The Boogeyman Ending Explained (2024)

Warning: This post contains spoilers for The BoogeymanThe Boogeyman’s ending ties things up, but teases a potential second chapter to the story. Directed by Rob Savage from a screenplay by ​​Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, Mark Heyman, The Boogeyman is adapted from Stephen King’s short story of the same name. The horror film, which has received mostly positive reviews from critics, includes a final scene that suggests the story may not be over, and that The Boogeyman 2 could potentially be on the horizon.

The Boogeyman ends with Sadie (Sophie Thatcher), Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair), and Will Harper (Chris Messina) battling the titular creature. The Boogeyman is intent on killing Sadie and Sawyer, and uses Will as bait after killing Rita, Lester Billings’ wife. After a few violent attacks, Sadie and Sawyer set fire to the terrifying creature. Seemingly dead, the house also catches fire, but Sadie and her family are able to make it outside to safety. Sadie and Sawyer return to therapy, and Will finally talks about his grief. After the session, Sadie hears the voice of the therapist, but the closet door is open, indicating The Boogeyman’s presence.

Is The Boogeyman Dead?

Sadie hears what she believes is her therapist’s voice calling out to her, but when she enters the room there’s no one there. The closet opens on its own and as Sadie draws closer, there’s a sense that the creature is still around, taunting her. She’s pulled back to reality by the actual therapist, and The Boogeyman is never shown. But after a fiery end, could The Boogeyman still be alive? It’s possible Sadie is hearing things after such a traumatic experience. She’s still reeling from what happened, but it could also be that a creature like The Boogeyman never truly dies, haunting its victims until they’re dead.

Why Fire Is The Boogeyman's Weakness

The Boogeyman stays in the shadows and shies away from light, therefore it can only be bested by fire. Fire is the original source of light discovered by humans, and brought people out of the dark at night. Hypothetically, this also kept the monsters at bay, so it makes sense that The Boogeyman, an ancient creature, would be afraid of fire; it’s the one thing that can cause it physical harm. Humans can wield fire to combat it, since the creature can control regular lights, flicking them off at will. It’s why Rita had so many candles lit in her house, which kept The Boogeyman at bay.

The Boogeyman Monster's Origins Explained

The monster called The Boogeyman has many origin points. First and foremost, what The Boogeyman is can be traced back to a short story written by Stephen King. The story follows a man named Lester Billings, who is telling a therapist, Will Harper, about the monster terrorizing him and his family. In terms of the movie's lore, The Boogeyman's origins are somewhat murky, but it's clear that it has existed for quite a long time. Furthermore, The Boogeyman seemingly appears after a significant trauma has occurred, or an individual is overcome with grief. The Boogeyman also targets children over adults, therefore, a grieving child like Sadie is the perfect target.

The Boogeyman's Victims Explained

The Boogeyman latches onto those who are emotionally vulnerable. The Boogeyman sought out children specifically because they were easier to scare, preying on their weaknesses and emotional exposure in a way that it couldn’t do as easily with adults. Children and teenagers were also less likely to be believed by adults regarding what they were seeing, thus isolating them completely from their support systems. This allows The Boogeyman to lurk and toy with its prey, mimicking the voices children trusted, including their parents, to lure them into the shadows before attacking. Without the emotional vulnerability, the creature wouldn’t be as strong as it is.

Sadie & Sawyer Harper

The creature set its sights on Sadie and Sawyer after following Lester to their home. The sisters were still emotionally raw from the death of their mother a month before, and they were grieving her loss. Their guards were down, making it easy for The Boogeyman to make them its victims. Unlike their father, Sadie and Sawyer were open about their grief. They were also isolated — Sadie couldn’t rely on her friends or Will, who refused to talk about his wife or openly grieve like his daughters, and Sawyer faced The Boogeyman alone at first since no one believed her.

Lester Billings

When Lester (David Dastmalchian) comes to Will Harper for help after The Boogeyman killed Lester's kids, the creature continues taunting him until he is dead. Though the nightmarish creature tends to only go after children, it likely went after Lester because he actually believed The Boogeyman existed, and he felt guilty about not being there for his kids. Lester believed his children when they said they saw it, and he was vulnerable emotionally, wanting others to know that the monster existed. Will, on the other hand, was in denial; he was also less vulnerable, closed off emotionally from himself and his kids.

How The Boogeyman Ending Sets Up The Boogeyman 2 Story

The Boogeyman’s ending teases that the creature is not actually dead, and that it could come back to attack Sadie and Sawyer. The Boogeyman is relentless in preying on its victims, and there’s no way to determine whether the monster is permanently dead or if setting it on fire was just a temporary setback. It’s possible the creature could return, terrorizing Sadie and Sawyer until they’re dead before setting its sights on another family. Battling the ancient monster again could be redundant, but The Boogeyman left off in a way that sees Sadie’s family united, which might force the creature to up its game in a sequel.

The Boogeyman's Biggest Differences From Stephen King's Short Story

Stephen King’s short story is wildly different from the film adaptation. Whereas the short story is focused on a long conversation between Lester Billings and Will Harper, The Boogeyman movie expands the story to include Will’s daughters. In the source material, Sadie and Sawyer don’t factor into the story at all; they’re created for the film adaptation. In fact, Lester is the main character, and The Boogeyman short story follows his retelling of the events leading to the death of his three kids, ending with him coming face-to-face with the creature. Everything after that is an addition. It’s only after Lester dies in the movie that the story truly begins.

The Boogeyman's Ending Real Meaning Explained

The Boogeyman attaches grief and emotional vulnerability with a monster preying on victims. Despite Sadie and her family getting to a much better place, with Will openly talking about the loss of his wife and The Boogeyman seemingly dying in physical form, the film suggests that grief will continue to be prevalent in one’s life no matter how much time has passed. Discussing it openly and allowing oneself to feel the sadness and loss of a loved one helps, but grief lingers. So regardless of Sadie defeating The Boogeyman and going to therapy with her family, the trauma remains, even if it’s no longer a physical manifestation.