Sister Death ending explained: How Netflix's new horror title connects with 2017's Verónica

Netflix’s newest addition to the horror genre, Sister Death, a Spanish horror film, has ignited curiosity and fear in the hearts of viewers. Directed by Paco Plaza, this bone-chilling tale delves into the eerie backstory of a blind nun named Sister Narcisa, known as Sister Death, whom horror enthusiasts first encountered in Plaza's 2017 masterpiece, Verónica.

The movie emerges as more than a standalone thriller; it's an intricate piece of a larger cinematic puzzle.

Spoilers ahead.

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Sister Death ending: Did Sister Narcisa blind herself intentionally?

The climax of Sister Death sees Sister Narcisa gaze into a solar eclipse, unearthing the harrowing truth about Sister Socorro's past. The film presents a juxtaposition of past and present as Sister Julia is pursued by Sister Socorro in a surreal manifestation of her vengeance.

Each injury inflicted upon Sister Julia in the past is mirrored in the present, culminating in a macabre display of retribution. Mother Superior, too, meets a grisly fate, drowning in a pool of blood in the past while coughing up blood in the present.

The unnerving time-travel-like sequence suggests an eerie connection between the past and the present, transcending the conventional boundaries of time. However, it is crucial to view this as not literal time travel, but a supernatural reckoning.

The actions of Sister Narcisa in 1949 set in motion a chain of events that have reverberated through time, culminating in a ghastly comeuppance for the perpetrators of Sister Socorro's suffering.

The film then fast-forwards to a modern-day classroom where Sister Narcisa, now older, stands before a classroom of girls that includes a student portrayed by Sandra Escacena, who reprises her role as Verónica, mirroring the 2017 film of the same name.

Interestingly, a discrepancy in Sister Narcisa's backstory emerges. In Verónica, she claims to have blinded herself to avoid seeing ‘the shadows’, a marked departure from the narrative of Sister Death.

This leaves room for interpretation, adding an extra layer of enigma to Sister Narcisa's character. Whether she intentionally blinded herself to escape the shadows or lost her sight due to gazing at the eclipse remains an open question.

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A tantalizing connection: How Sister Death sets up Verónica

The story begins with the 1936 Spanish Civil War and the life of Sister Socorro, who fell victim to a horrifying act during the war, leading to her bearing a child that was to remain a concealed secret within the convent's walls.

The chilling tale reveals a web of deceit and betrayal, with the perpetrators being none other than Mother Superior and Sister Julia.

Sister Socorro's plea to take her fever-stricken daughter to the hospital is met with a cruel and unrelenting denial. The nuns, driven by a sinister agenda to preserve their dark secret, keep the child hidden and attempt to nurse her back to health.

However, the child's fate takes a grisly turn, and she meets a tragic demise within the convent's walls. In the depths of her grief, Sister Socorro finds herself pushed to the brink, ending her own life within the confines of her cell.

By 1949, when Sister Narcisa arrives, only Mother Superior and Sister Julia remain privy to the dark truths concealed within the school's history. The young students, on the other hand, sense a haunting presence, believing the school to be plagued by the spirit of a young girl.

Hangman drawings, eerie symbols of death, appear on the walls, leaving an indelible mark of dread.

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Sister Death's resonance with horror enthusiasts

Since its debut on Netflix, Sister Death has garnered praise from both critics and viewers, primarily for its compelling narrative and the stellar performance of Aria Bedmar as Sister Narcisa. The connection to one of the finest horror movies on Netflix, Verónica, further amplifies the allure of Sister Death among horror enthusiasts.

Both movies are available on Netflix.