Unseen (2023) Ending Explained

Movie Details: Director: Yoko Okumura | Runtime: 1h 16m | Release Date: 2023 | Star Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are going to be explaining the ending to the Blumhouse horror movie Unseen. We recently reviewed this movie and really enjoyed it. Whereas the ending for Unseen wasn’t exactly complicated, there are a few things that viewers might have missed, specifically regarding Sam’s motivations and that business card. We are going to explain them away right now.

⚠️ Warning: Major spoilers follow below.

The Ending in Brief

The TL;DR: Emily survives the final confrontation in the barn by blinding her ex-boyfriend Charlie with pesticide and stabbing him with a shard of glass. Simultaneously, Sam survives her own mental crisis. By focusing on saving Emily, Sam finds the strength to stand up to her abusive boss and the “Karen” customer, quitting her job and choosing to live.

What was the Twist? The twist lies in the reason Sam called Emily. Sam was not trying to order a pizza or chat with a friend. She was attempting to dial a Suicide Prevention Hotline (850-147-0185) but misdialled one digit, reaching Emily (810-147-0185) instead. The act of saving a stranger gave Sam a reason not to end her own life.

What happened to Charlie? Charlie is dead. After being blinded by the pesticide spray, he is stabbed in the neck by Emily and kicked off a hayloft balcony. He dies from the fall and the stab wound.

The Resolution: The film ends with the two women meeting in person on a beach. They are now friends, with Sam applying to go back to school and Emily recovering from her injuries. The final shot implies they have helped each other heal from their respective traumas.

Good to Know: While Sam is handcuffed at the gas station initially, it is heavily implied she faces no serious charges. She helped solve a kidnapping case, and the “Karen” (Carol) likely faced charges for brandishing a firearm in a public place.

Table of Contents

No plot recap here, we are getting straight into explaining the ending. To understand the ending of Unseen, we need to look beyond the slasher elements in the woods and focus on the parallel redemption arcs of the two protagonists.

Not Just a Slasher Gimmick

The film uses a split-screen format not just as a gimmick, but to show two women fighting different versions of the same battle: helplessness. While Emily fights a physical monster (Charlie), Sam fights a mental one (depression and anxiety).

Emily has been kidnapped by an abusive ex, she is now in a fight for her life after escaping. Sam is suffering from massive anxiety. The two connect and Sam now has to act as the legally blind Emily’s eyes after she lost her glasses. Emily escapes for awhile only to eventually find herself in a barn where the final confrontation with her abusive ex takes place.

Is Emily Actually “Blind”?

The film uses the term “legally blind,” which often confuses viewers who equate blindness with total darkness. In reality, legal blindness is a spectrum.

To be considered legally blind in the US, your visual acuity must be 20/200 or worse in your better eye with correction, or your field of vision must be less than 20 degrees. Emily appears to suffer from extreme high myopia (nearsightedness).

Without her glasses, the world isn’t black; it is an indistinguishable wash of colours and light. While the film dramatises this with heavy blur filters, her inability to navigate or identify faces without corrective lenses is a realistic portrayal of severe refractive error.

The Final Confrontation: How Charlie Died

The physical climax of the movie takes place in a barn. Emily, guided by Sam via video call, is cornered by her abusive ex, Charlie. This scene evens out the “survival” aspect of the plot. Throughout the film, Emily has been at a disadvantage due to her near-blindness without glasses, but the finale levels the playing field just a little thanks to the pair’s quick thinking.

Using Sam’s eyes, Emily locates a bottle of pesticide spray. The two women hatch a plan that relies on a little bit of timing and a hell of a lot of trust. Sam, who is currently under siege in the gas station by her angry boss and a maniacal Karen, has to mute her phone to avoid giving away Emily’s position. She agrees to text Emily the moment Charlie steps into the trap.

Emily sets up her coat as a decoy. When Charlie attacks the coat, believing it to be Emily, Sam sends the signal. Emily springs out and sprays Charlie directly in the face with the pesticide. This is a crucial moment thematically – by blinding Charlie, Emily renders him just as “unseen” as she is. It removes his physical advantage. Good job that text made it through so quick. I live in spotty reception central in rural wales; I’d be dead for sure.

The spray obviously isn’t enough to kill him. Charlie manages to grab Emily and begins choking her. This is where the film pays off a small setup from earlier. Sam reminds Emily of a shard of glass she placed in her pocket previously. Emily retrieves the glass and stabs Charlie in the neck. She then delivers a final kick, sending him off the barn’s loft balcony to the ground below. When the police arrive, Charlie is confirmed dead.

The Suicide Hotline Twist Explained

While Emily’s survival is the main plot, it’s really Sam’s emotional journey that provides the film’s true twist. Throughout the movie, we see Sam looking at a business card and dialling a number, only to seemingly get the “wrong number” when she connects with Emily. In the final scene, the truth about that is revealed and it’s a little bit depressing.

When the two women finally meet on the beach, Emily asks Sam who she was trying to call that day. Sam lies, claiming she was trying to order a pizza. However, the camera reveals the business card Sam was holding earlier. It wasn’t a pizza place; it was a Suicide Prevention Hotline.

