The Kiss (1988) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Hilary refused to see Felice because she knew about the family curse and wanted to protect her husband Jack and daughter Amy from it. The priest reveals that Hilary had told him about Felice and the family's dark past, which is why Hilary was so resistant to reconnecting and even contemplated buying a gun from a shop before her accident.

Foreshadowing: Early scenes show Hilary's visible distress during the phone call with Felice, hinting at deeper family history.

• Hilary
• Felice
• sisters
• family curse
• refusal

The talisman was a serpent-shaped object that Felice's aunt carried in the Belgian Congo. When the aunt attacked Felice on the train, blood spilled from her mouth onto Felice, and the curse transferred to the young girl. The talisman appears to hold a demonic parasitic force that requires a bloodline host to survive.

Foreshadowing: The opening prologue in 1963 establishes the talisman's origin and its connection to the cursed bloodline.

• talisman
• serpent
• cursed object
• curse transfer

The aunt was killed by the cursed talisman's influence. While traveling with young Felice, the talisman's supernatural pull drove the aunt into a violent frenzy, causing her to attack Felice with a bloody kiss. The train conductor later discovered the aunt's deformed corpse, while Felice survived clutching the talisman.

Foreshadowing: The talisman's awakening on the train sets up the curse's transfer to Felice.

• aunt
• death
• deformed body
• train
• cursed talisman

The film strongly suggests Felice's supernatural influence caused Hilary's death. Hilary dies in a gruesome accident immediately after refusing to meet Felice, and the timing is highly suspicious. Additionally, Felice arrives in town shortly after, suggesting she may have orchestrated or accelerated Hilary's demise to get access to the family.

Foreshadowing: Felice's phone call and Hilary's subsequent accident occur in quick succession, implying a causal link.

• Hilary death
• car accident
• Felice
• murder

Terry was killed by the cat-like force that serves as Felice's supernatural manifestation. After confronting Felice about her suspicious behavior, Terry was knocked to the ground by the wild cat, and his death was later staged to look like a suicide, making it appear as though he took his own life.

Foreshadowing: The wild cat attacks Jack earlier in the film, establishing it as Felice's deadly instrument.

• Terry
• Felice
• cat attack
• staged suicide

Felice used her cursed powers to cause the priest to spontaneously combust inside an elevator. When Father Joe attempted to intervene and meet with Jack to expose Felice, Felice intervened and killed him through this supernatural means, demonstrating the full extent of her demonic abilities.

Foreshadowing: Felice's supernatural powers were hinted at earlier through the mysterious deaths and the therianthropic cat.

• priest
• Father Joe
• spontaneous combustion
• elevator

The parasite is the demonic force from the cursed talisman that has lived inside Felice since childhood. It requires a human host and bloodline to survive, which is why Felice must pass it to another family member. The parasite manifests physically as a wild cat, the therianthropic form of the curse, and can control its host's actions, causing violence and supernatural phenomena.

Foreshadowing: The opening scene shows blood transferring from aunt to Felice, establishing the parasitic relationship.

• parasite
• demon
• talisman
• curse
• host
• cat form

Felice must pass the curse to a bloodline relative to survive. She reveals that Amy is her bloodline and that the curse requires a new host to continue existing. Without transferring the parasitic force, Felice would die, so she attempts to kiss Amy, similar to how she was kissed by her aunt, to transfer the parasite.

Foreshadowing: Felice's romantic advances toward Jack are revealed to be a distraction while she targets Amy.

• Amy
• bloodline
• curse transfer
• kiss
• survival

The wild cat was the physical manifestation of Felice's curse, the therianthropic form of the parasite inside her. It served as Felice's deadly instrument, attacking those who threatened to stop her plans. Brenda managed to kill the creature, but Felice continued her pursuit of Amy afterward.

Foreshadowing: The cat first attacked Jack in the kitchen, establishing it as Felice's supernatural weapon.

• wild cat
• therianthropy
• curse manifestation
• attack

Amy used electric gardening shears to impale Felice during the pool struggle. As the parasitic force attempted to escape and possess Amy, the confrontation triggered an explosion when the shears met water and possibly a propane tank, destroying the parasite. Felice's body then sank to the bottom of the pool, effectively ending the immediate threat.

Foreshadowing: Amy's discovery of the gardening shears earlier hints at their role in the climax.

• Amy
• Felice
• pool
• gardening shears
• explosion
• defeat

The ending is ambiguous and bittersweet. While Felice and the parasite are destroyed, the film's final narration states the family is 'forever marked by the curse.' This suggests the curse may linger in the bloodline, leaving the possibility that it could resurface later, as the parasite was a generational evil.

Foreshadowing: The curse has traveled through generations since the Congo, indicating it's not easily eradicated.

• curse ending
• bloodline
• forever marked
• ambiguous

Heather's escalator accident appears to be caused by supernatural interference from Felice. After Amy discovers Heather's bloodstained sunglasses among Felice's belongings, it's clear Felice had some involvement. The accident occurs right after Felice begins her manipulation of the household, possibly as a test of the curse's power or to create chaos.

Foreshadowing: Amy's discovery of the sunglasses connects Felice to the accident, though the exact mechanism remains unclear.

• Heather
• escalator
• accident
• sunglasses
• Felice