Underwater Ending & Sequel Setup Explained

Spoilers for Underwater to follow.

Underwater has turned out to be a return to form to claustrophobic horror films from the ‘70s and ‘80s with the creature feature going out on a big note that has heavy implications for the future.

William Eubanks crafts a very isolated horror film that at many points feels like Alien, but in the very best possible way. Kristen Stewart headlines a cast of strong character actors who find themselves trapped in their underwater research laboratory after an earthquake rocks their oil-drilling expedition. Their mission to survive even comes more dangerous when they realize that they’re not alone and that their oil-drilling and the disruptions of the ocean have grabbed the attention of a ferocious creature.

The complications of their laboratory and equipment push the crew to traverse the ocean floor and they get picked off one-by-one by these mysterious creatures. Matters get worse when they come across an entire nest of these deadly humanoid sea creatures that seem to all obey an even more menacing beast. In the end, it’s just Price (Kristen Stewart), Haversham (Jessica Henwick), and Smith (John Gallagher Jr.) that are left alive to reach the apparent safety of the Roebuck station. It’s at the Roebuck station that Price realizes that only two of the escape pods are functional. Price convinces Smith and Haversham to take the pods and escape, while she is forced to make another very difficult decision.

What Happens To The Monster?

Price understands the severity of her situation and understands that it’s imperative that at least someone survives this expedition and makes it to the surface. Price decides to sacrifice herself in order to take out the larger threat at hand. Price can see that Smith and Haversham’s escape pods are making haste, but the nest of the many humanoid creatures is hot on their tails and bound to catch up. On top of this, the gigantic monster begins to attack the Roebuck station in retaliation. Price admits defeat and decides to take out as much of this threat as possible with her. Price overloads the engines of the station and turns up their energy levels to their max so that the Roebuck will explode.

Price’s plan is a success and the explosion wipes out the nest of creatures and gives the escape pods the advantage that they need to escape. It certainly appears that this explosion takes out Price with it, but the fate of the larger monster isn’t exactly clear. It can be seen getting swept up in the Roebuck’s explosion and it looks like it’s killed. However, evidence suggests that it may not be the only one of its kind that’s out there.

The Real Meaning Of Underwater’s Ending

Smith and Haversham survive the attack and it appears that Price is able to eliminate the monsters, but the bigger news that comes out of the film’s ending is that the drilling company, Tian Industries, seems to be fully aware of these underwater threats and may even intentionally be trying to rouse them about and study them. The credits for the film are filled with newspaper clippings that detail the aftermath of the movie’s events and highlight how Tian Industries suppresses Smith and Haversham’s interviews and tries to keep word mum on the whole accident. At the same time, these articles indicate that similar events could be responsible for a prior drilling accident with Tian Industries and that the company is still set on expanding their drilling work throughout the Mariana Trench. This all indicates that the mission in Underwater is just a piece of a much larger puzzle that involves a sinister corporation that could even be on the level of a Weyland-Yutani entity.

How Underwater’s Ending Sets Up A Sequel

The news that Tian Industries has ties to something more nefarious and knowledge of these underwater monsters gives the impression that this isn’t the last time these creatures are seen towards the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Future drilling missions, whether they’re with Smith and Haversham or someone new, could reveal new beasts to fuel a sequel. There’s also the possible angle of Smith and Haversham wanting to search for Price, even though it seems pretty clear that she’s dead. However, if Underwater proves anything it’s that there are still many mysteries hiding in the ocean.

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