The twist relies on a pretty simple numerical error. The hotline number was 850-147-0185. Sam, in her distress, accidentally dialled 810-147-0185. That single digit difference connected her to Emily.

This recontextualises Sam’s entire behaviour throughout the film. Her extreme anxiety, her apathy toward her job, and her tolerance of abuse from customers wasn’t just “shyness”; it was the behaviour of someone who had decided to check out of life. She had given up. The constant missed calls on Emily’s phone were Sam desperately trying to reach a counsellor before ending her life.

How Saving Emily Saved Sam

The ending suggests that, while Sam acted as Emily’s eyes, Emily acted as Sam’s will to live. When Sam realises she has dialled the wrong number and hears a woman in mortal danger, her focus shifts from her own internal pain to an external crisis.

This culminates in the gas station throw down at the end of the film. While Emily is fighting Charlie, Sam is fighting her own bullies: the “Karen” customer (Carol) and her abusive boss.

In the beginning of the film, Sam would have cowered. By the end, emboldened by her role in saving Emily, she flips them off. This gesture is her rejecting her past passivity. She throws away her apron and the suicide hotline card, signifying she no longer intends to die. She has found a new purpose and a brand new best friend in the process.

The “Helper Therapy” Principle

This narrative arc taps into a real psychological concept known as the Helper Therapy Principle. It suggests that the act of helping others can be a reprieve from one’s own depression by shifting focus away from internal rumination.

By being forced to take charge, give instructions, and be “the eyes” for someone else, Sam remembered that she had value. She realised she was capable, strong, and needed. This external validation provides the agency that anxiety often steals away, effectively saving her life alongside Emily’s.

What Happened to Carol and The Boss?

A loose end that is tied up rather quickly is the situation at the gas station. Carol, the wealthy woman who demanded a refund for putting low-octane gas in her BMW, returns with her husband and a gun to retrieve her stolen phone (which Sam was using to help Emily).

Sam’s boss breaks down the door just as the police arrive. Interestingly, Sam is the one initially handcuffed, likely for the theft of the phone. However, the ending implies that once the full story of the kidnapping came out, Sam was exonerated or given a light slap on the wrist.

The fact that she is free, applying for college, and hanging out on the beach suggests she didn’t face serious jail time. It is implied that Carol and her husband would face legal trouble for brandishing firearms in a gas station but it’s America so who the hell knows?

The Tech Plot Holes

While the ending is emotionally satisfying, it relies on us ignoring some significant tech issues.

The Battery Life: Sam is on a video call for nearly the entire duration of the film. Video calls are notorious for draining battery, yet her phone lasts for hours. Even more miraculous is Emily’s phone, which survives a fall into water and still functions perfectly.

The Camera Angle: Throughout the escape, Emily awkwardly holds the phone screen away from herself to show Sam the path. A modern doctor would certainly know how to switch to the rear-facing camera, which would offer better stability and quality. The film forces this awkward angle purely to keep the actress’s face in the frame for the audience’s benefit.

Voice Assist: The premise relies on Emily being helpless with her phone. In reality, accessibility features like Siri or Google Assistant would allow a visually impaired person to call 911 or send a location pin without needing to see the screen.

She’s Cold but Never Zips Her Coat Up: Not a technical thing but she sure moans about being cold a lot while having her jacket half zipped. Gotta get those cleavage shots in, though.

Themes: Visibility and Connection

The title Unseen works on multiple levels by the time the credits roll. Physically, Emily cannot see the world around her. Socially, Sam feels unseen by the world, ignored by customers, bullied by her boss, and feeling invisible in her depression. The villain, Charlie, also feels unseen and rejected, which fuels his toxic rage.

The ending suggests that “being seen” is the cure. Sam sees Emily’s plight and helps her. Emily sees Sam’s worth and validates her. They save each other not just from death, but from isolation. It is a surprisingly sweet message for a Blumhouse thriller, suggesting that human connection is the ultimate survival tool. I wish we had a few more horror movies like this. It was genuinely positive.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the number Sam was trying to call in Unseen?
Sam was trying to call a Suicide Prevention Hotline (850-147-0185). She misdialled the area code and called Emily (810-147-0185) instead. This mistake saved both of their lives.

Does Charlie die in Unseen?
Yes. Charlie is killed by Emily during their final confrontation in the barn. He is blinded, stabbed, and falls from a height.

Is Emily actually blind in the movie?
Emily is legally blind. She is not in total darkness, but her vision is so severely blurred without corrective lenses that she cannot function safely. She can see light and vague shapes, but cannot identify faces or obstacles.

Did Sam go to jail?
It is unlikely Sam went to jail. Although she was handcuffed at the gas station, the ending shows her free and happy on a beach. It is assumed the police recognised the extenuating circumstances – that she stole the phone to save a kidnapped woman’s life.

Final Thoughts

So that’s that. Unseen wraps up with a bit of a schmaltzy bow, but it earns it. It is a seriously feel-good horror disguised as a survival thriller. We definitely need more horror movies with bad-ass women teaming up to kick some dicks. Some of the themes regarding depression and the accidental nature of hope are sure to speak to many viewers.

Thank you very much for reading. Why not stick around? Check out some more Ending Explained articles. I also review horror movies and I also write horror lists.

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