Daddy's Head ending explained: How does the creepy horror film end?

Daddy's Head is a new psychological horror film from Benjamin Barfoot (Double Date, Panorama). After having its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in September, the movie has finally made its streaming release on Shudder.

The film centers around a young boy named Isaac, who is left in the care of his grieving stepmother, Laura after his father passes away. However, Isaac and Laura don't have the best relationship. They weren't close before Isaac's father's death, and now with him gone, their already-strained relationship has only worsened. Together, they live in a mansion in the middle of nowhere, where they eventually become haunted by a grotesque creature with the face and voice of Isaac's late father.

If you're seeking a better understanding of Daddy's Head's ending, all you need to do is continue reading because we dissect the film's final moments down below.

Spoilers ahead from Daddy's Head.

What happens to Isaac and Laura in Daddy's Head?

The first time Isaac and Laura encounter the creature, they find it hiding under the dining table. But it scurries off before they can really get a good look at it. They move on with their lives until the creature comes to Isaac one night in his room, commanding him to "come to the forest."

The next morning, Isaac heads out to the forest and sees the creature hiding in the bushes. Since it resembles his dad but just in a different body, Isaac becomes convinced that it's really his dad who somehow came back from the dead. Bella, the dog, ends up scaring the creature away, and Laura invites a psychiatrist to assess Isaac. Laura thinks Isaac isn't mentally stable and wants to send him off to a mental hospital for treatment, but the psychiatrist doesn't believe that's the case. She believes Isaac's just struggling with grief, and she suggests to Laura that she be with him through the grieving process.

While walking through the forest with Bella one day, Laura and Isaac notice a hiding spot made of tree branches. Bella runs to it and starts barking at the hiding spot's entrance, and Isaac and Laura chase after her. After looking over the hiding spot, Isaac tells Laura that he thinks that's where the creature is living. Laura doesn't believe him and brings him back to the house.

Later that night, she invites a family friend, Robert, over to talk about everything that happened. Robert offers to take Isaac in and raise him, but Laura declines his offer. She then heads upstairs to get ready for bed while Robert cleans up downstairs. Bella finds a way outside and runs back to the hiding spot in the forest. She starts barking at its entrance again, but the creature shows its face this time. But instead of having the head of Isaac's dad, it somehow took on Bella's face. As the creature starts barking back at Bella, Bella runs into the hiding spot, and all that is heard is Bella squealing.

The next morning, Laura and Robert find Bella's bloody dead body near the house. Laura turns around to look at the house and sees Isaac inside, staring at them through the window. While having a talk with the coroner about what happened to Bella, Laura asks the coroner if a knife could've been what killed her. The coroner tells her it's a possibility, and Laura looks away in thought. One of the knives in the house has been missing, and Laura thinks Isaac could've taken it. Now, she thinks he might be the person who killed Bella when really it was the creature.

Later that night, Robert cooks dinner while Laura sits on the couch. Meanwhile, Isaac sits on his bed in his room, playing a video game. He hears a noise coming from a vent in his room and goes over to it to look at it. The top of the vent pops off, and Bella's head slightly pokes out. This isn't really Bella, though. It's the creature. Issac gets closer to the vent and looks inside it to see the creature.

The creature tells him not to trust Laura and Robert. It also tells him to come visit the "home" he's built for him. That home it speaks of is the hiding spot in the forest. Back downstairs, Laura looks at the nanny cam she set up in Isaac's room and sees him talking to the creature. She freaks out and yells for Robert to go with her to check it out. They burst into Isaac's room, but the creature has already escaped. Later that night, Laura and Robert kiss and Isaac secretly watches them. He runs out of the house to go to the hiding spot in the forest to talk to the creature.

The creature tells Isaac to bring Robert to him, and Isaac agrees to do so. The next morning, Laura asks Robert if he can take over her parenting duties. Robert agrees, and then he and Isaac go on a walk together through the forest. As promised, Isaac takes Robert to the creature's home. Robert asks Isaac if he'd want to come live with him, but Isaac rejects his offer.

As they argue, they hear a noise coming from the creature's home. Robert flashes a light on the hiding spot's entrance and sees the creature. He freaks out and runs away, while Isaac stays back and smiles evilly at the creature. The following day, Laura finds out that Robert is in the hospital after cracking open his skull. He accidentally did this while he was running away from the creature. Laura confronts Isaac about everything that happened before telling him she will no longer be his caretaker.

Then, they both head to their rooms to go to sleep. While Isaac sleeps, the creature appears in his room and lies next to him on his bed. Laura goes to check on him, but when she opens Isaac's door, the creature pops out and runs towards her. She quickly closes the door, injuring herself in the process. Isaac wakes up and sees the creature on the ceiling of his room. He starts screaming, and Laura bursts through the door and runs to him.

As she hugs Isaac, Isaac picks up a knife on the ground. The creature makes his way over to them, and Laura quickly grabs the knife from Isaac and repeatedly stabs the creature over and over again. The creature manages to escape and runs out of the house. The movie then flashes forward to the future, where we see an older Isaac. He finally enters the creature's home in the forest and finds an old photo of himself and his dad. He also discovers the creature's skeletal remains.

Isaac leaves his old house to return home, where we find out he lives with Laura. He also calls her mom now. It appears their relationship got better over the years. The movie then cuts to the credits.

What did you think about Daddy's Head? Did you enjoy watching the horror flick?

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