The Last Matinee (2021) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The killer collects his victims' eyes as trophies, storing them in a glass jar. This reveals his obsession with vision and seeing, ironically, he is blind in one eye after chewing it off himself, which he reveals when he shows Ana the jar of eyes. His self-mutilation and collection suggest a deeply disturbed individual who fixates on the organ of sight.

• killer eyes
• eye collection
• gouged eyes
• killer motive
• horror movie eyes

During the confrontation in the projection room, the killer reveals he chewed off his own severed eye. This act demonstrates extreme self-harm and psychosis, further emphasizing his disturbing fixation with eyes and vision. He keeps the eye in the jar with his other victims' eyes, treating it as a prized possession.

• chewed eye
• self-mutilation
• killer reveal
• blind eye
• horror twist

After Angela creates a diversion by scattering tapes on the floor, Ana grabs a metal bar from the deceased teenagers. Despite being injured, she strikes the killer with the metal bar, delivering a fatal blow that ends his reign of terror. This final confrontation happens in the main theater area after much of the group has been killed.

• ana defeats killer
• metal bar
• final confrontation
• survival
• killer death

Mauricio, the security guard, is attacked and killed by the killer shortly after speaking with Ana about the alarm clock. He appears to her in his final moments, asking her to focus on her work, then descends to take a nap, but is fatally attacked by the killer. His body is later discovered by Ana and Tomás.

• mauricio death
• security guard
• alarm clock
• killer attack

Ana is an aspiring engineer who paused her studies to care for her sick father. She steps into his role as the theater's projectionist for the night, operating the archaic equipment. Her technical aptitude and love for film make her capable of handling the projection room, though she is nervous about the responsibility.

• ana projectionist
• father sick
• engineering student
• montevideo theater

The killer becomes aware of Ana's solitude in the projection room and attempts to gain entry. He is initially thwarted by Ana's quick thinking when she locks the door. However, later in the film, he pursues Ana and Tomás into the projection room, where the climactic confrontation and eye-revelation occur.

• projection room
• killer pursuit
• ana trapped
• theater basement

Angela creates a diversion by scattering tapes on the floor to slow the killer down, giving Tomás and Ana a chance to escape. However, while fleeing through a back room, the killer catches up to her and kills her using the projector itself, splattering her blood across the theater floor.

• angela death
• sacrifice
• projector kill
• diverion

The theater is described as rundown and located in a desolate downtown area of Montevideo in 1993. The sparse audience and isolated location make it an ideal hunting ground for the killer. The theater's outdated security and single exit create a perfect trap for his victims.

• montevideo theater
• isolated location
• serial killer
• hunting ground

The killer begins his attack shortly after sunset, when the hooded figure enters the theater unnoticed. He strikes his first victim, security guard Mauricio, while the audience is distracted by the film. The killings appear to be methodical and planned rather than impulsive, beginning with the most obvious threat (the security guard).

• first kill
• mauricio attack
• killings begin
• horror opening

The killer claims multiple victims throughout the night: Mauricio (security guard), Goni and his female companion (the teenage couple), Horacio (Gabriela's boyfriend), Gabriela, and finally Angela. At least six deaths occur, with Ana and Tomás being the only survivors among the main characters.

• body count
• deaths
• victims
• kills
• horror casualties

During the confrontation in the projection room, the killer reveals a glass jar containing his victims' eyes as a twisted confession and intimidation tactic. He wants Ana to see the extent of his crimes and his disturbing collection. This moment also reveals his self-inflicted eye loss, as he explains he chewed off his own severed eye.

• jar eyes confession
• killer reveal
• eye collection
• horror twist

Tomás survives the attack but is severely traumatized. After Ana defeats the killer, he sits surrounded by the bodies of his deceased friends. When authorities arrive, Ana holds him in a comforting embrace. The final image shows his gaze fixed on the vacant eyes of the victims, indicating lasting psychological trauma.

• tomas survival
• trauma
• ending
• aftermath
• psychological horror

The projection room becomes Ana's safe haven throughout the film. After discovering the horrifying scene of mutilated bodies, she retreats there multiple times for safety. The room represents control over the film and the only space she knows well due to her father's teachings. However, the killer eventually breaches this sanctuary as well.

• projection room
• safe haven
• ana hiding
• theater control room

The killer displays classic signs of psychosis and obsessive-compulsive behavior centered on eyes and vision. His self-mutilation (chewing off his own eye), collection of victims' eyes in a jar, and methodical hunting suggest severe mental illness. The specific cause of his obsession is never explained, but his actions indicate a warped relationship with sight and seeing.

• killer psychology
• psychosis
• obsession
• serial killer motives
• mental illness