Grim

Grim

Year: 1996

Runtime: 88 mins

Language: English

Director: Paul Matthews

HorrorHorror

This is no fairy tale… A team of spelunkers, when investigating a system of caves beneath a small town, come across a hideous creature that can move through walls.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Grim (1996) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of Grim (1996), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

One evening a group of friends, Katie, Steve, Trish, and Sarah, gather to play with a spirit board. During the encounter Katie is possessed by a supernatural creature that has been imprisoned in the cave systems lying underneath the town of Woodland Hills, Virginia. Known as the Grim, the creature forces Katie into verbally granting it freedom. Now free to do as it pleases, the creature begins to magically travel under the town and attack various animals, as well as kidnap a random woman, Mary. His activity causes sinkholes to form, which almost all of the townspeople assume this is the result of a nearby mining company trying to expand their tunnels. The only ones who question this are Katie and her friend Steve, who are certain that they are tied to the other night’s events.

An official, Rob, is dispatched to the town due to his familiarity with the tunnels. An impromptu spelunking crew is set up comprising Rob, his former sweetheart Penny, Steve, Katie, Trish, Ken, and Sarah. Once in the tunnels the Grim slaughters Trish. Initially unaware of Trish’s death, the group decides to search for her, during which time the Grim kills Steve. He also abducts Ken and Sarah, taking them back to his lair, where he is keeping a now insane Mary captive. Attempts to kill the Grim with dynamite are unsuccessful and when Rob and the others rescue his captives they are forced to leave Wendy behind due to her insanity and the Grim possessing her. As they flee they are attacked by the Grim and Ken dies, leaving only Katie, Rob, and Penny. They find the location where the Grim was imprisoned and Rob realizes that it is vulnerable to bright light and that sunlight will cause it to be once more imprisoned. They manage to detain the Grim with flashlights, however the Grim grabs Katie just as the sun hits it, imprisoning them both together. Now traumatized, Rob and Penny leave the tunnel. A later scene shows that crews were unable to find Mary, who is still in the Grim’s lair.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 12:31

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Grim

Grim Spoiler-Free Summary

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