Content Warning: The following article contains plot spoilers for the Netflix show Midnight Mass.

While series like The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor have become known for their use of ghosts and conventional horror motifs, Netflix's Midnight Mass finds horror through other supernatural and human sources. Midnight Mass instead features the existence of vampires, though they are never called that by name.

RELATED: Which Midnight Mass Character Are You, Based On Your Zodiac Sign?

By introducing vampires into a world of religious fanaticism, Midnight Mass sets the stage for horrifying moments of human tragedy, bloodlust, and unspeakable cruelty. Few characters in the series are spared suffering as a result of these apocalyptic conditions, and the series accordingly has no shortage of terrifying scenes.

Riley Is Haunted By Tara-Beth

The ghost of Tara Beth haunts Riley Flynn in Midnight Mass

There are fewer traditional horror elements in Midnight Mass than series like The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, and there certainly aren't as many scary ghosts as in Hill House. But Midnight Mass does have one lone ghost who provides a few harrowing, emotional jumpscares: the ghost of Tara-Beth, the young woman Riley killed while driving drunk.

It occurs any time Riley lays down to sleep on his own. Unable to close his eyes, Riley instead stares straight ahead and sees the specter of Tara-Beth, bloodied and glimmering with specks of glass and red-and-blue police lights. More than any real ghost, Tara-Beth is an ever-present reminder of Riley's inability to forgive himself, which makes her uniquely terrifying.

The Cats Wash Ashore

Animals play key roles in some iconic works of horror, even often serving villainous purposes. But poor, unsuspecting animals are also frequently made victims in works of horror. In Midnight Mass, it's a group of wild cats that signal the first suggestion that something is off on Crockett Island.

The cats are known to roam wild in the Uppards on the island but after a particularly horrific storm, dozens of cats wash up dead on the shore. Making matters creepier, there is no obvious sign of foul play, and the cats have been drained of their blood, which perhaps should have been the first sign of a looming vampire invasion.

Father Paul Dies

Father Paul Hill bleeds out and dies in Midnight Mass

"Book III: Proverbs," the third episode of Midnight Mass, provides some of the series' most shocking revelations. But few moments are as profoundly unnerving as the moment in which Father Paul, in full view of his assistant Bev Keane and parishioners Wade, Dolly, and Sturge, falls to the ground, gurgles out his own blood, and dies.

It's a moment that truly appears out of nowhere in the narrative and one that is made all the more unsettling by the fact that, mere minutes later, Father Paul comes back to life. It serves as one of the series' most startling moments of trauma, not just for the characters who witness it, but for the viewers who can begin to put the pieces together.

Bowl Is Attacked

Bowl is tormented by the vampire in the dark in Midnight Mass

Bowl is one of the less-developed characters in the series, which makes him the obvious choice to serve as the series' first on-screen victim. As a friend of island pariah Joe Collie and Crockett Island's resident drug dealer, he is just as much an outsider within the community as Joe himself.

RELATED: Other Mike Flanagan Projects Where You've Seen The Cast Of Midnight Mass

While wandering alone at night (never a good idea on Crockett Island), Bowl comes across an abandoned house, where he believes a friend is inside playing a prank. But of course, as soon as Bowl steps inside, the vampire's monstrous glowing eyes appear in the darkness. Soon enough, the winged beast attacks, though still obscured by the darkness, and Bowl is no more.

Riley Is Attacked

Riley Flynn is attacked by the vampire in Midnight Mass

As the protagonist of Midnight Mass, Riley Flynn initially seems like he would be a safe bet to survive the series, or at the very least come to learn the truth of what is going on before everyone else. Unfortunately, only one of those things is true. Even more unfortunately, Riley only learns Crockett Island's vampiric secrets once he finds himself pinned by the monster itself.

After Riley realizes that he has caught Father Paul in a significant lie, he returns to the church rec center to confront the man. Instead, he finds himself immediately attacked by the vampire that the priest brought home to Crockett Island, an assault so sudden it rivals the shocking moment in The Haunting of Bly Manor when Peter Quint is dragged to his death.

The Monster Is Revealed At The Church

The vampire reveals itself at St Patrick's Church in Midnight Mass.

As the congregation of St. Patrick's church gathers together for its Easter midnight mass, good feelings of faith and unity spread throughout the parish. Things change very dramatically in the blink of an eye, however, when Father Paul brings forth the beast he has brought to Crockett Island in hopes of "saving" them all.

Although he claims the creature to be an angel, the monster cloaked in a traditional chasuble is clearly a vampire and one that horrifies all the parishioners in its presence. Even though the congregation largely continues to be under Father Paul's sway in the horrifying moments that follow, the sheer terror in their initial reactions qualifies as one of the show's scariest scenes.

Erin Watches Riley Burn

Erin Greene screams while watching Riley Flynn burn to deathon a boat in Midnight Mass.

Sometimes, the scariest moments in horror derive entirely from the overwhelming nature of human emotion, particularly when it comes to feelings of loss and grief. "Book V: Gospel," the series' fifth episode, is easily Midnight Mass's strongest, and also ends with one of the most horrifying moments in recent horror memory.

After she has learned the truth of what is going on due to Riley's tragic tale, Erin finds herself bearing witness to Riley's death by sunlight. When the sun rises over the water, Riley, now a vampire, immediately self-immolates, leaving Erin to scream in absolute horror and weep over the man she has just lost in the most terrifying way. Kate Siegel's screams and cries continue over the closing credits of the episode, rivaling the emotional intensity of both of her performances in the Haunting anthology.

The Island Sings, Then Falls Silent

The residents of Crockett Island sing and burn in Midnight Mass

Horror often plays with the use of silence in significant, terrifying ways. The success of films like A Quiet Place perfectly attests to that fact. But in its closing moments, Midnight Mass delivers a deliberate use of silence that is absolutely bone-chilling.

RELATED: The 10 Best Midnight Mass Characters, Ranked

As the residents of Crockett Island, now turned into vampires and with all buildings burning around them, accept their impending fate, they launch into song. Still buoyed by their faith in these final moments, they sing "Nearer My God To Thee" and embrace one another before suddenly they too catch fire, and the island falls silent, likely forever.

The Congregation Turns

The parishioners of St Patrick's Church turn into vampires and attack each other in Midnight Mass.

In a moment reminiscent of series like The Walking DeadMidnight Mass descends into complete, bloody chaos at the end of its sixth episode, "Episode VI: Acts of the Apostles." The members of the congregation who drink the poisoned wine immediately die and are born again moments later as vampires.

All of them are instantly consumed by uncontrollable bloodlust, causing them to turn on their fellow parishioners and attack them. The horror is all the more difficult to endure due to this scene taking place within the church. The pristine walls and pews of the building become soaked with blood, standing in direct contrast with the holiness of the church and the Easter holiday.

Monsignor Pruitt Is Attacked

The vampire attacks Monsignor Pruitt in the cave in Midnight Mass.

For nearly three episodes, Midnight Mass builds up a consistent feeling of dread without showing any of its cards. Viewers are left impatiently awaiting the reveal of what is going on, and what supernatural forces are at work within the world of Crockett Island. "Book III: Proverbs" more than delivers on that curiosity in its final act.

It is revealed that Monsignor Pruitt, gripped by dementia and feeling ill, got lost on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. As he wanders into a cave in the desert, he finds himself face to face with a monster, a vampire, who savagely attacks him and forces him to feed off its own blood.

NEXT: 10 Ways Midnight Mass Improves On The Haunting Anthology