Totem (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Kellie's violence stems from unresolved grief over her mother's death combined with an unhealthy attachment to her father James. The supernatural entity amplifies her emotional instability, causing her to view Robin as a threat to her family unit. Her murderous actions, including killing Todd, attempting to drown Robin, and causing Bernard's death through suffocation, represent her twisted attempt to eliminate anyone she perceives as disrupting her bond with her father.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Kellie's discomfort with Robin moving in and her vision of a corpse foreshadows the death spree to come.

• kellie violence
• kellie kills
• electra complex
• supernatural possession

The totem is a necklace belonging to the sisters' deceased mother Lexy. It appears to be connected to Lexy's lingering spirit, allowing objects to move telekinetically. The necklace acts as a conduit for supernatural activity in the house, with the entity becoming stronger and more aggressive as the film progresses. Todd explains there are ways to destroy totems, suggesting they are known objects in supernatural lore.

Foreshadowing: The necklace's ability to move objects is discovered early, setting up the central mystery.

• totem necklace
• lexys necklace
• supernatural object
• telekinesis

Kellie kills Todd when he attempts to help destroy the totem, which she sees as a threat to her connection with her mother. Rather than letting him eliminate what she believes links her to Lexy's spirit, she strikes him from behind with a glass shard, killing him instantly. This act demonstrates how completely the entity's influence has corrupted her judgment, making her choose the supernatural bond over her human relationship.

Foreshadowing: Kellie hides Todd in her room rather than introducing him to the family, showing her emotional distance from him.

• todd death
• kellie kills todd
• boyfriend killed

Bernard dies from a malicious act by Kellie. After he rushes back to the house upon hearing the entity might be his daughter Lexy's spirit, Kellie deliberately uses up all the puffs from his asthma inhaler while he's having a respiratory crisis. Unable to breathe and with no medication remaining, Bernard suffocates and dies. This shocking act demonstrates Kellie's complete descent into murderous desperation.

Foreshadowing: Earlier tension between Kellie and Bernard foreshadows this violent act.

• bernard death
• grandfathers death
• inhaler murder

After discovering the hidden wedding ring at the base of Kellie's trophy, Robin confronts Kellie about the truth of James's past. Kellie responds by pushing Robin into a bathtub, causing her to strike her head on the faucet. Robin appears to drown in the water, though she later revives and emerges to help save James and Abby from Kellie's rampage.

Foreshadowing: Robin exhibits strange trauma behaviors earlier (gagging on hair) hinting at her eventual danger.

• robin drowning
• robin bathtub
• robin attacked

The entity's targeting of Abby appears connected to Kellie's own psychological state. Since Abby is the younger sister who represents the family unit Kellie is desperate to preserve, the entity may be using Abby as a means to further destabilize Kellie. The entity's attempt to abduct Abby occurs as Kellie's grip on reality deteriorates, suggesting the entity feeds on and amplifies Kellie's deepest fears about losing her family.

Foreshadowing: Abby's vulnerability is established early as the younger sister dealing with their mother's death.

• abby abduction
• entity targets abby
• supernatural attack

The family cat serves as a conduit for the entity's presence. When Kellie installs motion detectors to capture evidence of the supernatural, they remain silent until the cat enters the room, then they beep frantically as the cat darts away in apparent terror. The entity eventually kills the cat by making a bookcase fall on it, marking a brutal escalation of the haunting and proving the entity's deadly capability.

Foreshadowing: The motion detector scenes establish the cat's sensitivity to unseen forces.

• cat death
• supernatural cat
• entity presence

The ending shows James, Robin, and Abby surviving and relocating to a tiny house in a deserted area, suggesting they're trying to escape the traumatic location. However, Abby continues talking to someone unseen, implying the entity or Lexy's spirit may still be with them. The bittersweet ending offers a fragile new beginning rather than complete closure, leaving open whether the supernatural threat is truly vanquished.

Foreshadowing: The mother's spirit appearing and the entity's defeat set up this uncertain resolution.

• tiny house ending
• survivors
• sequel hint
• unresolved ending

Bernard reveals that Robin was a mutual friend of both Lexy and James before Lexy's death. This connection explains Robin's willingness to move in and help run the household, as well as her complex emotional reactions to the supernatural events. Robin's knowledge of the family's history adds depth to her role and suggests she may have had complicated feelings about the family even before moving in.

Foreshadowing: Robin exhibits unusual trauma responses early, hinting at deeper knowledge.

• robin past
• robin connection
• lexys friend

Kellie's descent is triggered by the cumulative effect of her mother's death, grief, and the supernatural entity's influence through the totem. Unable to healthily process Lexy's death, Kellie fixates on the necklace as a connection to her mother. The entity amplifies her existing jealousy toward Robin and her attachment to her father, twisting her grief into violent action. Her mental state deteriorates progressively as supernatural events escalate.

Foreshadowing: Kellie's vision of the corpse at track practice marks the beginning of her visible psychological break.

• kellie madness
• kellie descent
• grief psychosis
• supernatural influence

Lexy's spirit appears during Kellie's final rampage, scaring Kellie and causing her to stumble back into a jagged piece of sculpture where she is impaled. This intervention suggests Lexy's spirit was the true force behind the totem, not a malevolent entity but her lingering protective presence. Her appearance stops Kellie's murder of Robin, showing Lexy was trying to prevent her daughter's destructive path.

Foreshadowing: The necklace's connection to Lexy was established when Kellie discovered its moving abilities.

• lexy spirit
• mother ghost
• spirit intervention