Tyler Chipman’s “The Shade” (2023) revolves around a 20-year-old man struggling with anxiety issues since his father’s death. He suffers from panic attacks and tries to keep it together in his regular life. His mother and younger brother live with him. The guy’s older brother stays away and is intentionally distant for reasons that gradually become clear in the film. After Benjamin Barfoot’s “Daddy’s Head” for Shudder, this is another psychological horror film exploring the emotional burden of loss and grief. “The Shade” tries to tie together its haunting themes in its final moments. If you can’t make sense of the ending, find the explanation here.
Spoilers Ahead
The Shade (2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Directed by Tyler Chipman, “The Shade” follows 20-year-old Ryan Beckman, who struggles with anxiety issues following his father’s passing, and starts battling some demons that haunt his entire family and threatens to destroy them.
What happens in ‘The Shade’ (2023)?
“The Shade” begins with an ominous scene where a young boy has to watch his old man dying in front of a few robed individuals in the middle of the woods. Now, a 20-year-old college student, Ryan Beckman (Chris Galust) wakes up in a panic trying to catch his breath realizing it was a nightmare. The film doesn’t explain whether that is exactly what happened in Ryan’s past. However, it alludes to the dark presence surrounding their family and his father’s death by suicide. Presently, he lives with his mother, Renee (Laura Benati), and his younger brother, James (Sam Duncan) in a suburban neighborhood.
Since Renee is often busy with her duties at the hospital, Ryan helps her care for James. However, their other brother, Jason (Dylan McTee) remains absent from the picture and doesn’t keep in touch with them. So, when he calls to reveal that he is returning home, the Beckmans are surprised. They are not sure whether he is returning for good or not. Regardless, Ryan continues his day as usual and spends time with his girlfriend, Alex (Mariel Molino). He also speaks with his therapist, Dr. Huston (Michael Boatman) about his recent panic attack to understand its root.
Jason’s Return and the Demons
At night, Ryan returns home to find Jason by himself. Only then does Jason learn about his mother’s new partner. Ryan calls him out for feeling entitled to this information despite staying distant from them. Instead of revealing why he remains distant, Jason stays aloof and rarely leaves his room. Shortly after, Ryan walks up to Jason’s room to check on him. He doesn’t find Jason but notices a ghastly half-bald, pale, long-haired woman lurking inside. Moments later, Jason confronts Ryan for entering his room without his consent and gets unreasonably upset. After that incident, Ryan refuses to speak with him.
Unfortunately, a few days later, Ryan finds Jason in his room having strangled himself to death. Jason dies before an ambulance can arrive. Around this time, Ryan continues seeing the ghastly woman he earlier saw in Jason’s room. It disrupts his usual life. He finds it hard to get hold of himself and loses interest in his life. His close friend and co-worker at a local pizza joint, Nicolas Silva (Germain Arroyo) tries to help him. However, instead of feeling grateful for the emotional support that Nicolas provides, Ryan insults Nicolas’ boyfriend. He also calls out Nicolas for always wanting them to be in a good mood when he is dealing with some dark issues.
The Shade (2023) Movie Ending Explained:
Who is the monster that Ryan keeps seeing around him?
Alex looks forward to attending a Halloween party with Ryan but he doesn’t. He reluctantly joins her there. Even at the party, he notices the ghastly woman and gets spooked. He immediately runs out without being concerned about Alex. While outside, he receives a call from his mother, who gets mad at him for being irresponsible and leaving James at home, alone. She reveals that James is terrified because he saw a strange woman in his room. Renee does not believe her young son but Ryan can. He realizes that the demon has now started haunting his younger brother.
Shortly before the Halloween party, James saw Ryan being scared by someone. It triggered James’ insecurities and made him scared for his family against the invisible and the unresolved. So, while alone, he saw the ghost that his brothers did. In the present, Ryan drives back home but doesn’t find Ryan. So, he keeps driving and finds the ghastly woman in the backseat. Terrified, he crashes his car. He attempts to kill himself to relieve himself from the insufferable pain of her presence. However, at the last moment, he decides not to take his own life. Instead, he throws his knife at the demon, making it vanish into thin air.
After this tragic incident, Ryan reunites with James at home and decides to fight against the demon together. As they see the ghastly woman once again, Ryan shows it a middle finger as a protest against the pain. So, the ending of “The Shade” shows Ryan and James joining hands to break the generational trauma by fighting the demons in the best possible way he can. By being together, they get the emotional strength that they may not have otherwise.
Why do Ryan, Jason, and James see the eerie monster?
Ryan, Jason, and James lost their father when they were quite young. Their old man took his own life, leaving them with an inescapable trauma and grief. So, even years later, those memories keep haunting them in one way or the other. Jason distances himself from the family whereas Ryan suffers from anxiety disorder and has panic attacks as a result of the same grief. Their deteriorating mental health is related to them not being able to resolve their trauma, which affects young James as well. As James sees the signs of Ryan’s debilitating anxiety, he too starts seeing the eerie monster.
