by thousands that thrive off of heightened emotion and the promise of miracles. More accurately, maybe, it calls to mind famous televangelists — like Tammy Faye, Jim Bakker, Joel Osteen and Peter Popoff — who have promised financial miracles and miraculous healing if viewers make a purchase, donate a certain amount of money or follow steps to obey God.
Too many Christians — particularly those who have come upon hard times — become enraptured by these spectacles of worship, donating what little money they have in hopes they’ll be chosen to receive a miracle. And almost without fail, the charismatic leader offering miracles is found to be embezzling funds, living a needlessly lavish life and not actually performing miracles — their ministries mostly just to excite crowds enough that they’d donate and fulfill their own selfish greed.
Such is the end for Father Paul. He reveals, at last, that the reason he brought the angel with him to Crockett was for love — and for a selfish second chance at his life — but he admits he was caught up in the miraculous ecstasy and realizes the angel isn’t actually a gift from God. He just admits it too late to save everyone else.
From the end of the show, it’s clear that Paul and his angel brought a cultish religion to Crockett Island — they even have their very own Jonestown moment. But from the beginning, to these aimless visitors, the angel’s miracles are God’s pure essence.
While we can’t expect to see fleshy “angels” populating churches and cathedrals anytime soon, this horror serves as a cautionary tale for Christians who are quick to leap after miracles.
“Midnight Mass” isn’t trying to persuade Christians to stop worshipping God — in fact, it’s the opposite. It hopes Christians will be kinder to each other, more thoughtful and more careful about the God they choose to worship.
“Midnight Mass” is streaming on Netflix as of Sept. 24.
Jillian Cheney is a contributing culture writer for Religion Unplugged who loves consuming good culture and writing about it. She also writes on American Protestantism and evangelical Christianity and was Religion Unplugged’s 2020-21 Poynter-Koch fellow. You can find her on Twitter @_jilliancheney.