The Crow (2024), directed by Rupert Sanders, reimagines the beloved gothic cult classic of the 1990s. The film centers around Eric Draven (Bill Skarsgård), a man brought back from the dead to avenge the brutal murder of himself and his lover, Shelly (FKA Twigs). The story opens with Eric haunted by past trauma, hinting at a deeper emotional struggle that runs through the film. Set against a backdrop of crime, betrayal, and supernatural forces, Eric embarks on a journey to restore balance between good and evil. As he navigates his return to life, his choices hold the key to his and Shelly’s fates.
Sanders attempts to deviate from the original 1994 film adaptation by expanding on its supernatural lore and focusing more on Eric’s emotional journey. This version introduces new characters like Kronos, who adds layers to the afterlife mythology and a darker, more mystical tone, while the original focuses more on urban gothic revenge.
In this article, I will explore the plot of The Crow (2024), explaining how the movie ends and exploring its various themes. Please note that the article contains spoilers, so reader discretion is advised.
The Crow (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The Crow opens with a flashback sequence of young Eric finding his beloved white horse caught in barbed wire by the house fence. While trying to free the horse, Eric gets a deep cut on his hand, and the shooting pain from the wound wakes a grown-up Eric (Bill Skarsgård) from his dream. Now, we are not sure if Eric was dreaming about his childhood incident or if it was one of his recurring nightmares, but right before the title drop, a sequence shows him getting out of a pool of blood, adding an interesting mystery to the plotline.
What does Zadie warn Shelly about?
We then see Shelly (FKA Twigs) receiving a panic-stricken call from her friend, Zadie (Isabella Wei), who tells her that their video, which Dom (Sebastian Orozco) had shot, has somehow been leaked. The video contains inexplicable criminal footage of Vincent, and Zadie warns her to leave and meet at their rendezvous point. However, on her way there, Shelly is chased by Vincent’s henchmen, led by Marion (Laura Birn). To avoid getting caught, she deliberately slows her pace in front of the police, who arrest her for illegal substance possession.
Who is Vincent?
Shelly lands in the same rehab facility where Eric has been enduring continuous bullying by other cellmates. Somehow, Eric’s soft-spoken yet confident personality catches Shelly’s attention, and the two bond over Shelly’s tattoo that reads, “Laugh now, Cry later.” We then meet Vincent (Danny Huston), who is not a regular drug lord. He is someone with wealth and power, always on the lookout for vulnerable individuals so he can capture their souls. It turns out that he possesses demonic abilities after making a pact with dark forces, using his power to prey on the weak to keep himself alive. He views Zadie as a threat, someone who wants to escape Vincent’s vicious circle.
After interrogating her about Shelly, he whispers spells into Zadie’s ears, causing her to stab herself to death. After discovering Shelly’s whereabouts, he sends his people and Shelly’s mother, Sophia (Josette Simon), who is also part of his gang, to retrieve her. However, when Shelly sees Vincent’s men searching for her at the rehab, she and Eric find a way to escape the facility through the laundry room. The duo hitchhike with some locals back to the city, where Shelly takes Eric to her friend’s place where she often crashes when he is away. This is when the two bond and fall deeply in love. Shelly even asks Eric if he has ever been in love with someone before, and when he says never, she makes him promise to love her harder if he ever finds it difficult to love her.
How does Shelly die?
Just when the two lovers thought things were only getting better for them, things started to get messy. First, Eric learns that Shelly used to make music, but a past incident involving Vincent made her quit altogether. One night at a club, Shelly meets Dom, who warns that Vincent’s men are looking for her. Frightened, she pushes Eric to leave town, but the goons have already barged into their place. Before Eric can understand the situation, he sees Marion ordering her henchmen to suffocate Shelly by placing a plastic bag over her head. As Eric painfully watches his love suffocate to death, the goons do the same to him, ultimately finishing their job and killing them both.
What deal did Eric make with Kronos?
Strangely, Eric’s nightmare only worsens when he sees Shelly’s body slowly disappearing into the void. He then finds himself emerging from a river and following a mysterious man named Kronos (Sami Bouajila). Kronos is somewhat of a gatekeeper between the mortal world and the afterlife. He explains to a puzzled Eric that he has died, and since his soul is weighed down by sadness and injustice, the crow, who helps souls cross from one life to another, is unable to help him.
Eric is stuck between realms, and to be free, he must return and make things right to cross over. Vincent’s demonic deal has caused an imbalance of good and evil in both the mortal and spiritual worlds. Kronos explains that Eric needs to return to his world, not just to avenge his lover’s brutal murder, but to fight for the good, as his love for Shelly is pure and innocent. If he can set things right, Kronos promises that both Eric and Shelly can reunite in the mortal world.
What does Eric find about Shelly from the video on her phone?
After returning to his world, Eric discovers his newfound invincibility when a corrupt cop, who had been searching for Shelly’s phone, shoots at him. Eric then heads to Shelly’s apartment, and while reflecting on their memories, he stumbles upon a secret hiding place where Shelly had hidden her phone and some cash for emergencies. On the phone, Eric finds a video that Zadie had warned Shelly about.
