Goodnight Mommyhas an ending that may shock and confuse viewers, but the clues are dotted throughout the 2002 psychological horror if someone pays enough attention. A remake of theAustrian ghost story from 2014titled the same, Amazon Prime’s version ofGoodnight Mommywas directed by Matt Sobel andstars Naomi Watts as the unnamed mother character, and Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti as twin brothers, Elias and Lukas. The film premiered on Amazon Prime Video on July 02, 2025, to lukewarm reviews and a 37% onRotten Tomatoes.
InGoodnight Mommy, two twin boys, Elias and Lukas, lived with their father after their parents' divorce. When it’s finally time to return to their estranged mother, a former actress, they are frightened to discover she’s covered her entire head in bandages, saying she’s had cosmetic surgery. Unsettled by her erratic behavior and neglect,the boys begin to suspect that the woman underneath the bandages is not their mother at all. Ultimately,Goodnight Mommyis amovie about parenting and the scaresand questions don’t end until the final scene.
Lukas And Elias Capture Their Mother And Leave Her For Dead
The Twins Notice Their Mother’s Eye Color Has Changed
After being forgotten about, screamed at, and at even one point hit, Elias and Lukas decide to run from home. They find a nearby house abandoned and spend the night, only to be tracked down by police officers. The state troopers don’t believe the boys' story about someone else posing as their mother in their house, and they are sent home. The mother angrily shuts them in their room, and though she has since removed her bandages, and they still don’t recognize her completely, she insists her boys are imagining things.
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The mother is certainly not imagining things when she wakes up tied to her bed with duct tape, and her boys at the foot of the bed. The brothers demand to know why the mother’s eyes are a different color from a picture taken years ago. She tells them that she wore green contact lenses when she was still auditioning. The mother tells them to look in her purse. Lukas does so but doesn’t find the contacts. Though Elias is hesitant, Lukas urges him to leave their mother tied up, and the brothers wait outside for a taxi.
Elias Frees His Mother And Learns The Truth About Lukas
Lukas Is A Figment Of Elias' Imagination
While the twins are waiting on the side of the road, Elias' fears get the better of him, and he tells Lukas that he forgot his toothbrush and runs back into the house. Elias searches his mother’s purse and finds the contact lenses that his brother neglected to find, despite sitting at the top of the contents. As he pulls them out, Lukas suddenly appears behind him and begs him not to free their mother and let Lukas explain. Elias ignores him and rushes into the bedroom to free his mother, while Lukas disappears to somewhere.
The Austrian title forGoodnight MommyisIch seh, Ich sehand in the UK, the film is called,Goodnight Mummy.
His shaken mother grimly takes Elias to the barn, the one she forbade the boys to go into, and shows him a bloodstained wall with a bullet hole in the middle of it. As Elias looks at the wall,memories come flooding back and the big twist ofGoodnight Mommyis revealed. Years ago, while playing together, Elias accidentally shot Lukas and killed him. Ever since then, he’s hallucinated that his twin was still alive. Lukas' death also sent Elias' mother into a grief-fueled spiral, resulting in her divorce and estrangement.
Elias Pushes His Mother Out Of The Barn Loft
Elias Can’t Handle That He Murdered His Brother
For the first time in the movie, the mother tries to comfort her son. She refused to sing him his bedtime story, would not look him in the face, offered him no maternal warmth, and even struck him hard enough to crack his lip. This was all a coping mechanism by the mother who partially blamed Ellias for killing her son and whowas simply overcome with grief for having lost one of her children in such a tragic way. It certainly was not a healthy coping mechanism, but at the same time, her confusion, anger, and sadness are understandable.
Elias killing Lukas was an accident, however, and he was grieving as much as his mother. He needed his mother’s love. Had he received it, he may not have created a hallucination of Lukas and forced himself to forget the horrible act he was involved in. All these emotions come together at the same time and Elias breaks down, lashing out at his mother in a confused rage. He pushes his mother from the barn loft, killing her. Her lantern shatters and the barn goes up in flames with her in it as Elias stumbles out.
The young boy has once again sunk into his delusions, now adding another guest to keep himself and Lukas company.
Elias drags himself through the nearby farmland before collapsing in a heap, sobbing at what he’s done and what he’s remembered. Then, a familiar hand grabs his shoulder and lifts him back up. Lukas is back. Smiling, he hugs his brother and tells him he did nothing wrong. Elias then sees a hallucination of his mother, who joins Lukas in hugging Elias. The young boy has once again sunk into his delusions, now adding another guest to keep himself and Lukas company.
The Real Meaning Of Goodnight Mommy’s Ending
The Mother Learns Too Late That Her Living Son Still Needs Her
Ahorror movie likeGoodnight Mommytries to tell a deeper story about the human condition, using the tropes of the genre to help in that retelling. It’s a classic formula, particularly for horror movies in the modern era, where films likeThe Babadook,The Night House, andIt Followsoften serve as analogies for a grander idea. It’s elevated horror and while that’s become something of a dirty phrase,some of the greatest horror movies of the recent decade fall under the banner of “elevated horror”.
There are times when a parent’s feelings must come secondary to their child’s, even when the child in question is responsible for the great grief the parent feels.
Goodnight Mommyis about parenthood, particularly, motherhood, if the title isn’t a tip-off. It’s deliberate not to name the mother character, because anyone could be this character. She’s had to face a tragedy no one should ever have to face, but that doesn’t excuse her reaction to it. That’s the trouble with being a parent and a mother. There are times when a parent’s feelings must come secondary to their child’s, even when the child in question is responsible for the great grief the parent feels.
Until the end ofGoodnight Mommy, the mother treats Elias with contempt, and it’s understandable, to a degree. However, she does not realize the damage she is causing until it’s too late. When she finally does realize this and attempts to comfort her young son, Elias is too far gone. The only comfort he knows is what he’s created in his mind. So, if his mother wants to comfort him, Elias is going to have to hallucinate her, and if that involves murder, so be it.
Goodnight Mommy
Cast
Goodnight Mommy (2022), directed by Matt Sobel, follows twin brothers who return home to find their mother acting strangely, her face concealed by surgical bandages. As her behavior becomes increasingly unsettling, the boys begin to suspect that the woman behind the gauze might not be their real mother.
