Welcome To The Blumhouse: Nocturne Ending & Juliet’s Choice Explained

WARNING! Spoilers for Welcome To The Blumhouse’s Nocturne ahead. 

Welcome To The Blumhouse’s feature film, Nocturne, explores themes related to dark magic, music, sibling rivalry, and culminates with a complicated ending. What starts as a sibling rivalry between Juliet (Sydney Sweeney) and Vivian (Madison Iseman) transforms as deals are made with the devil and the truth of a deceased student’s talents are revealed. The ending of Nocturne finds Juliet making a decision that cannot be undone, despite finding the success she’d always wanted.

Twin sisters Juliet and Vivian have been playing the piano since they were five years old. As their talents began to mature, Vivian started to perform better than her sister, who is two minutes younger than her. The eldest twin gets everything she wants, while Juliet is left in the dust. Vivian is accepted into Julliard, is set to perform the senior concerto, has a boyfriend, friends, and is one of the best piano teachers at their performing arts high school. With lighting that’s reminiscent of Dario Argento’s Suspiria (1977) and the supernatural elements Blumhouse is known for, Nocturne tells the story of a sister who has decided to stop living in her twin’s shadow.

Blumhouse is known for their massively successful franchises such as Paranormal Activity and The Purge. They are a seasoned production studio that constantly churns out one success after another. With Welcome To The Blumhouse, they’ve offered viewers an array of stories that include a sci-fi horror story, the lies and secrets surrounding a murder, and a romantic thriller. Nocturne is the first overtly supernatural addition to the series of eight movies. While the story is well crafted and entertaining, there are several questions that remain unanswered by the time Juliet meets her gruesome conclusion.

Moira’s Death & Ghost Explained

When Nocturne begins, Moira is seen playing the violin. Inexplicably, she jumps from her practice room window to her death. It immediately introduces the symbols that will follow Juliet for the entirety of the movie. Moira has etched demonic symbols and spells into the walls of her practice room. After Juliet discovers her music theory journal, everything that happened to the talented violinist is showcased in its pages.

The journal has a supernatural draw to whoever needs it, which is how it ended up in Juliet’s possession. When her piano performance teacher tells her about Moira, he explains that she performed as though the devil were in the room with her. Due to her use of magical practices, one could say that a demon or the devil was actually in the room with her, pushing her to perform better with each run through. Her journal contains symbols and backwards hand writing that instructs Juliet on how to become a better pianist: give into vices and claw your way to the top. Moira’s ghost appears to her in a nightmare right before her sister falls from a cliff and injures her arm, making her unable to perform the concerto. It is the ghosts way of telling Juliet that, if she continues following the magic, she will end up like her. This is an omen of what’s to come.

Moira’s Magic Book Explained

The journal is a symbol of the devil’s hold on musicians. Its drawings are accompanied by “The Devil’s Trill” by Giuseppe Tartini. The lore about the piano piece is that the devil came to the man in a dream and promised to help him craft an unforgettably beautiful song. Tartini was a violinist, which explains his connection to Moira. It is entirely plausible that the deal with the devil that the 18th century musician made is transferred from each individual that plays the piece.

Due to the fact that there is no explanation for how Moira got ahold of the magic, it is possible that the notebook has been passed down from student to student. The origins of the book are unknown, which results in an array of possibilities for what it does, who it attracts, and if it really is gone forever now that Juliet has burned it. Nocturne seemingly bases its supernatural elements on demonic energy, but the fact that a sun rune is drawn on Moira’s journal means that there’s some form of witchcraft involved as well. It’s believed that the sun aids people in their desires, which explains how each time Juliet sees a beaming yellow light, she gets what she wants. Traditionally, the sun isn’t perceived as allowing negative events to take place. Therefore, the inclusion of the rune doesn’t make much sense based on the demonic presence in Nocturne. Ultimately, Moira’s journal is a beacon for the devil to connect with various students at the performing arts high school they attend.

Nocturne Ending & Juliet’s Choice Explained

Juliet finally gets what she wants; the concerto. The night before she is supposed to perform, she notices that Moira’s journal is missing its final page, which will reveal how her story is supposed to end. As Juliet uses her non-dominant hand to channel the spiritual energy of the deceased violinist, she draws her sister with the words “Vi: Sacrifice” underneath it. She must offer her sister to the devil in order to maintain her success, but she doesn’t take this option. Instead, she takes her own life, just like Moira did.

The reason that Juliet did not sacrifice her sister is due to their final conversation in the green room at the school. Vivian tells Juliet that she’s stolen everything she’s worked so hard for out of jealousy and malice. As twins, they were in constant competition with one another, but Vivian asserts that she was always there for Juliet no matter what, except she won’t do it any longer. This deeply impacts Juliet’s views of both herself and her sister. As she approaches the piano bench at the concerto, she freezes and realizes that no one is there for her. No one cares about her anymore; she’s run a destructive path that has left her alone. The road to success has turned her cold, isolated, and dissatisfied with herself. The final conversation with Vivian was what she needed to comprehend just how toxic she’s been.

In order to avoid her sister’s death, Juliet jumps from the roof and lands on a sculpture. As she stares off and smiles, no one notices that she’s there or dead. It indicates that she is truly alone. No one bothers to check on her, they just think its a part of the art installation. Nocturne is an astounding addition to the line-up which includes The Lie, Black Box, and Evil Eye as well as others in the eight movie series. Welcome To The Blumhouse‘s Nocturne ends in one of the most unsettling and gruesome ways, but it speaks volumes on the true depth of Juliet’s character and her personal struggles.

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