MovieChat Forums > The Woman in Black (2012) Discussion > The Ending

The Ending

posted 12 years ago by rjames1973
78 replies | jump to latest

*** WARNING - SPOILERS **

Overall, I liked this movie, but was a bit confused about the ending. I don't really understand why Arthur Kipps and his son had to die at the end of the movie. After all, Arthur did retrieve the little boy's body from the bog and placed it in the coffin with his mother. Why would the woman in black then cause Arthur and his son's death at the train station? The only reasonable conclusion I can draw is that she was enacting a "mercy killing." Arthur was deeply depressed since his wife's death, and I can only assume that he was most likely going to get fired when he returned to work. After all, he didn't finish the job that he was sent to do, and his boss did give him a final warning. Although the ending was tragic, I think the woman in black was simply trying to do Arthur and his son a favor by reuniting them with Mrs. Kipps. On the other hand, the final scene shows a malevolent shot of the woman in black's face, and there is scary, foreboding music. Are we to assume that she is going to keep on killing, even after she got her son back? Anyway, this was the only part of the movie that I was conflicted about. I'd be interested to read what others think about the ending.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] thecreatorofman 12 years ago

Because the film was terrible and they tried and failed to add a final twist.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] thecreatorofman 12 years ago

I guess you can't see this as I am blocked. Am i not allowed to comment on a film if i dont like it? I didn't realise imdb was purely for people to worship a film.

If you would like I can go into more detail as to why I felt it was a poor film. I came here (months ago I might add) to see what other people on here thought as I was shocked at the good things people were saying about it, especially after finding it so disappointing myself.

[–] Darth_Qaidous 12 years ago

Obviously you are free to do whatever you want here, but the issue is if you didn't like something: why would you waste your valuable time posting in a forum about it? I never post in forums devoted to films/TV shows I don't care for, only in the things I like, it's such a waste of my time to even entertain the thought of doing so.

[–] LordManhammer 12 years ago

You're seriously blocking someone because of one post where he questions the ending of this film? Granted, there are other threads just like this, which does make his post "pointless." Yet this isn't why you're complaining. I can only hope the OP has all sorts of other brilliant posts that you're now missing out on.

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"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"--Pres. Merkin Muffley

[–] evil_nemesis 11 years ago

IMDB boards are real fun since the 1st day.... The film was just okay in my opinion not better than sinister.
= The Nemesis =

[–] vargstra 8 years ago

Sinister was much better. I thought the apperance of the ghost villain just looked retarded, but those killing videos was pure horror

[–] FlipcrackaE 12 years ago

it's a message board.. an open forum.. anybody can post their opinion on anyting.. they don't necessarily have to like a movie to talk about it... you went full retard... you never go full retard

[–] Godzilla1981 9 years ago

We live in pretty absurd times, when people are so incredibly obtuse and overly sensitive, that they physically can't seem to stand an even slightly dissenting opinion from their own.

Grow up kid. People are allowed to share their own feelings on a movie in a movies board. If you don't like their opinion, what are you even doing bothering to comment on it?

[–] SataiDelen 12 years ago

That is your opinion. I liked the film and felt it was well-done. If you were to take a moment and THINK about the ending, you'd see that there was indeed a twist. I was confused by the ending, but my feeling about it is that (as a few others have said) the WiB was thwarted from her kill by Arthur, and further thwarted in her revenge by Arthur and Joseph being reunited with Arthur's wife. I believe that there is a POSSIBILITY now that the cycle of revenge is now over because of that reunion which was never possible with the other children. So PERHAPS she's been stopped for good and won't be able ot harm any more children.

[–] OmegaWolf747 12 years ago

I'd like to believe she's been stopped, but I think the killings will continue for years to come.

--
"House. My room. Can't walk. My medal. My father. Father, don't!"

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] AdamInBoise 12 years ago

The last thing she said was that she would never forgive. I took that to mean that she would continue to get her "revenge".

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] ayanbarik92 12 years ago

Yup,Adam,You're absolutely right.I don't know why do you guys making new theories,I think you have forgot this part.She said she would never forgive and that's all,as simple as that.
From my point of view the film is pretty cool,Okay,its no unique or something worthy of awards but Daniel Radcliff's acting,good amount of suspense,decent film set and awesome score results in good film.I would say it does not belong to those cheap horror gore fest.Sometime the film is scary too.You may say I have no taste in films but I have liked it.
The ending is looking dumb to many of us just because it is different from other movies where spirits get what they want and they become harmless.

[–] mals2011 12 years ago

SataiDelen, I like your interpretation, but I still didn't like the ending. I don't think their death made sense and detracted from the movie overall. Someone else posted Arthur had a "death wish" and perhaps he did in the beginning, but I think the experience at the house renewed something in him and that he and his son would have been fine, better even. This ending seemed very contrived and cheesy, imo.

