Fall Ending Explained (In Detail)

The Fall movie ending provides a nail-biting climax to an intense, high-altitude story of survival that leaves some questions unanswered and some deeper meanings ambiguous. Fall revolves around a grieving mountain climber named Becky whose husband Dan fell to his death. A year later, her friend Hunter proposes climbing to the top of a decommissioned 2,000-foot TV tower to scatter his ashes, and Becky agrees in the hope that it will help her to move on. However, they ironically end up fighting for their own lives when they’re stranded at the top with dwindling hope of survival.

While it earned an admirable $21 million at the box office (via The Numbers), Fall didn’t really take off until it arrived on streaming a few months later. Fall was a surprise hit on the small screen, pulling in so many viewers that a Fall sequel has been confirmed. The way the Fall movie ending brings its story to a conclusion with Becky taking charge and figuring out a way to save herself is a satisfying end to a vertigo-inducing ride — however, it’s the shocking twist that ensured Fall became so widely discussed.

How Long Is Becky Trapped On The Tower?

Becky Is Stranded 2000ft Above The Ground For Around A Week In Fall

While Fall doesn’t provide an exact timeframe for Becky’s ordeal on the TV tower, it’s pretty easy to work out. She’s on the tower for long enough to become delirious from hunger and dehydration. After the drone is destroyed and Becky loses hope of being saved, it takes her a few days of no food and water to finally realize Hunter is dead.

The day after Becky realizes that Hunter didn’t survive, Becky is attacked by a vulture that she kills and eats to regain some of her strength. By the time Becky is saved by emergency services in the Fall movie ending, she’s spent around a week on the tower.

What Does Hunter’s Tattoo Mean?

The 1-4-3 Tattoo In Fall Reveals That Dan Had Cheated On Becky With Hunter

During their first night on the tower, after Hunter’s car is stolen, Becky notices a tattoo on Hunter’s ankle that ends up revealing a four-month affair that Hunter had with Dan before Becky married him. The tattoo features the numeric phrase, “1-4-3.” Becky instantly connects these numbers to Dan because he used to use “1-4-3” to tell Becky he loved her.

Hunter reveals that she and Dan had been having a secret affair behind Becky’s back.

Since “1-4-3” was Dan’s obscure way of telling Becky he loved her, Becky immediately deduces that he must’ve used the same line on Hunter to warrant the tattoo. Hunter reveals that she and Dan had been having a secret affair behind Becky’s back. This is why Hunter volunteers to retrieve the backpack — it’s partially to try and make amends. Unfortunately, Becky cannot bring herself to forgive Hunter, and the 1-4-3 tattoo causes a rift between the two friends that is never resolved, as Hunter dies before the Fall movie ending.

Is The Tower From Fall Real?

The Tower Becky And Hunter Climb Is Fictional, But Based On A Real Structure

Fall isn’t based on a true story, but the 2,000-foot TV tower that Becky and Hunter get stuck on is based on a real tower in the California desert. It has a fictitious name and purpose in the film, but the filmmakers were inspired by the real-life KXTV/KOVR radio tower (via Digital Spy). Also known as the Sacramento Joint Venture Tower, this broadcast tower can be found in Walnut Grove next to a Doppler weather radar station. Standing at 2,049 feet tall, KXTV/KOVR tower is the tallest structure in California.

The tower seen in the film was constructed specifically for the production at the top of a mountain to create the illusion that the actors were at a higher altitude than they actually were

The tower seen in the Fall was constructed specifically for the production at the top of a mountain to create the illusion that the actors were at a higher altitude than they actually were (via Radio Times). But the shooting took place in California, the same state where the real tower is located. This location was crucial to creating the vertigo-inducing visuals of Fall. The California desert provided a desolate wasteland as the backdrop to symbolically reflect Becky and Hunter’s isolation and their gradual loss of hope as rescue seems more and more unlikely.

Why Did The Campers Not Help Becky And Hunter?

The Campers Symbolize That Nature Isn’t The Only Danger

When Becky and Hunter realize they’re stranded at the top of the tower with no chance of escape, one of the first things they find is a flare gun. Since they only have one flare, they only have one chance of alerting potential rescuers to their presence, so they don’t want to use it until they know someone will definitely see it. On the first night, they hope some campers in the desert will spot them. Just as the campers are getting ready to call it a night, Becky and Hunter shoot the flare into the sky.

Becky and Hunter face threats from gravity, harsh weather, and birds of prey — but other human beings can be just as cruel and uncaring.

