![]() The vampire represents fanaticism, blind unquestioning faith, cruelty, and the way small towns are drained by corrupt leaders. Just like most vampire stories, it’s allegorical. While the word vampire is never uttered in the series, its influence is clear. And I will raise them up on the last day, for my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink and whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will remain in me, and I in them.” - John 6:51 Why wouldn’t that be true of none other than Jesus himself? “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. How does a man who was dead come back to life? In the world and lived experience of Father Paul, he now has his answer: through the blood of an Angel. Jesus bringing Lazarus back to life-something Father Paul directly references-along with his own resurrection. ![]() Once you begin to think about the Bible through this context, it’s easy to make these connections. If the Angel saved him in the Holy Land by feeding Paul his blood, then surely that is what Jesus spoke of here too? It’s an impressively simple yet inventive reading of the text and one that resonates with anyone who has ever asked the question, “But why did Jesus want them to eat his flesh and drink his blood?” The passage also hints at the transformation that those who drink it will come to undertake. And Father Paul has begun to take Matthew 26:27 very literally. ![]() See, the inhabitants of the island are truly drinking the blood of the Angel. In the Catholic church this is normal, but on Crockett Island and under the tutelage of Father Paul it takes on a different meaning. While this takes place, we always hear him deliver this passage from Matthew 26:27. Like any Catholic priest, Father Paul delivers mass. Do this in remembrance of me.'” - Matthew 26:27 It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. This is my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. Again, he gave you thanks and praise, gave the cup to his disciples and said, ‘Take this, all of you, and drink from it. This is my body, which will be given up for you.’ When supper was ended, he took the cup. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples and said, ‘Take this, all of you, and eat it. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. There are more subtle nods too, ones that seem almost unconscious, just normal representations of Catholic tradition that soon take on a much more sinister relevance. Anyone who’s read or watched Dracula will recognize that as a classic form of transporting a vampire across the sea. ![]() When Father Paul (Hamish Linklater) arrives on the island, he’s carrying a huge trunk. While the show doesn’t reveal its hand until episode four, we’re given establishing hints this is the case. Midnight Mass uses our Angel-and biblical verses themselves-to present a version of the sacred text in which vampires are not only real but holy. Pruitt is reborn as Father Paul, a reference to Paul the Apostle who changed his name after his conversion on the road to Damascus. In that context, Monsignor Pruitt’s Angel is not an aberration but a Holy biblical creature. It hinges on one key and incredibly clever idea: that the Bible is in fact a text about vampires and Jesus himself was one. But to fans of Dracula and vampire fiction, it’s clear that we’re seeing a new kind of vampire story told. Wandering from the crowd, he loses himself in a cave, only to be saved by what he deems an “Angel.” That’s all we ever hear the bloodsucking, winged creature called in Midnight Mass. It all begins when Monsignor John Pruitt goes on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. And it just so happens to be one of the coolest and most inventive takes on vampire lore yet. But in Mike Flanagan’s fantastic Midnight Mass, we get a reconsideration of bloodsuckers and their origins. From Nosferatu through Bela Lugosi all the way up to the Lost Boys and even Twilight, each generation has their vampire. They’ve been haunting the human psyche for millennia and are undoubtedly one of the most iconic monsters of our time.
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