The ending of Shudder’s 20202 paranormal horror movie Anything For Jackson leaves several questions about the Walsh family, Jackson, and the devil’s involvement unanswered. Featuring a family willing to do anything they can to bring back their beloved grandson, it initially begins as a classic case of spirit transferance, but quickly transforms into a horrific tale of demonic entities and their hunt for a vessel. However, unlike most demonic possession movies, Anything For Jackson is driven by the desire to make contact with a deceased loved one.
In Anything For Jackson, elderly couple Audrey (Sheila McCarthy) and Henry (Julian Richings) are struggling to cope with the loss of their grandson Jackson, who was killed in a vehicular accident that left his mother wheelchair-bound. Audrey and Henry want to perform a satanic ritual to try and bring Jackson back, using the fetus growing inside Shannon, a kidnapped pregnant woman, as a vessel. However, the Walsh home becomes overrun with ghosts when they do not complete the ritual, which leads to what actually happens to Jackson, Shannon’s unborn baby, and the devil’s return to Earth.
What Actually Happened To Jackson
Jackson’s Fate Remains Ambiguous
When Shannon is first taken to the Walsh residence in Anything For Jackson, she sees a small blonde toddler with a bloody hole in his head. It is stated that he died in a car accident, but the real mystery is what happened to him following the pregnant woman’s escape. As she makes her getaway, she looks into the upstairs window to see Jackson being pulled away by an unknown force. While he was initially excited to find a new mother and vessel in the form of Shannon and the unborn baby, he now looks at her with fear as well as sadness in his eyes.
Audrey and Henry Walsh died in the process of trying to bring him back when Ian, a fellow member of their satanic cult, took the open gate as a way to bring the devil to Earth. It is likely that Jackson was taken by the devil, as the arms that wrap around him are entirely white, similar to that of the creatures.
At the same time, it is entirely likely that it was the spirit of his mother or the Walsh’s whisking him off to safety from the other demonic entities that are roaming the house. There is very little known about what actually happened to Jackson, but it is certain that he was not transferred into Shannon’s fetus. It is far more likely that he will remain a restless spirit instead of reunited with the people who loved him the most.
How The Walsh Family Became A Vessel For The Devil
Henry’s Loss Made Him The Perfect Candidate For Satan
Ian conjured the devil in Anything For Jackson, but the way that he possessed Audrey and Henry is rather confusing. When the ritual is complete, Audrey’s back begins to contort, which alludes to the devil taking residence in her body. As Ian explains, everyone can be a vessel for a spirit, it doesn’t matter how old or young an individual is, they are still up for grabs. The room they’ve been keeping Shannon is filled with possible people for the devil to possess, but Audrey is the weakest as well as a mother, which makes her the perfect candidate.
Except, she really isn’t the perfect candidate because she dies as a result of a fatal wound given to her by Ian. Which causes the devil to take over Henry’s body. As the elderly man twists and contorts, the devil rises from his flesh to come back to Earth. It is a rather confusing five-minute scene as it alludes that the devil was in Audrey but was transferred to Henry when their blood merged together.
This was actually used by Anything For Jackson as a way of differentiating between the two’s intentions behind conducting the ritual. While Audrey did it to bring back Jackson, Henry did it to appease Audrey and show her how much he loves her. Henry became a vessel for the devil because he was left with nothing once she died, leaving his soul weakened and open for him to inhabit.
Anything For Jackson’s Ending Explained
What The Demon Shannon Sees Actually Means
As Shannon drives away from the Walsh house at the end of Anything For Jackson, she slows down to see a bizarre human-demon hybrid cross the road. As it glances at her before entering the opposite side of the woods, she looks down at her pregnant stomach and holds it tightly. In doing so, it is clear that her unborn child is safe and unharmed by any restless spirit that could’ve found it as the perfect vessel. The figure that crosses the road is the devil that broke through Henry’s flesh. It no longer needs a host, as it has already been brought back to Earth. Therefore, it does not need to harm Shannon or her baby, it is likely his evil will rain down in a far more gruesome way in the future.
Director Justin G. Dyck left the ending fairly ambiguous as he wanted audiences to interpret it in any way that they wanted to, but there are several certainties that can be deduced from the final moments of Anything For Jackson. Jackson does not have a new vessel to inhabit and doesn’t actually need one now that his grandparents and mother are deceased.
It is likely that whatever grabbed the boy in the movie’s final moments was one of his family member’s intent on keeping him safe from the vengeful spirits in the house. The Walsh’s became a vessel for the devil because Audrey died and Henry’s will to live weakened. By the end of Anything For Jackson, Shannon sees the devil as a bizarre marker of her and her unborn child’s new-found safety.
The Real Meaning Of Anything For Jackson’s Ending
A Classic Tale Of Being Careful What You Wish For
While there are many different themes at play in the reverse-exorcism movie, the core meaning behind Anything For Jackson is one that runs throughout many films featuring cults and rituals — the common idiom “be careful what you wish for“. While Audrey and Henry’s reasons for attempting to turn Shannon into a vehicle for possession were relatable and driven by deep grief rather than a lust for power, Anything For Jackson is still one of many movies about the dangers of seeking pacts with demonic beings for personal gain.
Like many of these movies, the core meaning ultimately becomes the folly that is attempting to cheat fate. It’s an interesting twist on the thematic message, but can be boiled down to the same sentiment nevertheless. This doesn’t detract from the quality of Anything For Jackson as a horror movie, as it’s still an incredibly engaging watch, but when it comes to the layers of its meaning, it’s not as deep as first seems.
How The Anything For Jackson Ending Was Received
The Ending Was Considered A Midly Dull Note Even Among The Most Positive Reviews
Anything For Jackson was received incredibly well when it released in 2020, being considered a win both for Shudder and director Justin G. Dyck. The movie sits at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, though the audience score is notably less at 69% (an intriguingly rare inversion of the way many horror movies fall on the critic/audience opinion divide). Critics generally praised the film overall, and most reviews highlighted the performances of the cast alongside admiration for how Anything For Jackson twists many common demonic possession movie tropes.
However, when the ending of Anything For Jackson is mentioned in reviews, it’s rarely favorably. The consensus among most seems to be that the ending was somewhat flat compared to the incredibly creepy and chilling tone of the rest of the movie. That’s not to say that it’s slated outright, but the final act of the film didn’t quite live up to the beginning and middle of the story. Overall, this isn’t the worst thing, and it’s clear that it didn’t impact the success of Anything For Jackson, but had Keith Cooper’s screenplay ended on a stronger note it could have significantly elevated the reputation of this cult gem 2020 horror movie.