The Isle Ending Explained

The Isle Ending (2018) Explained – Are The Women Seducing the Sailors?

(Last Updated On: 4th January 2024)

Welcome to Knockout Horror and to another Ending Explained article. Today we are looking at The Isle. Every now and then I will notice the site receiving visitors for specific search terms. When I see this. I will check whether the person can find what they want on the site. I don’t want people to waste a visit. If I can deliver a relevant article, I have done my job. That’s what this site is here for.

Strangely enough, I am noticing a lot of people looking for an ending explanation for The Isle. Seeing this, I shuddered a little. I am sure plenty of people love this film. For me, it was, probably, one of my least liked horror movies in years. I say least liked but that doesn’t mean least enjoyed. This movie made me laugh a lot. Some of the acting was terrible. The directing was extremely subpar and that sex scene was hilarious. Added to that a bevy of fake reviews on IMDB and you have a recipe for much amusement.

If you are interested in my opinion on the film. Why not check out my review of The Isle? If you are just here for an explanation on the ending, stick around. Needless to say, this article will not be spoiler free. If you haven’t watched the movie yet, you will want to skip this. This is a fairly big article. Feel free to skip any of the recap. Check out the review, watch the movie and come back here. Right, without further ado, let’s take a look.

What’s Happened So Far?

So here’s what has happened so far. Our three sailors have shipwrecked and made it to the island on a lifeboat. They have been taken in by a man called Fingal. Fingal tells the men he will check the beach for survivors and light a signal fire. He tells them he will take them to a nearby farm. There is a woman called Lanthe living there who can help with their wounds. Lanthe lives with a man called Douglas. Douglas reluctantly agrees to take the sailors in. Apparently the allure of Rum is just too great for the island residents.

Before we go any further, we should talk about sirens. Sirens are mythical creatures said to use their song and beauty to lure sailors to their deaths. Ships will run aground following the sound of the siren. Sailors will jump into the water to follow them. The sirens will then murder the men, dragging them to the bottom of the ocean.

A Bizarre Island

The men’s ship has hit rocks and most of the sailors are dead. It seems as though the captain of the ship was drawn to the island by something. It is alluded to that this isn’t the first ship that has run aground off of the island. But what is enticing the sailors to wreck their ships in the nearby sea?

The Isle Ending Explained
The men are well aware that Fingal is acting strange

Now, keep in mind that only four people live on the island. Douglas, Lanthe, Fingal and Korrigan. We have met three of them already. We briefly meet Korrigan as she hysterically shouts at the men on the way to the farm. She believes one of the men, Bickley, is someone she knows. It is implied that Korrigan is something of a wild spirit. She roams the island at all hours of the night and day. Right, let’s move on.

Strange Goings On

The men were promised that a ship would arrive. They could get on the ship and carry on with their journey. The ship didn’t arrive, though. The men decide to explore the island. Ferris and Bickley go together before splitting up. In the meantime, Korrigan and Lanthe chat excitedly about there being new people on the island. It would seem they would like to leave.

Ferris appears to be pursued by someone in the woods. He hears ghostly whispering. We see what looks like someone wearing a skirt pass him. A blonde haired woman watches him as he runs away. Later on, Ferris will be found dead.

The Isle Ending Explained
Sailors start dying in the waters around the island

In the meantime. Lanthe seduces Oliver. Speaking in a strange manner, she asks Oliver to stay. The pair go back to the house and have a really awkward sexual encounter. Oliver is looking like he drank way too much. The woman that is writhing on top of him keeps changing. One minute it is Korrigan, the next it is Lanthe.

Another Death!

The Isle is full of filler so I will focus on the important parts here. Oliver and Bickley head out in a boat. They want to give Ferris and sailor’s burial at sea and then escape. After pushing Ferris overboard, they are enveloped in mist. They can hear whispering and the shouts of sailors. Fingal appears on the beach, plugs his ears and calls the men back to shore.

Back at the house, Oliver reads from a diary. It turns out the islanders have fled the place in fear. Ships were repeatedly washing up every year. Hundreds of sailors died. The island is about to claim another victim. Bickley is murdered by someone. The body is discovered and Korrigan is hysterical. It turns out Bickley, apparently, looked like her brother Jacob. She believes Lanthe is responsible for killing him.