The video shows a party hosted by Vincent for himself, where Shelly, Zadie, and Dom are present. We also see Shelly playing the piano, and at one point, Vincent whispers something in her ear. Shelly then picks up a knife and fatally stabs another girl. This revelation shakes Eric, especially since Shelly had been distressed earlier and blamed herself for her mistakes, which seemed to be driving her toward a breakdown. Eric is shocked to realize that Shelly was capable of murder.
Why doesn’t Eric’s wound heal?
When Eric meets Sophia, he sees how distorted she is from her daughter’s death. Before leaving, he confronts her about not being there for her daughter. Soon after, Vincent arrives at Sophia’s place. Sophia is displeased with Vincent’s power-driven behavior. Vincent casts a spell on Sophia, causing her to jump out of the window. Her desire for material wealth, which had become her sole connection to Vincent, has been altered by her grief. When Eric later meets his friend Chance and talks about his concerns regarding Shelly, their conversation is interrupted by more goons who shoot him in the stomach. To his shock, he does not heal as he did before and dies once more.
The only reason Eric was invincible was due to his pure and innocent love for Shelly, who also loved him with a pure heart. However, because of Shelly’s grave past, Eric begins to doubt her and her intentions, weakening the strength of their love. According to Kronos, this doubt nullifies Eric’s pact with the crow’s power. He then remembers that he can change things for the better by recalling how he sacrificed himself to save his beloved white horse when he was a child.
How does Eric’s fate change permanently?
So, he makes another pact with Kronos to give up his soul for Shelly. However, Kronos points out that doing so will prevent the two lovers from reuniting. Still, Eric accepts the terms for Shelly’s life, realizing that whatever happened to Shelly was never her fault and that she was indeed an innocent and good human being. In a sequence, a swarm of crows circles around Eric, giving him the power to regain his strength. Kronos cuts both his and Eric’s hands to make a blood pact, causing Eric’s blood to transform into a thick black, giving him a crow-like, modern demonic look—signifying that his actions have permanently changed his and Shelly’s fate.
Returning to the mortal world, he learns that Vincent will attend an opera performance. Determined to set things right, a well-built, transformed Eric paints his face black and arms himself with knives and a katana he finds at his friend’s apartment. This is when the film takes a thrilling turn, showcasing a superbly choreographed bloodbath sequence that is practically the film’s highest point thus far. While Eric doesn’t find Vincent, he sets a message for the villain with the massacre of Vincent’s goons, including beheading Marion and throwing her head onto the stage right at the climax of the Swan Lake performance.
The Crow (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Does Eric succeed in avenging his lover’s murder?
When Eric arrives at Vincent’s place, our villain is pleased to finally meet our protagonist. He knows quite well that he has been sent by the spirits of the afterlife. However, he points out that Eric is no different than Vincent as he, too, has made a deal with the spirits for selfish reasons. Vincent has been delivering innocent souls to the devil, but his greed makes him desire to be invincible like Eric. So he tries to manipulate Eric by suggesting that Shelly’s sufferings was partly her fault and she too must have had some evil inside her that he was easily able to influence her thoughts. This distraction gives Vincent enough time to cast a spell on Eric, which allows him to cut Vincent and get some of his black blood.
However, Eric breaks free from Vincent, sending both himself and the villain into the dark void. After entering the void, Vincent fights Eric. Still, somehow, Eric gains the upper hand and manages to send Vincent into the muddy ground where demonic spirits await to feed on corrupted souls. We witness Vincent’s end as he succumbs to the deep dungeons of the demonic spirits in hell, releasing Shelly as per the pact. Though Eric wins over evil, he realizes he now has to face a long, torturous fate he has willingly accepted to save the love of his life.
Does Eric manage to reunite with Shelly?
Soon after, Shelly’s soul emerges from the hell pit, finally reuniting the lovers. However, their reunion is short-lived due to Eric’s pact. He tells Shelly to return to her world, encouraging her to make the most of her life and accept her fate. While Shelly cries helplessly, longing to be together in the real world, the two share one last kiss before she is pulled back to the mortal realm. As she opens her eyes, she sees Kronos, now a paramedic, standing beside her. She notices Eric’s lifeless body nearby as the paramedic tells her that he fought for her.
The ending of The Crow (2024) shows Shelly returning to her life and becoming a music artist. With Eric’s voice narrating in the background, we understand that he is content with his victory over evil as the desolate afterlife realm becomes his permanent home.
The Crow (2024) Movie Themes Analysed
What does the ending of The Crow (2024) signify?
The Crow’s ending signifies themes of sacrifice, acceptance, and understanding the power of love. Despite briefly reuniting with Shelly, Eric’s decision to remain in the afterlife highlights his ultimate sacrifice—choosing her future over their reunion. By encouraging Shelly to return to the mortal world, Eric shows that his victory isn’t just over evil but also over the desire to cling to the past. He selflessly urges her to embrace her life, suggesting that their love, though powerful, is not bound by physical presence but transcends time and space. Similarly, Shelly moving on with her life and pursuing her passion, which was always making music, is her way of honoring Eric’s life and the sacrifice he made for her.
The Crow also highlights justice and vengeance as we see Eric avenge the murder of himself and his lover, symbolizing the deep bond and suggesting that love is eternal. This also leads Eric to restore balance in a world that is easily disrupted by cruelty, thus bringing him closure and helping him move beyond the trauma of his tragic loss.
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