The Night House

In the final moments of “The Night House,” Beth is seemingly caught in a mystical, deathly vision where the spirit of death, represented as Owen or an ominous shadow, tries to lure her into the afterlife. This spectral presence reveals that it has been pursuing her ever since her near-death experience years earlier, when she miraculously survived a car accident and technically cheated death. According to mythological beliefs, this spirit could be akin to Charon, the mythic ferryman of the underworld, who comes to claim souls. The spirit insists there’s nothing left for Beth in life, urging her to surrender to death. The scene turns into a symbolic journey, with Beth sitting in a boat on the lake, mimicking Charon’s passage to the underworld. However, her friend Claire intervenes and pulls her out of the water, snapping her back to reality.

Despite escaping this deadly vision, the cosmic threat of the spirit persists. It is revealed that Owen, in his desperation to protect Beth, had built a maze-like “night house” with dark occult symbols and rituals learned from mythology and witchcraft to trick the spirit into leaving her alone. Owen also brought in the women he had lured and murdered to distract and sacrifice their spirits, trying to fool the malevolent force. Yet, these attempts ultimately fail, and Owen ends his own life in a desperate effort to appease or outrun the spirit.

In the end, it becomes clear that the spirit—reminiscent of a psychopomp—desires Beth’s soul to take her into its realm. Her near-death experience in Tennessee marked her as a target, and it continues to haunt her. The movie closes with Beth sitting on a boat, staring at the ominous lake, her face a mix of fear and resignation. She knows, consciously or unconsciously, that death is still lurking, and despite her efforts and Owen’s sacrifices, the spirit remains a powerful force that won’t let her go. The film leaves her in a liminal space, caught between life and death, emphasizing the haunting inevitability of mortality and the unearthly pursuit of her soul.

Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:59