Life of Belle (2024) Horror Ending Explained

We recently checked out and reviewed this little DIY horror movie currently doing the rounds on YouTube courtesy of Terror Films. Now it is time to try and explain the ending in under 1,000 words. Can I do it? Probably not but let’s give it a go.

What Happened in Life of Belle?

Life of Belle opens up with the police investigating a vicious crime scene. An entire family is dead and one of the children, Belle, is missing. Over the course of the movie we witness the events that lead up to the horrific tragedy.

It turns out that, over the course of a few weeks, the matriarch of the family had, seemingly, suffered some form of mental emergency. She was exhibiting minor signs of psychosis for a period of time. Her husband left the house on a work related trip. During her husband’s absence, the family’s mother (Sarah Mae Robinson) became increasingly paranoid and more disassociated.

Scenes viewed from security cameras depict her talking to figures that are not obvious to the viewer and refusing to take the medication prescribed for her pre-existing mental health condition. The mother’s behaviour alarms the children and her husband even contacts her expressing his concerns after witnessing her increasingly erratic actions on the home’s security camera system.

In an alarming development, the mother confines the children to the house and smashes all of the lightbulbs, plunging the house into darkness. The children’s father returns home and appears to be greeted by his wife who then, apparently, murders him. As the children attempt to find help, they are accosted by their mother who appears to remove the son’s eyes with a pair of scissors.

Alarmed, Belle runs away only for her mother to catch up to her and beg her to play a game with her. Belle refuses and so the mother seems to kill herself, potentially by removing her own eyes. The movie ends with Belle screaming and vanishing from the scene of the crime.

Was The Mother In Life of Belle Mentally Unwell?

This is the implication in the movie, right? We see Belle’s mother suffering from psychosis. She, apparently, sees things that aren’t there. She talks to people the viewer can’t see. Her husband references her “illness” and medication is referred to on a number of occasions.

The implication would be that she was seriously unwell, was not taking her anti-psychotic medication as prescribed and suffered a psychotic episode. Thus resulting in the mother murdering her child, her husband and committing suicide. I think the truth is actually a lot more complicated than that, however.

Belle’s Mother Was Haunted

The truth is actually that Belle’s mother was being haunted by a malevolent spirit or demon. She is seen talking to the demon throughout the movie. She practically begs the demon to spare her and to leave her family alone. We can assume that this demon has been haunting her for years. Perhaps even being the reason why her husband believed she had a mental illness.

Belle’s father leaving the house offered the perfect opportunity for the spirit, or demon, to strike while the mother was alone and under more stress from increased responsibility. It, seemingly, tormented the mother continually and pushed her closer and closer to the edge. Eventually resulting in her completely losing her mind. We see evidence of the demon in objects being moved around the house and other strange things happening.

Belle’s Mother Was Trying To Protect Her Children

The reality is, Belle’s mother was trying to protect her children. She had just been driven so close to the edge that she didn’t know how she could do it. She plunges the house into darkness so that the children can’t see the demons with the implication being that if they can’t see them the demons can’t harm the children. Eventually, when this doesn’t work, she cuts out her own son’s eyes to make sure he can never see the demons and they can never take him.

When Belle runs away, the mother chases her. Warning Belle that if the demons take her it will be far worse than what might happen otherwise. She tries to bargain with Belle, asking her to play a game. She hopes that by cutting out her own eyes, Belle will copy her and will be safe from the demons as she won’t be able to see them.

What Happens to Belle?

With her father, mother and brother all dead. The only person left in the house for the demons to target is Belle herself. She screams as she can see a figure approaching. We can barely see this figure on the camera in the final moments but it is very clearly there.

We can assume that Belle saw the demon. Meaning it could now take her. Her mother warned her that this would happen. The demons have now taken Belle away. Hence why she is not with her family and hence why she can’t be found. We can probably assume that the demon has been haunting Belle’s mother for a long time. Simply biding its time until it can take one of her children away.

Is Life of Belle a True Story?

Absolutely not. It’s just an effective, well acted, DIY horror movie by a very talented family that gave it their all. Belle was played by Syrenne Robinson who obviously has a ton of talent for a young girl. Her real life, equally talented, brother (I am assuming) Zachary Robinson plays her brother Link.

Other members of the family make up the rest of the cast including Sarah Mae Robinson as the mother and Matthew Robinson as the father. The movie itself is directed and written by Shawn Robinson. But if a movie that is made by a skeleton team on a shoestring budget manages to offer even the slightest hint that it may be true. Then they have done a damn good job.

Thanks for Reading

So that’s Life of Belle’s ending explained in under 1,000 words. Thanks very much for reading. Why not take a look at our review of Life of Belle, we really enjoyed the movie. You can also stick around and take a look at some horror movie lists or some more reviews if you like? It’s tough sledding as a small horror content creator so I appreciate every one of you for spending your time on Knockout Horror. It means the world to me as all I want to do is chat horror. Take care and I will, hopefully, see you soon.