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The Boogeyman ending explained

The new horror movie based on the Stephen King story has something of a fiery ending, but what happened, and what actually is The Boogeyman ending explained?

The Boogeyman ending explained: Chris Messina as Will Harper in The Boogeyman

What happens in The Boogeyman ending? If you’re too afraid to step foot into a dark theater to watch the new Stephen King adaptation, or if you’ve just seen it and need an explanation of what you just saw, then The Digital Fix is here to save the day.

The Boogeyman, a new horror movie based on the Stephen King short story of the same name, brings the legend to life as a dark presence that haunts the grieving Harper family. Naturally, the monster movie is an expansion of the written story, so don’t expect the book to give you much of a hint for the film’s ending.

So, do the Harpers manage to escape the Boogeyman’s wrath? How do they get out of this one? Warning, spoilers ahead, because we’re about to break down The Boogeyman ending.

What happens at the end of The Boogeyman?

After Sadie rushes home to save her father and sister, they end up trapped in the basement with the Boogeyman, eventually able to escape by discovering that fire can kill the monster.

When Sadie reaches the family home, she discovers Sawyer hiding in the closet, wrapped up in string lights to protect herself. She tells Sadie that their father, Will, has been dragged down to the basement by the Boogeyman. Already reckoning with the death of their mother, Sadie is determined to save him.

Sawyer bravely accompanies her, keeping them both lit with the string of lights. When they reach the basement, they find Will in the clutches of the monster. A fight ensues and Will becomes badly injured after being flung around the room. When Sawyer accidentally pulls too hard on the string lights and breaks them, the family is cast into darkness, giving the Boogeyman an advantage.

The Boogeyman ending explained: Sophie Thatcher as Sadie in The Boogeyman

Sadie gets caught by the Boogeyman, who begins to consume her, revealing a gruesome-looking mouthpiece and unveiling its true face. Sadie manages to fight it off by using an old lighter belonging to her mother, who appears to them by enhancing the flame, just as Sadie had asked her to do earlier in an attempted seance.

Using a spray can to create a makeshift flamethrower, Sadie backs the Boogeyman into a corner, and Sawyer throws gasoline on it. They light the monster ablaze, burning it alive in a fiery mess that winds up bringing the entire house down with it. The family escapes, just barely, and stands outside their crumbling home.

Skipping ahead in time, the movie jumps to all three of the Harpers together in a family therapy session, where Will is finally able to talk about his wife’s death and acknowledge his grief. When the session is over, they go to leave, but the therapist calls Sadie back into the room.

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Sadie, finding no one there, spots that the closet door — a previous indicator of the Boogeyman’s presence — is now ajar. She steps forward, slowly, reaching out to open it. The therapist suddenly appears, asking what Sadie is doing back there. Sadie looks towards the closet door again and slams it firmly shut.

It’s a nice callback to the ending of the original Stephen King story that The Boogeyman is based on, in which the protagonist is called back into the office, only to be confronted by the monster once more (who was disguised as the therapist). Only this time, the ending implies that the family might actually have saved their necks for good.

See what we thought of the new movie with our The Boogeyman review. Plus, we’ve got all the ending breakdowns for the best new movies right now, including the Fast X ending and the Beau is Afraid ending.

And you can expand your horror knowledge with our lists of the best ghost movies and best body horror movies or, to brush up on your survival skills, read our guide on how to be a final girl in 2023. (Don’t forget to check out the best movies of all time, too.)