Midnight Mass relies on the idea that Monsignor Pruitt thought the ancient vampire was an angel, but what are the reasons behind his misguided belief? Mike Flanagan’s latest television production for Netflix swaps ghosts in favor of vampires, and deals with themes of religion and faith. The fictional Crockett Island of Midnight Mass is beset by a vampiric epidemic after its churchgoing community is deceived at an eponymous midnight mass. The ensuing tragedy traces its roots in the encounter that Pruitt has with what he falsely believes to be an angel from heaven.
As one of the major characters in the show, Monsignor Pruitt goes from a mentally ailing elder to youthful and in good health. This change comes about after he wanders off in the desert near Jerusalem and discovers a tomb as ancient as the vampire it contains. It is there that the undead creature feeds him its blood, and Pruitt thus regains the youth of decades past. Determined that the vampire is an angel bearing gifts from above, Pruitt adopts the identity of Father Paul, brings the creature along to Crockett Island, and things quickly get worse from there. Why Pruitt would entertain such an obvious delusion is manifold; here’s a look at the reasons.
The first and most obvious reason as to why Pruitt would think that the vampire is an angel comes from his spiritual beliefs. Monsignor Pruitt is a man of faith and led a life dedicated to the priesthood and all that Catholicism entails. This is most evident in the fact that he chose to forsake his daughter - who is revealed to be Dr. Sarah Gunning - in favor of adhering to his religious duties. It should come as no surprise, then, that when faced with an ancient-looking vampire literally sprouting wings, Monsignor Pruitt would perceive the creature to be an angelic being. Biblical scripture also feeds his delusions, as Pruitt specifically goes on mention how the holy book describes angels as terrifying. Not only is the vampire terrifying indeed, but it does bear a good deal of resemblance to an angel as described in the Bible. With this in mind, it's not surprising that this might have fooled a spiritual man such as Monsignor Pruitt.
Another reason behind Pruitt’s misconception regarding the vampire is his unhealthy mental condition. Prior to his physical and mental rejuvenation via vampiric blood, Monsignor Pruitt is aging and in a bad way mentally. Just before meeting the angel/vampire monster, he is suffering from delusions, confusion, disorientation, and memory loss, Pruitt’s rapidly declining mental health leads him out of Jerusalem and into the tomb of the vampire. It makes sense that in his poor mental state, Pruitt mistakenly interprets the vampire to be a winged messenger of God. Even though Pruitt regains his mental faculties shortly after, it would not be inconceivable for him to hold on to his delusion — especially considering that it’s the vampire itself that is responsible for his salvation.
Finally, one less obvious reason that could be behind the Monsignor’s self-deception is the absence of vampires within the culture of his world. Much like The Walking Dead not using the word “zombie,” Midnight Mass doesn’t use the word “vampire” at all. This would make the most sense if vampires simply didn’t exist in popular culture — which seems to be the case in the world of Midnight Mass. Otherwise, it would have perhaps been a given that when other characters behold the ancient vampire in the show, they would have immediately identified it as such.
Why exactly Monsignor Pruitt thought the vampire of Midnight Mass was an angel is ultimately left for the audience to decide for themselves. It could be one of the reasons listed above, it could be a combination of those reasons, or it could even be none of the reasons mentioned. After all, one theory suggests that Midnight Mass' vampire really was an angel after all. Whatever the case may be, it’s certainly not implausible for the well-meaning Monsignor to indulge in his misguided beliefs and look to the heaven above for answers.