The Calling (2000) Plot Summary Explained

Dylan's violent behavior stems from his true identity as the Antichrist. From birth, he is inherently evil, which manifests in disturbing acts like impaling the family pet and showing no emotion when a friend dies. His violence is not due to upbringing or trauma but is a fundamental part of his demonic nature.

Foreshadowing: The violence escalates gradually, starting with small acts of cruelty before revealing his truly chilling indifference to death.

• Dylan violent behavior
• Antichrist
• evil child

Elizabeth Plummer is an old family friend who appears to be systematically replacing Kristie in the family dynamic while isolating her from Marc and Dylan. Her exact true identity is ambiguous, but she represents a force working against Kristie, manipulating situations to push her out of her own household.

Foreshadowing: Elizabeth's interference begins subtly, with her presence becoming more pronounced as Kristie's isolation deepens.

• Elizabeth Plummer
• family friend
• manipulation

Marc's act of hanging the dog after it bites him represents a sharp shift in his character, showing that he too is being corrupted or influenced by the dark forces surrounding Dylan. The disproportionate cruelty of killing a family pet for a bite signals that something is fundamentally wrong with Marc, suggesting he is either being manipulated or is succumbing to the same evil influence affecting his son.

Foreshadowing: This incident follows the pattern of escalating darkness in the household, following Dylan's violent episodes.

• Marc
• dog hanging
• corruption

The taxi driver appears to be a supernatural guide with knowledge that transcends ordinary understanding. He seems aware of the larger pattern of evil surrounding Dylan and guides Kristie toward understanding that her son represents a threat to all of humanity. His exact nature remains mysterious, but he serves as a messenger or guide in Kristie's journey toward the truth.

Foreshadowing: The taxi driver's appearance coincides with Kristie's growing desperation and need for answers.

• taxi driver
• supernatural guide
• forbidden knowledge

Kristie's emotional numbness toward Dylan develops as she comes to accept the horrifying truth about her son's identity. Once she understands that Dylan is the Antichrist destined to lead humanity into a malevolent future, she can no longer see him as her child. This emotional detachment represents both her psychological break and her ability to take the decisive action needed to escape.

Foreshadowing: Her numbness mirrors the progression of her discovery - the more she learns, the more distant she becomes from any maternal feelings.

• Kristie numbness
• emotional detachment
• acceptance of evil

When Father Mullin rips off his white collar tab and throws it out the window, it represents his complete break from the Catholic Church and his previous life as a priest. This act symbolizes his rejection of the old religious order and his commitment to join Kristie in confronting the apocalyptic threat Dylan represents. It signals a new era where traditional religious structures are insufficient to deal with the emerging evil.

Foreshadowing: The collar removal occurs immediately after their escape, marking the transition from the old world to whatever comes next.

• Father Mullin
• priest collar
• breaking with church

The hallucinatory vision Kristie experiences on her wedding night appears to be a prophetic glimpse of the darkness that would emerge through her son. While the exact content isn't detailed in the summary, it establishes that Kristie was marked by supernatural awareness from the very beginning of her relationship with Marc, hinting that the evil surrounding Dylan was foreshadowed from the start.

Foreshadowing: The vision occurs at the very beginning of the story, establishing the supernatural framework for everything that follows.

• wedding night vision
• prophetic dream
• supernatural warning

Kristie escapes the hospital because she has realized that staying there, in proximity to Dylan and the forces aligned with him, is futile. Having become numb to her son and understanding the apocalyptic threat he represents, she determines that active resistance is necessary. She takes Father Mullin with her to begin a mission to confront or escape the fate Dylan threatens to bring.

Foreshadowing: The escape represents the culmination of Kristie's transformation from victim to active participant in resisting the evil.

• hospital escape
• Kristie escape
• Father Mullin

When Kristie tells Father Mullin that it is a new time, she is acknowledging that the old religious and social order can no longer address the threat posed by Dylan. The emergence of the Antichrist represents a fundamental shift in reality where traditional faith and institutions have failed. The new time is one of direct action and personal responsibility outside established religious frameworks.

Foreshadowing: This statement concludes the film, framing the entire narrative as a transition point between old and new epochs.

• new time
• apocalyptic
• transition

Dylan represents the Antichrist, a figure destined to lead humanity toward a horrifically malevolent future. His nature as the son of Satan means his ultimate goal is the destruction and domination of mankind. The film suggests that unless stopped, his influence will bring about an apocalyptic scenario far worse than any personal or family tragedy.

Foreshadowing: The scale of the threat expands gradually - from family disturbance to cosmic horror.

• Antichrist
• end of humanity
• apocalyptic threat