Major Bagman spoilers ahead
Sam Claflin and his family are terrorized by a figure from folklore in Bagman, a rather bleak and depressing 2024 horror movie that made its streaming debut on Starz this week.
Directed by Scottish filmmaker Colm McCarthy, Bagman stars Claflin (The Hunger Games) and Antonia Thomas (Misfits) as parents Patrick and Karina, parents of an adorable little boy named Jake. But when Patrick's childhood nightmare returns to haunt his family, he becomes determined to do whatever it takes to protect his son.
Lionsgate unceremoniously dumped Bagman in a limited theatrical release last September, and the film received relatively poor reviews. It's slow-paced and bleak but has a surprisingly dark ending and some interesting lore surrounding its titular antagonist. Learn more about the twisted ending below.
A dark end to a bleak story
Once the Bagman makes himself known by attacking Karina's sister, Anna, at the hotel, it becomes clear that he won't stop coming for Patrick's family until he gets what he wants. Even surrounded by extra security and cops, the Bagman returns to Patrick and Karina's home, making off with who they believe is Jake stuffed in his ominous duffel bag.
Patrick hears his son crying out for help, his adorable voice emanating from the bag as Patrick gives chase back to the abandoned mine shaft that the Bagman has been using as his lair after all this time. It's the same place where Patrick and his brother Liam first encountered the menacing being when they were children when Bagman took a clipping of Patrick's hair.
Remembering that flashback ahead of the film's final twisted reveal is important. When Patrick finally gets inside Bagman's lair, a gloomy cave full of tributes to all of the children he's kidnapped and killed, he uncovers the duffel bag. He finds nothing but an old creepy doll with a mechanism inside it playing a pre-recorded message that sounds identical to Jake's voice. The Bagman didn't kidnap Jake. He only pretended to as a way to lure Patrick away from his family.
The "twist" is that the Bagman wasn't after Jake, at least not yet. He's been trying to capture Patrick since he took his hair as a boy. Remember, Patrick's grandfather warned him that the Bagman would never give up, and the one thing keeping him safe was a sacred object. In Patrick's case, it was the knife his grandpa gifted him. At the beginning of the movie, Patrick breaks the knife in a burst of frustration and throws it in the trashcan, lifting his veil of protection after decades and allowing the Bagman to target him again.
While in the cave, Patrick also spots Jake's beloved flute. Even though the Bagman isn't after his son yet, it's clear he will be in the future, especially since the film heavily implied he took some of Jake's hair at the hotel.
Patrick makes the ultimate sacrifice, giving himself to the Bagman in exchange for throwing Jake's flute out of the cave so Karina can return it to their son. That flute will become Jake's totem, just like the knife was Patrick's.
As for Claflin's character, he meets a sinister end with the Bagman breaking his arms and legs to jam him inside his duffel bag, just like he did with Emily at the beginning of the movie.
What the ending means for Jake's future
Bagman ends on a bittersweet note, leaning more into the bitter than anything. Not only has Jake lost his father, but he will be on the run from the Bagman for the rest of his life. Yes, Jake has the flute to protect him, but as we know from Patrick, the totem isn't a foolproof protective measure. If Jake ever loses it or maybe disposes of it as an adult, he'll suffer the same fate as his dad.
The one positive is that Jake's mom, Karina, is aware of the threat of the Bagman. Karina will undoubtedly do everything in her power to keep Jake and the flute safe. She also does the smart thing and immediately packs up the house to move away from the area as soon as possible. The movie doesn't explore how far the Bagman can travel, but it still seems wise for them to relocate somewhere far away from his lair.