Year: 2016
Runtime: 86 min
Language: English
Director: Eytan Rockaway
Seeking redemption from a troubled past, Streak takes a job at a decaying apartment complex. As she explores the abandoned building, she discovers a sinister presence that threatens her sanity. The unsettling atmosphere and strange occurrences force her to confront not only the malevolent force within the complex, but also the darkness within herself. She must fight to maintain her grip on reality as the night progresses and the true terror of the building is revealed.
Warning: spoilers below!
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Read the complete plot breakdown of The Abandoned (2016), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Julia Streak [Louisa Krause] is a troubled, antipsychotic-dependent young woman who takes a job as a night guard at a grand but abandoned apartment complex so she can support her daughter, Clara [Morgan Waulters]. She is accepted by master keeper Dixon Boothe [Ezra Knight] and introduced to the only other security guard for the complex, the rude paraplegic Dennis Cooper [Jason Patric], who has been working at the complex since it opened. While patrolling, Julia hears whispers from Room 441, whose access is blocked by a locked door. Cooper denies that there is anything unusual behind the door, claiming that the owners left the room unfinished.
Sometime later, a homeless man, Jim [Mark Margolis] attempts to enter the complex. Cooper refuses him access, but Julia allows him shelter under the condition that he does not wander. Using a hammer from Jim’s belongings, Julia breaks the lock and discovers that camera 441 is a corridor leading to a dormitory. Meanwhile, Jim wanders anyway and follows Julia into the dormitory. There, Julia encounters a number of deformed children. She calls for Cooper’s aid, but the two end up losing track of Jim. Jim, now at the dormitory, is then killed by a blonde girl, who smashes his head with a faucet.
Julia searches through the internet and finds a video of the Wellville, a center for deformed and mentally-challenged children, which had been accused of abusing its patients. Julia connects the center with the dormitory but Cooper, having found out that she is dependent on anti-psychotics, handcuffs her while he agrees to go down to Room 441 alone. However, his wheelchair is forced to the dormitory, where he is haunted by the deformed children.
Following Cooper, Julia meets an apple-cheeked boy [Henry Kelemen], who gives her more details about Wellville: the children, four in total, attempted to escape, but they were caught and forced inside a room containing a reservoir of contaminated water. By the time that the Wellville’s crimes were revealed, all but one had died. Thinking that the survivor struggling to get out of the reservoir is Clara [Morgan Waulters], Julia jumps inside, despite Cooper’s warning. She is saved by Cooper from drowning at the cost of his life. Finding the door locked, Julia asks for mercy and is confronted by the children, including the face-deformed blonde girl. She convinces the girl to forgive her, after which the children allow her to leave.
It is revealed that all the events were happening inside Julia’s mind. Julia is in fact the deformed girl, being the daughter of “Dennis Cooper”, whom she gave a new identity in her dream. Dixon is the doctor assigned to her, Jim a sickly old man being treated next to her, while Clara is the name of her doll. The film ends with Julia flatlining after being on life support since she was a child, next to her grieving father.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:18
Still wondering what the ending of The Abandoned (2016) really means? Here’s a spoiler-heavy breakdown of the final scene, major twists, and the deeper themes that shape the film’s conclusion.
In the end, Wu finally confronts and captures Chang-Fu, the murderer responsible for Waree’s and Yeti’s deaths, along with the others he had killed. She finds him on the top floor of his compound, where he’s been keeping many of his victims’ hearts and fingers as twisted trophies. Chang-Fu, a man devastated by love lost and driven by a sick desire for revenge, reveals that he is the killer. His motivation stems from his painful breakup with his wife, which led him to see immigrant women as objects of betrayal and disdain, resulting in his gruesome acts of mutilation and murder.
When Wu locates Saipin, she arrives just in time to prevent Chang-Fu from killing her. He tries to trap Wu in a room with her, but she fights back fiercely, managing to wound him and ultimately shooting him in the chest to stop his rampage. As the building fills with deadly carbon monoxide, Chang-Fu desperately claims he’s forgotten the password, but it’s clear he’s just trying to prevent Wu and Saipin from escaping. Wu, risking her life, forces her way through the poisoned space, breaking the door open, and rescuing Saipin in the process.
In the aftermath, Wu is left battered but victorious. She finally understands that her obsession with her past and her grief had blinded her to the possibility of moving forward. Her near-death experience and the discovery of Chang-Fu’s atrocities help her realize that she has to let go of her guilt and pain. She adopts a dog, symbolizing a new beginning, and finally finds peace. The case has also helped Wu see the difference between obsession and love, allowing her to begin healing—ready to live again. Meanwhile, Wu and Wei share a moment of camaraderie, suggesting that they will continue supporting each other as they heal from their trauma. The film closes on a note of hope, emphasizing that even amidst darkness, there is a chance for renewal and redemption.
Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 09:00
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Track the full timeline of The Abandoned with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
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What really happened at the end of The Abandoned? This detailed ending explained page breaks down final scenes, hidden clues, and alternate interpretations with expert analysis and viewer theories.