Unwelcome ending explained: What happens at the end of folk horror

Unwelcome is a new folk horror movie about a gang of malevolent goblins attacking an English couple in the Irish countryside – but do they get away with murder at the end?

Unwelcome is a new creature feature from Jon Wright, who is best known for 2012 monster movie Grabbers. Here’s the official synopsis for his new film…

Unwelcome stars Hannah John-Kamen and Douglas Booth as a couple who escape their urban nightmare to the tranquility of rural Ireland only to discover malevolent, murderous goblins lurking in the gnarled, ancient wood at the foot of their new garden.

You can read our review of Unwelcome here, while we explain the history of those goblins – aka redcaps – here. Below we’re going to delve into the film’s twisted ending now, so beware of spoilers ahead…

What happens at the end of Unwelcome?

Unwelcome ends with a battle between English couple Maya and Jamie, Irish family the Whelans, and the monstrous little redcaps. Though, while the goblins initially seem like the villains of the piece, the Whelans end up being much worse, so one-by-one they are dispatched. Meaning the redcaps do get away with murder.

A very pregnant Maya then starts to give birth, while the red-caps drag the bodies of the Whelans away. Though we’ve no idea what they are going to do with them.

The baby is born, Jamie cleans up the place, and mother bonds with child. Making this a very happy ending. For the moment.

The real ending of Unwelcome

Unwelcome isn’t done there. Instead, Maya momentarily pops into the next room, leaving her baby unattended. Then she hears laughter, and realises that redcaps have taken the child.

She chases them into the woods, and down steps in the cave where they dwell. There she finds an old man holding her baby. Turns out that old man is the child from a photo they found earlier, who was kidnapped when he was just a toddler due to his mother forgetting the old ways and disrespecting the redcaps.

“Give me back my baby,” demands Maya. “This is what happened to me,” comes the response. Maya offers herself in exchange for the child, but the old man turns her down, stating she’s too old. Maya then cries, while the redcaps laugh.

But Maya is a fighter, so she stabs a redcap, and throws a rock at the man before gouging out his eyes. The redcaps – who were previously worshipping him – now start to worship her, as Maya retrieves her baby and heads for home.

“Jamie, you’re just in time,” she says while approaching the house. Then thunder and lightening strike, blood pours then down on Maya, and the redcaps clap and chant as they encircle her.

Jamie screams, understandably. While Maya smiles as the camera pans round her; she’s one of them now. The film then cuts to black.

Unwelcome is in cinemas now, while to check out our thoughts on another recent horror release, check out Skinamarink ending explained.