Geo Santini's 2024 thriller titled The Bad Shepherd involves a massive twist in the film's final moments that caused viewers to still be scratching their heads even days after watching it.
The Bad Shepherd was finally added to Hulu in the United States, allowing an entirely new group of subscribers the opportunity to see it.
The movie follows a group of men who accidentally run over a woman in the woods. After discovering a bag with over $2 million in it, tensions rise. However, after a mysterious man named Sidney shows up, everything gets strange.
What Happens in The Bad Shepherd?
The Bad Shepherd is a psychological thriller that explores what best friends would do if put in a high-stress situation. It is not the only popular thriller currently streaming that many have questions about, as Aaron Schimberg's A Different Man also has a wild ending that has fans talking.
As mentioned, four friends unintentionally killed a woman who was carrying $2.4 million in cash. Three of the friends agree that the money would solve their financial issues, and while the odd one out does agree, he still thinks the police should get involved.
One police officer does come by the scene and begins investigating, but is ultimately killed by John (one of the friends).
The four then make their way to a cabin in the woods, ready to bury Darlene, the woman they hit with their vehicle. However, a man named Sidney is already there, claiming that the money belongs to him.
At another point in the film, the group kills another man out of fear that he could go to the police with enough evidence to have them arrested for murder.
Throughout the rest of the thriller, the four friends begin turning on each other after essentially being corrupted by the money. They attack, deceive, and even try to kill each other.
One of the most important parts of The Bad Shepherd, though, is when the four friends decide to kill Sidney, the mystery man who claims he owns the money.
In the friends' eyes, it seems as though their problem with him is solved, but then a major twist occurs.
The Bad Shepherd's Unexpected Ending
After Sidney is shot and seemingly killed, he rises back up, revealing not only did the gunfire not kill him but it didn't affect him at all.
Obviously, many viewers immediately questioned what happened since a normal human could not have been shot like that and been fine. However, some minor details sprinkled throughout the movie indicate who Sidney really is.
Early on in The Bad Shepherd, Sidney is introduced to the audience. During that introduction, Sidney can be seen tasting blood near the road. At other points, Sidney drinks some sort of liquid from red vials.
Then, the movie showcases Sidney dragging Leonard (one of the friends) away and then extracting blood from him.
Due to all of these teases, it can be inferred that Sidney is actually a vampire. His obsession with blood is one dead giveaway, but being able to survive gunshots puts the icing on the cake since vampires can't be killed in that manner (read more about another vampire movie currently puzzling moviegoers).
While Sidney's identity is definitely a plot twist, another moment that was just as unexpected was when it was essentially revealed that Sidney had been planning everything for some time.
Nothing in The Bad Shepherd was an accident. The friends were supposed to hit Darlene and get the money, were supposed to find Sidney in the cabin, and were even supposed to find the policeman and the other man they kill in the film.
Sidney set everything up to give the four friends a chance. He wanted their blood, of course, but he gave them multiple chances to get away.
It is important to remember, too, that Sidney never actually killed any of the friends. He put the money and playing pieces on the board, but the friends made all of the decisions, including turning against and even killing each other.
In the end, Sidney won, but he didn't necessarily have to do anything. The friends did it all for him due to greed, selfishness, and the dark side of human nature.
The Bad Shepherd is streaming on Hulu.
