Movies News Talk
Get ready for some spine-chilling twists because Aftermath on Netflix will have you second-guessing everything. Starring Ashley Greene (Twilight fans will love this one!) and Shawn Ashmore, it tells the story of Natalie and Kevin who are just trying to fix their relationship after some marital drama by moving into a brand new house. This doesn't exactly lead to the fresh start they hoped for; instead, there's poisoning, scary messages, shadows, and a whole bunch of bizarre events. The creepiest part, though? You won’t exactly see everything coming!
That finale on Aftermath throws some really head-scratching surprises. It seems like the creepy guy haunting their home is Natalie's ex-husband, who is pretty angry about her selling their old place, and yeah, he’s also pretty sneaky with the vandalism, those weird magazine subscriptions, and all the other weird stuff. But the movie makes a serious switch when they lock this ex up in a mental asylum; suddenly, a brand-new monster comes out to play!
This new bad guy, Otto, has a rather bizarre connection to the home Natalie and Kevin moved into – he was actually dating the lady who designed the house ages ago, back when a man murdered her! And to add even more chaos to this story, she even secretly built a super-secret series of tunnels and rooms where they could hide. You can already tell this is an oddball tale full of secrets!
That ending will totally leave you wondering! Why is Otto still living in the basement after all of this madness? The movie gives us some crazy hints about a mind gone off the rails, but there’s really no concrete answer. The movie gives us an intense story with lots of plot points, but some of those missing answers are part of the weird beauty of Aftermath.
Here's where things get more metaphorical - it’s not just a story about a monster, but also about Natalie and Kevin's relationship, and all the pain caused by betrayal and the aftermath. This Otto is pretty much like an actual, scary monster – an external reminder of the harm caused by Natalie’s infidelity, because, you guessed it - it's all a little symbolic! And let’s face it, this story plays into those feelings that sometimes infidelity feels like a monster hiding in the house! And the scariest part, Otto, shows how badly things can go when you try to block out problems without getting help.
What's great is that Natalie and Kevin fight this scary dude as a team, together! This represents their shared effort to heal, to move past the past, and fix their relationship, even with a haunting in their new home. Maybe their "happy ever after" still needs some work, but they have to push forward to mend that relationship after confronting Otto. It's definitely something to think about!
Now that we’re at the end of the movie, are we totally surprised, or do we have some major unanswered questions? For starters, Natalie’s sister gets killed by Otto, but we don't get a real “grief” scene with Natalie after the incident, but that moment certainly must've added a whole other layer to her grief and paranoia!
So the story is over, what happened after? Do those ghosts finally leave their house? Do they keep fighting those evil spirits together? Sadly, there are no answers! The Aftermath Movie focused on this mysterious plot, the ending isn't all about how life carries on for the characters after the horrors, so viewers are left guessing.
There is a lot of buzz and debate online after Aftermath. Even though Netflix did a pretty good job tying up those loose threads (with some crazy twists!), everyone's always curious about what happens after a big ending. While some viewers think there’s a whole new level of mystery waiting to be told, Netflix’s staying silent – no talk of sequels, so a second installment doesn’t seem likely. If we’re honest, those Movies with a great finish are generally best as one-off tales, as they give us a really complete ending, just like in this story. The creators did a fantastic job! And let’s be honest – they couldn't exactly leave it with a super satisfying resolution. So many questions left unanswered!
The reviews? Kind of mixed. While critics felt like the story was "messy," most viewers, on the other hand, liked those jump-scares! A lot of folks gave a nod to those big scares, saying that while Aftermath’s not really the most gripping story, it certainly keeps you on the edge of your seat!
And the even more intriguing part of the whole story – it's based on a true story, just with a ton of fictional touches. You’ve got to imagine: The home where those scary things happened - that actually existed in real life, in San Diego! A couple just like Natalie and Kevin had some scary experiences when a neighbor, Kathy Rowe, decided to cause some mayhem. Those actions – well, let's just say they weren’t pretty!
Rowe took it a bit further. She even put ads in those “adult” magazines and mailed false love letters. After that madness went down, she got a little community service, a lot of probation, and had to stay away from that family. In that scenario, nothing terribly scary actually happened. However, imagine how terrifying that was for that family!
The "Aftermath" screenwriter, Dakota Gorman, said that they got to play around with these real stories. You've got to be more careful when working with real situations – it’s always scary to think something awful could happen, especially after a couple had the exact experience.
The scariest thing is that this story has those realistic, "This could be me" feelings. But even with a little extra “Hollywood magic” , Aftermath takes on a life of its own with suspenseful scenes and some really terrifying twists. The scary vibe combined with some of the crazy drama makes "Aftermath" stand out! I have to give the creators some credit, this movie makes you think about the real stories out there. And for all of us horror fans out there – it's enough to leave you looking over your shoulder.