By HIM director Justin Tipping acknowledges that he knows he won’t “necessarily fulfill everyone’s ultimate, complete desire” with the new horror film’s “frenzied” conclusion, but he can’t envision it concluding in any different manner.
Featuring Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, and Marlon Wayans, the movie centers around burgeoning football talent Cameron Cade, whose aspirations of being drafted into the NFL are shattered when he’s unexpectedly assaulted just days before the league’s scouting combine. His fortune shifts when he receives an invitation to train at the secluded compound of his idol, San Antonio Saviors quarterback Isaiah White – as Isaiah vows to present Cam as his future heir if he impresses. However, soon after his arrival, Isaiah’s insecurities threaten to transform the dream offer into a nightmare…
Major spoilers for the remainder of HIM below! Proceed with caution if you haven’t witnessed it yet and do not wish to learn anything that transpires.
In the film’s concluding act, Isaiah somewhat reveals to Cam that all those blood transfusions he’s been undertaking during their time together are indeed part of an ancient ritual, designed to transfer the athletic prowess of historical football legends to the contemporary “G.O.A.T”. If Cam aspires to take Isaiah’s position and receive such endowments, he’ll need to battle him to the death, resulting in a gruesome confrontation between the two quarterbacks.
Eventually, Cam is the one who emerges from the clash, having bludgeoned Isaiah to death with a helmet. However, he quickly realizes he’s not out of danger yet, as he exits the room with Isaiah’s corpse and finds himself on a football field. There, Elsie, Isaiah’s spouse, his manager Tom, and the Saviors’ proprietors urge him to sign a deal and officially become the next G.O.A.T., but Cam declines and slaughters everyone except Tom. Tom is then seen being pulled by an invisible force into a pentagram on the ground, before the camera shifts to Cam, revealing Tom’s explosion in the background.
From all the supernatural imagery, it’s evident that something demonic is occurring, yet HIM never specifically elucidates anything. “It’s a delicate, delicate line to walk,” Tipping – who co-wrote the film with Skip Bronkie and Zack Akers – informs GamesRadar+. “There were so many discussions, between the studio, [Jordan Peele’s production company] Monkeypaw, and myself; I possess about 300 different versions of that final scene. ‘How much is too much? What’s the proper amount of clarification?’ I don’t believe you’ll simply fulfill everyone’s ultimate, complete desire because it’s just so wild. But that was also somewhat the intention.
“Too many seconds focused on Julia, it transitioned beyond camp. It’s no longer Almodovar, it’s evolving into a parody in a way that’s not in-s