Strange Darling ending explained: What happens to the Lady and the Demon?

If you're looking for a highly original thrilling horror movie to watch, Strange Darling should be at the top of your list. Written and directed by JT Mollner (Outlaws and Angels) in his second full-length feature film, the nonlinear movie tells the story of a man (Kyle Gallner) and a woman (Willa Fitzgerald) in six out-of-order chapters (and an epilogue). I didn't watch the trailer or read much about Strange Darling before watching it, and I'd recommend doing the same to any new viewer. But if you have watched the movie and have questions about how it all comes to an end, let's get into it.

WARNING: Major spoilers for Strange Darling are below.

Strange Darling has a lot going for it, including its awesome cinematography — the movie was shot on 35mm and makes that known with a title card at the start — strong performances, music, and unpredictable plot points. At the beginning of the film, we learn (through another title card) that we'll be seeing the final crimes of a notorious serial killer in Oregon. The big twist, however, is that the man, a.k.a. the Demon, is not the serial killer after all. It's actually the woman, a.k.a. the Lady, but the way the narrative is presented in a nonlinear format makes you believe the opposite.

Strange Darling is split into out-of-order chapters

The movie is arranged in this order: Chapter 3, Chapter 5, Chapter 1, Chapter 4, Chapter 2, Chapter 6, and the epilogue. Throughout the 96-minute runtime, we're able to piece together how the Lady and the Demon meet and why the Lady is on the run from him. We also learn why Gallner's character is referred to as the Demon, even though he's a victim in the story.

As a quick recap, the Lady is a serial killer nicknamed "the Electric Lady" who's been on the run on a murdering spree, and one night she picks up a guy at the bar. That would be Gallner's character. He agrees to go to a motel with her nearby to hook up, though the Lady isn't ready to give it up that fast. Instead, a game of cat and mouse ensues as she persuades the Demon to engage in some BDSM roleplay and drugs him with ketamine. She carves the letters E.L. into his chest and is shocked when she eventually looks through his wallet and discovers he's a cop. Realizing she's a danger to society, the Demon is able to get the upper hand and shoots her in the ear, but she runs off, killing more people in the process.

So that's how the Lady and the Demon's relationship begins. Eventually, after he follows her to a home nearby, the Lady kills the Demon, and when the cops show up she insinuates that she had been sexually assaulted and acted in self-defense. They put her in the back of their car to seek medical help, but along the way, the Lady is forced to expose herself as a killer. She lets the woman police officer escape, while she contemplates what to do with the man officer. Eventually, she reveals that her reason for killing is that she sometimes sees people as devils, which likely explains why Gallner's character is referred to as the Demon. We don't get much else explanation for her crimes, but I don't think we need to.

After the Lady makes her declaration, we can tell that she begins to see the police officer in a menacing way, similar to how she started to see the Demon earlier on in the movie. This is to signify that she now views him as the devil. And with that, she kills the officer and continues her journey on foot.

The Lady and the Demon die in Strange Darling

The epilogue of Strange Darling is the end of the road for the Lady, who, after seeing another car coming up the road, pretends to need help to catch a ride. A woman driving the car takes her in and is willing to help her, but when she sees the Lady take out her gun, she does the same. The woman shoots the Lady, and while it might look like she might have another trick up her sleeve, she's too wounded. The final moments of the movie are focused on the Lady as she dies. It's a really cool moment with the soundtrack by artist Z Berg playing.

So, what happens to the Lady and the Demon in Strange Darling? They both die. Both Fitzgerald and Gallner give such great performances in their respective roles, and I'm totally obsessed with the Lady. I'd almost want to see a glimpse of her life before this, though the compact narrative is so great I wouldn't want anything to potentially ruin that. Though the ending of the movie story-wise is nothing revolutionary, because the movie is so twisty, you're left not knowing what to expect from the conclusion.

Strange Darling is a captivating viewing experience and while not all the choices work for me, I really appreciate its ambition. The movie premiered in theaters on Aug. 23 and I'm hoping it'll stay there for a little while. Get your tickets on Fandango here!

Watch 1428 Elm's interviews with Strange Darling's writer-director JT Mollner and cinematographer Giovanni Ribisi and with musician Z Berg.

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