Mom

In the climax of the film, it becomes clear that the mother, consumed by her worsening postpartum depression, has become trapped in a nightmarish cycle that blurs the line between reality and her haunting visions. After a series of disturbing hallucinations involving her deceased baby and a monstrous version of herself, she fails to seek help and instead becomes completely alienated from reality. The horrifying truth surfaces when she drowns her own baby in the bathtub, believing she’s protecting him or that she’s in some way saving him from the supposed evil looming over him — a tragic act that underscores her mental unraveling. She is eventually hospitalized, but her mental state remains fragile, and she begins to see the ghostly, older version of her son, Alex, who represents her lost grip on reality. As she spirals further, she takes down her baby’s nursery and begins to believe she can care for the ghostly child, rejecting her medication and refusing to accept her worsening condition.

Her breakdown culminates when she attacks her husband, Jared, because he tries to help her and take her back to the hospital. Driven by her delusions — possibly influenced by her ghostly visions of Alex and her darker alter ego — she murders Jared with a baseball bat, a violent act fueled by her psychosis. After this, she retreats to the basement and takes her own life, symbolically dissolving into darkness as her ghost watches from a distance. The ending leaves her in a ghostly, haunting state—caught in an endless cycle of trauma and mental torment.

It’s implied that her spirit remains trapped within the house, actively watching the new family and their baby, continuing the cycle of pain and mental illness. Her presence at the window from the beginning of the film suggests she was always there, trying to prevent tragedy but ultimately doomed to repeat her torment forever. The film’s ambiguous ending highlights the devastating effects of postpartum depression, emphasizing how deep-seated psychological pain can manifest as supernatural horror — a haunting reminder of the importance of understanding and support for mental health struggles. This cyclical, bleak ending underscores that her suffering isn’t simply over; it continues in a spectral form, condemning her to eternal unrest.

Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 09:03