Year: 2021
Runtime: 24 mins
Language: English
Simon is a young man desperately searching for answers in the cold Scandinavian night, finding his way through the city as he slowly descends into madness.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Cry of Fear (2021), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
On a desolate, rain-soaked night in a bleakly rendered Stockholm, Simon Luke Johnson wakes up in an alley after a car strike while trying to help an injured man. The city feels oppressive, with flickering lights, slick cobblestones, and a distant hum that never quite steadies his nerves. He struggles to make his way home, but the streets close in around him as deformed monsters emerge from the shadows, turning his pursuit into a desperate fight for survival. His attempts to call for help fail, and a cryptic text from a man pleading for aid pulls him deeper into danger.
He searches an abandoned apartment block and discovers the man dead in a bathtub, an image that festers as the building itself slips into decay—cracked walls, dripping ceilings, and corridors smeared with blood. A chainsaw-wielding monster erupts, and in a brutal moment the creature decapitates itself upon defeat, leaving Simon horrified, vomiting, and collapsing back into the nightmare streets.
When Simon comes to, he faces a cryptic, violent doctor Paul Franklin who questions his trust and sanity, casting a pall over every corridor he traverses. As he wanders the city, more threats loom and fragments of memory surface. He then encounters Sophie, his childhood friend and love interest, on a rooftop; a moment of vulnerability leads him to try to confess, but Sophie rejects him and tragically leaps to her death.
A monstrous figure named Carcass appears and offers Simon a stark choice: kill it or flee back into the labyrinthine building. This encounter propels him forward, though the world he moves through remains viscerally hostile. He heads toward a subway, only to find the passage blocked by a missing fuse. A nearby college holds the key, but the moment he secures the fuse, monsters overrun the halls and ambush him, forcing a tense retreat to the station.
The doctor resurfaces during the station sequence, underscoring a sense that someone is always watching and meddling with Simon’s fate. A door requiring two more fuses blocks the way to an open gate for a train, so he must return to the previously chained apartment. In a long, nerve-wracking hallway, he overhears a doctor recounting another encounter with a patient as he is assailed once more, and he finally recovers the fuses needed to advance. He sets off to retrieve the final components, only to slip into a nightmare where monsters hang from the ceiling and chase him through a dizzying maze before a door opens to a completely different hallway.
After boarding the train, Simon is assaulted again and the journey ends with a derailment. The wreck leaves him stranded, bereft of belongings, and as the train teeters near a cliff, he escapes into a dark, silent forest. Deep within, an asylum-like complex materializes, and the doctor enters the scene. The doctor tries to barter—hand over a new gun in exchange for passage—yet betrayal follows, culminating in a shootout in which Simon’s fate hangs in a delicate balance, ending with his victory over the doctor.
Emerging from the forest, Simon rows a solitary boat across a lake back toward his hometown. He reaches his house, only to find it empty. Inside his bedroom, a book lies waiting, and a flashback peels back the veil: the entire saga was a product of Simon’s mind. A car crash left him dependent on a wheelchair, and a weary therapist—who turns out to be the doctor from the game—urged him to document his feelings in a book. The monsters, mazes, and the cityscape were all manifestations of his trauma, a single mind wrestling with memory and pain. The story reveals that the protagonist and all the other figures are constructs shaped by Simon’s inner turmoil.
Cry of Fear unfolds across five endings, each determined by the choices the player makes along the way, offering a range of conclusions and revelations. For players who have unlocked the fourth ending at least once, there is also a secret humorous ending triggered by delivering a mysterious package addressed to Simon to a mailbox—a playful counterpoint to the heavier psychological journey.
Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:24
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Stories where a fragile mind unravels in a hostile and unreliable world.If you liked watching Simon's psychological collapse in Cry of Fear, explore more movies like it. This collection focuses on films about mental unraveling, where characters confront trauma, unreliable perceptions, and a nightmarish blurring of reality and hallucination.
Narratives in this thread typically follow a character's progressive psychological breakdown. The story structure often mirrors their deteriorating mental state, becoming more fragmented and surreal. The central conflict is internal, pitting the protagonist against their own mind, with the external world feeling increasingly hostile and deceptive.
These films are grouped by their intense focus on psychological horror and the theme of mental collapse. They share a bleak tone, high emotional weight, and a commitment to portraying the visceral experience of madness, often using complex narratives to reflect a fractured psyche.
Horror stories where the city itself becomes a claustrophobic and menacing character.For viewers who enjoyed the oppressive cityscape of Cry of Fear, this section highlights similar movies where the urban environment is a key antagonist. Discover films like Cry of Fear that use bleak, isolated city settings to create intense feelings of claustrophobia and inescapable dread.
The narrative often involves a desperate journey or survival quest through a threatening urban landscape. The city's architecture, darkness, and perceived emptiness become obstacles, reflecting the protagonist's internal state. The plot is driven by navigating this hostile territory while facing both external threats and internal despair.
These movies share a specific atmospheric vibe defined by their setting. The experience is unified by a feeling of being trapped in an immense, uncaring space. They utilize the urban environment to generate a consistent mood of isolation, anxiety, and oppressive dread.
Don't stop at just watching — explore Cry of Fear in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Cry of Fear is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of Cry of Fear with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Cry of Fear. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Cry of Fear that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.
Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Cry of Fear: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.
Discover movies like Cry of Fear that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.
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