Why Are People Dying?

So lots of stuff has happened, people have died. But what is the cause for all of this? A flashback provides some explanation. A young woman called Lorna attended a dance with the islanders. She refused the advances of Lanthe’s brother William Innis. It would appear she likes Korrigan’s brother Jacob. Embarrassed, William follows her and pushes her to the ground. Jacob approaches and sees William on top of Lorna. William covers her mouth to stop her calling for help. Jacob walks away. When William looks down, he realises he has killed Lorna.

The Isle Ending Explained
Lorna is murdered by William Innis

In a moment of horrendously bad acting, Fingal and Douglas find her. Seemingly completely unaffected by what they are seeing. They decide to bury her at sea rather than tell anyone what happened. Fingal thinks one of their sons may have done it. They don’t want them to have to answer for it so they cover up the crime. This, in turn, unleashed the wrath of the deceased woman.

Persephone and Her Sirens

This is where the sirens come in. The story of the goddess Persephone tells of her handmaidens. These were sirens. Lorna has come back as the spirit Persephone. She now controls the two women, Lanthe and Korrigan. She uses them as Sirens to lure men in to the island. Persephone took revenge against William for killing her. She also killed Korrigan’s brother Jacob. Likely because he refused to help her but maybe just because she is vengeful. Now she seeks to kill men believing them to all be evil.

The boat that Oliver was sailing on was lured to the island by Korrigan and Lanthe. They were being controlled by Persephone. They used their song to bewitch the captain of the ship. The result was many of the sailors dying. This is the reason that Douglas has been trying to keep Korrigan away from Lanthe. He realises that when they are together they are dangerous. It is also the reason why Korrigan believe Lanthe killed Bickley.

Lanthe, Korrigan and Jacob attempted to leave the island. Before they could get on the boat. Lanthe and Korrigan were possessed by Persephone. The pair strangled Jacob. It can be assumed that the pair realised, at this moment, that they were responsible. This is likely the reason that Korrigan thought that Lanthe killed Bickley. The fact that he looked like Jacob reminded her of the trauma of losing him.

Onto The Ending

So we’re wrapping the movie up. Douglas ties Lanthe to the bed. Douglas and Fingal tell Oliver where to sail. They tell him to plug his ears so he can’t hear the siren’s song. Oliver heads out in a boat. Somehow, Lanthe, clearly possessed, is suddenly free and goes to Korrigan’s house. She demands Korrigan comes with her to stop Oliver leaving. The pair head to a cliff that overlooks the sea and begin to sing.

Apparently, Oliver bought his ear plugs from a dollar store. They clearly don’t work and he hears the siren’s song. Throwing his plugs away, he imagines the women on the boat with him. On the cliff, Persephone stands between Lanthe and Korrigan. She is looking rather happy with herself. Fully under the siren’s spell, Oliver throws himself into the water. The women look distressed.

Breaking The Siren’s Song

Likely full of guilt and tired of causing the death of so many people. Korrigan and Lanthe begin to fight the control of Persephone. Momentarily, they come to their senses. They look at each other, acknowledging what has to be done. They realise that there is only one way they can stop Persephone from controlling them. There is only one way to stop the deaths. The pair hold hands and jump off the cliff.

The Isle Ending Explained
Lanthe and Korrigan fight Persephone’s control

Persephone screams, realising that she has lost her power. Lanthe and Korrigan are dead. She can’t control the women anymore and she disappears. The mist clears, Oliver manages to get back into the boat. We can assume that he sails away from the island. Can you sail from Scotland to New York in a row boat? That’s Oliver’s problem, we are done.

And That’s That

So there it is. In summary, an awful guy killed a woman. The islanders covered it up. The woman returned as a vengeful spirit. She controlled two of the women on the island. The women would lure sailors to the rocks where they would wreck on the ships. Hundreds of people died. The pair of women finally overcame the vengeful spirit’s control. They killed themselves causing the vengeful spirit to disappear.

I am not a huge fan of this movie. The story is fine. It’s sort of an old fashioned ghost story. The pacing isn’t great, parts of the movie really drag. Some of the acting is really bad. It’s fairly dull, as a whole. The gorgeous location and competent cinematography offered hope. The Isle just never lives up to it. Thanks for reading and I hope you come back to check out more articles.