[–] LordManhammer 12 years ago

I don't see why this reunion, and case of thwarted revenge, would stop the ghost from killing more kids.

If anything, seeing Arthur willing to die for his child is what would make the WIB think that her need to lash out was over.

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"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"--Pres. Merkin Muffley

[–] acaciajules 9 years ago

That and setting it up for sequel for Horror Movie Franchise money.

Chase: Wow. Yeah, I get it. House is adorable. I just want to hold him and never let go.

[–] gorgsharpy 12 years ago

He had a death wish from his wife's death. WIB was symbolic of it. They don't give that away on instant commentaries. It's s lasting pearl.
"You couldn't be much further from the truth" - several

[–] monstermayhem32 12 years ago

It was intentional for the Woman in Black to add Joseph to her children as revenge but Arthur inferred with that and I guess his wife's ghost Stella allowed them to be reunited.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] lolstar6 12 years ago

Arthur wasnt meant to die in my opinion, he just saw what was happening thus throwing himself into the firing line too. I dont think the Bitch in Black gave a crap about what Arthur did for her, she is evil till the very end...

"What, you don't like rice? Tell me Michael, how could a billion Chinese people be wrong?"

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] koffeenkreame41-1 10 years ago

Arthur wasnt meant to die in my opinion, he just saw what was happening thus throwing himself into the firing line too. I dont think the Bitch in Black gave a crap about what Arthur did for her, she is evil till the very end...

I think so too.

And I think she's gonna stay p!ssed off for the rest of eternity!

LOL, agreed, Grayseph, buddy.


"I'm the ultimate badass,you do NOT wanna f-ck wit me!"Hudson,Aliens😬

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] ramifications 12 years ago

Although I agree that the WIB will "never forgive" and therefore continue to collect children...I also believe she knew Arthur was the only one to reunite her with her child so she did the same for Arthur by reuniting him and his son with his wife. There were references from his son as how he did not smile yet when he had his son and saw his wife he smiled again. There was also a statement made by Mrs. Daily when she was at the family mausoleum visiting Nicholas, that inferred they would all be together one day. I believe that when some people suffer a loss so great that even though they still may have happy moments in their future, that they still feel lost, won't be complete or be truly happy until they are reunited in the spirit world with their loved ones. That reasoning made the end of the movie more deep and thought provoking and therefore worked for me.

[–] LordManhammer 12 years ago

Perhaps the WIB wanted to reunite the boy with his mother, but she couldn't have known Arthur would also die

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"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"--Pres. Merkin Muffley

[–] kimiko611 12 years ago

agreed!

[–] rmbriggs3 12 years ago

Conflicted or not, the ending to this movie had me off my seat, exclaiming "Holy crap!" It definitely capped off what I did not expect at all, which was a mild thriller. I think it's one of the creepiest films I've seen, up there with The Ring and A Stir of Echoes.

[–] imdstuf 12 years ago

The ending of them trying to recover the body yet it having no positive effect reminds me of "The Ring." They recovered the girls body from the well thinking that would put the spirit to rest in that movie also.

[–] OmegaWolf747 12 years ago

Also in The Changeling after the child's body was removed from the well, the spirit's wrath continued unabated.

--
"House. My room. Can't walk. My medal. My father. Father, don't!"

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] hkriley 12 years ago

At the end the WIB kept saying.. "never forgive" which to me meant that even though Arthur Kipps had reunited her with her son, she wasn't willing to move on. She was crazy, evil and unwilling to stop "collecting" children

"Damn the Man! Save the Empire!"
Lucas

[–] michahardy 12 years ago

seemed like she was sort of pissed that the child at the end didn't become hers and he got to go and be happy in the afterlife with his family. Something she will never have no matter how hard she tries because it is her hatred that is stopping her from achieving that. I think she obviously was never going to get over her hatred and wanted the son for her own collection. She was not planing for Arthur to jump in and save him. I think she felt that none of those parents would ever sacrifice themselves for their children like she would of if she was in the same situation.

I also read something about how she is like death personified and no matter what you try to do to placate death it is still going to come and get you, no matter what stunts you try to pull to stop it, its not going to be swayed, its inevitable.

[–] film_ophile 12 years ago

of all the posts on this thread, yours, above,.ade the most sense to me. So thx so much for taking the time to write it; i can put this out of my mind now. whew!

The way to have what we want
Is to share what we have.

[–] michahardy 12 years ago

lol That's alright. I'm glad you could make sense of my bad grammar. :)

[–] Curtis_C_Flush 11 years ago

Agreed. So much meaning one can take from this movie. Rare for a horror film.

[–] whitespirit26 10 years ago

Micha, excellent!!!! I agree totally about her failing with Joseph, but hadn't even noted how Arthur acted like she was certain she would. Yet another reason they were free and she wasn't.