Midnight Mass Explained
2. Resurrection And Death
Nobody knows what happens when we die. And while religion may offer some answers and comfort to this unknowable question, the truth is impossible to know.
This is another question Flanagan approaches in Midnight Mass, and his answers are just as inconclusive.
To the devout of Crockett Island, Pruitt's death and resurrection is a chance for them to start a new life. It would be a divine gift in thanks to their unwavering faith, with the Easter celebrations reinforcing the symbolic significance of their soon-to-be vampiric rebirth.
But to other Crockett inhabitants, death means drastically different things. For Riley, dying moments are a "curtain call" of memories. Mildred understands life and death as a natural, unchangeable cycle. Erin, in contrast to her earlier thoughts on the subjects, sees her last moments as her connection to the cosmos. And those in the very end seek comfort in their faith (either Christianity or Islam) as the sun comes up.
There is no concrete answer to what happens to us after death. Flanagan shows there are dozens of possibilities, each of which can be equally comforting and meaningful as the others.