Barbarian Ending Explained: What Was Living Underneath the House

Barbarian Ending Explained: What Was Living Underneath the House — and Who Survives Its Rampage?

Published: June 3, 2025

The shocking horror movie is now streaming on Netflix. If you're wondering what happens at the end of Barbarian, we've got you covered.

What is Barbarian about?

Barbarian tells the story of Tess, who comes to Detroit for a job interview with a documentary filmmaker. She rents an Airbnb in a rundown part of town, but when she arrives at the house on a rainy night, she discovers that it has been double-booked.

Tess meets a man named Keith who is already staying there, and against her better judgment, she decides to share the space with him. The following day, after her interview, she returns to the rental and discovers a hidden room underneath the house with a bed, camcorder, and bucket.

What happens at the end of Barbarian?

Tess escapes and brings the police back to the house, but they don't believe her, so she drives off. Meanwhile, AJ, who is attempting to flee the underground lair, finds an elderly, bedridden Frank, who has been living in a room below the house. After a tense exchange, Frank takes out a gun and shoots himself.

Tess manages to escape and is about to leave in her car when The Mother emerges from the front door. After slamming on the gas and pinning The Mother against the house with her car, Tess goes back down in the tunnels to find AJ, but he accidentally shoots her with Frank's gun. Still, the two leave the house, realizing that The Mother has disappeared.

Who is The Mother in Barbarian?

The Mother is a deformed woman, the result of generations of inbreeding. As Andre reveals in the movie, Frank would take the women he kidnapped to the room below the house, "and then he started making babies with them and babies with the babies, and you make a copy of a copy of a copy, you end up with something like that [The Mother]."

Who built the tunnels under the house?

While in the movie it is never confirmed who actually built the tunnels under the house, in a September 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Cregger said that "in my mind, [Frank] built them."

Why is the movie called Barbarian?

In a September 2022 discussion with Murphy's Multiverse, Cregger revealed that the title Barbarian doesn't have a secret meaning; it was just what he called the script when he started working on it.

Where can I watch Barbarian?

Barbarian is available to stream on Netflix. The thriller can also be rented or purchased on Prime Video, Apple TV and Google Play.