Hangman (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The Hangman is revealed to be the driver Ray Archer arrested one year before the main events, the same driver whose van he confronted in the hit-and-run incident in Monroe, Georgia. As a child, the killer witnessed his father's suicide after receiving an eviction notice, and he blames Archer, the police officer who arrived on the scene, for failing to protect him from subsequent abusive foster care.

Foreshadowing: The gothic pendant dangling from the van's rear-view mirror in the opening scene foreshadows the killer's identity, as Archer later recognizes this same pendant.

• hangman identity
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• childhood trauma

EVICTIONEM is Latin for "eviction." The Hangman completes this word in his final hangman diagram at the mausoleum. It represents the traumatic event from his childhood when his father received an eviction notice and committed suicide, which the killer blames on Archer's failure to save him from the foster care system that abused him.

Foreshadowing: The killer's choice of victims and the pattern of his murders are all connected to his quest for revenge related to his father's death and his subsequent suffering.

• evictionem meaning
• latin word
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• final word

Jessica Ruiney was the Hangman's first victim, marked with the letter "V" carved into her chest. The killer targeted her to inflict maximum psychological damage on Detective Will Ruiney, one of the investigators hunting him. This personal connection to the detective was part of the killer's broader plan to make the hunt personal.

Foreshadowing: The investigation into Jessica's unsolved murder becomes a driving force for Ruiney throughout the film, eventually leading to the revelation of the Hangman's first kill.

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Adam Kellerman is a man who served a prison sentence for assault during the same period when the Hangman was inactive (between Jessica's murder and the night he took David Green's blood). He also sold Eric Anderson the model railroad of Monroe that pointed to the next victim. The real Hangman killed Kellerman and staged his death as an apparent suicide to frame him as the culprit and end the investigation.

Foreshadowing: The detectives initially believe they've caught the killer when they find Kellerman's body surrounded by evidence, but this turns out to be a deliberate misdirection.

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The Hangman targets Captain Lisa Watson because she was the police officer responsible for the car accident that paralyzed her years before the events of the film. The victim found hanging above the railroad tracks, the one carved with "C", was responsible for causing Watson's paralysis. The Hangman planned to kill Watson as his next target, viewing her as complicit in the systemic failures he blames for his own suffering.

Foreshadowing: The discovery that the C victim caused Watson's paralysis directly signals that she is the next target, leading to the climactic rescue scene.

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The gothic pendant is the signature visual clue that links the Hangman to his earlier encounter with Detective Archer. Archer first sees it dangling from the rear-view mirror of the hit-and-run van driver he confronts a year before the murders begin. Later, when Davies tears off the killer's necklace during her abduction, Archer recognizes it and realizes the Hangman is the same driver he arrested.

Foreshadowing: The pendant appears in the very first scene of the film, establishing a visual connection that pays off in the climax.

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The letters carved on the victims form part of the Hangman word puzzle. Each victim corresponds to a letter: "O" for the first teacher Carrie Cooper, "N" for the church victim, "M" for Eric Anderson, "V" for Jessica Ruiney, "C" for the railroad track victim, "T" for Joey Truman. The killer intends to complete a word through his murders, with "EVICTIONEM" being the final completed word.

Foreshadowing: The sequence of murders follows an escalating pattern, with each letter bringing the Hangman closer to completing his message.

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Carrie Cooper and Joey Truman were in a BDSM relationship. The investigation reveals that Cooper had frequently been treated for broken bones, and her apartment was found covered in blood with BDSM equipment in the closet. When questioned, Truman claims the injuries were part of their consensual relationship and denies killing Cooper. Truman's alibi is later confirmed, clearing her of the murder despite being targeted as the killer's next victim.

Foreshadowing: The discovery of the BDSM relationship initially points investigators toward Truman as a suspect, creating a false lead in the investigation.

• carrie cooper
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• relationship
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• investigation

After abducting Christi Davies and taking her to a mausoleum where he places her in a noose rigged to a ceiling fan, the Hangman live streams the video online. Watson alerts Archer, who has found the pendant and realized the killer's identity. The detectives race to the mausoleum where Ruiney shoots and wounds the Hangman. As Ruiney grapples with the killer, Archer throws him off a staircase, causing a fatal head injury. Ruiney then notices the completed word "EVICTIONEM" and shoots the killer dead.

Foreshadowing: The entire investigation culminates in this confrontation, where all the clues, the pendant, the personal vendetta, and the word puzzle, come together.

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At Ray Archer's funeral, Will Ruiney receives an ominous note announcing a new game of Hangman. This implies that the Hangman's reign of terror is not truly over, it suggests either a copycat killer, the Hangman having accomplices, or the narrative setting up potential sequel hooks. The ending deliberately leaves the possibility of future murders open, ensuring no complete closure for the characters or audience.

Foreshadowing: The note mirrors the killer's earlier taunting behavior and suggests his legacy or methodology may continue beyond his death.

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