The flare catches the campers’ attention as intended, but they don’t save Becky and Hunter. When the campers see the flare and realize the owners of the nearby vehicle are trapped on the tower, they see it as an opportunity to steal their car. This spirit-crushing scene in Fall highlights that other people can be as much of an obstacle to survival as dangerous circumstances. Becky and Hunter face threats from gravity, harsh weather, and birds of prey — but other human beings can be just as cruel and uncaring.

Why Didn’t Becky Realize Hunter Was Dead?

Becky Was Suffering From Psychological Shock

The biggest twist in Fall reveals that Hunter was dead throughout the latter portion of the thriller movie. After she climbs down to retrieve her backpack, Becky manages to pull both Hunter and the backpack back to the top of the tower. The pair then try to charge the drone, so they can send it to get help. However, when the twist is revealed, it emerges that Hunter never made it back to the top of the tower. After the botched attempt to retrieve the backpack. Hunter becomes a sort of mouthpiece for Becky’s conscience and inner monologue.

There are some hints that Hunter isn’t really there.

Aside from the improbability that Hunter could survive the fall and climb back up, there are some hints that Hunter isn’t really there. When Becky drops the backpack, Hunter makes no attempt to catch it. After a couple of days, Becky realizes Hunter isn’t alive. When she fell from the tower, she hit a communication dish and bled to death.

Becky didn’t notice Hunter had died in
Fall
because she was so weak and feverish from lack of food and water that she hallucinated her friend was still alive.

Becky didn’t notice Hunter had died in Fall because she was so weak and feverish from lack of food and water that she hallucinated her friend was still alive. The hallucination was a psychological result of Becky’s denial about being left stranded at the top of the tower all by herself. Imagining a dead character is still alive as a coping mechanism is a common trope in survival stories — it can also be seen in Adrift and Gravity.

What Happens After Becky Is Rescued?

The Ending Of Fall Doesn’t Reveal Much About Becky’s Fate Once She Makes It Down From The Tower

What happens to Becky after she’s saved in the Fall movie ending will likely be explored in the sequel. She will either resume her daredevil lifestyle with a new lease on life after fighting so long for survival or double down on her fear of danger and close herself off. If Fall 2 is a direct sequel, then it will follow on from the Fall movie ending and detail where Becky’s life goes after surviving her ordeal on the TV tower.

If it’s not a direct sequel, then the franchise could become a sort of anthology series introducing new characters stuck in unenviable high-altitude situations like the one seen in Fall.

The True Meaning Of Fall’s Movie Ending

The Climax Of The Fall Movie Is About Having Perspective

The real meaning of the Fall movie ending is that life shouldn’t be taken for granted. In the blink of an eye, anyone can find themselves in a deadly situation with the odds stacked against them. The ending of Fall is bittersweet because Becky survives, but Hunter doesn’t.

This near-death experience puts everything into perspective and makes Becky’s differences with her dad seem petty and insignificant

After spending so many months mourning the loss of Dan, coming so close to death and losing another loved one reminds Becky to keep fighting and embrace life. This near-death experience puts everything into perspective and makes Becky’s differences with her dad seem petty and insignificant, leading to a heartfelt reunion between the two.

What Was Real & What Was Hallucinated?

Nothing About The Ending Of Fall Is Guaranteed To Be Real

The biggest thing that played out in the twist at the Fall movie ending was that Becky was on her own for much of the time. She never realized that Hunter had died, and she hallucinated the entire discussions and planning with her friend. Hunter’s death happened after she fell to the platform below and bled out. This means that almost everything Becky saw in the second half of the movie was fake, a hallucination that started when she began to realize there was no hope.

It is possible that the vulture Becky killed was simply another figment of her imagination

Since Hunter and Dan had an affair, Becky was angry, and she manifested that in her entire anger and spite toward her friend — all within the hallucination. There was also the moment prior to the Fall movie ending where a vulture attacked her and Becky killed it. This was one of two vultures that was feeding on Hunter’s dead body, and she shooed the other vulture away and finally climbed down and sent out the SOS message for help.

However, with the other hallucinations, it is possible that the vulture Becky killed was simply another figment of her imagination, making one wonder if Becky ever did make it down, or if the conclusion of Fallwas another ending like The Descent.

Does The Fall Ending Set Up The Sequel?

Fall 2 Is Confirmed, But Will Be A New Story

While the ending of Fall was pretty definitive, two sequels have been confirmed, though little is known yet about the plot of Fall 2 (and especially of Fall 3). However, it is known that the Fall sequel will be an entirely new story, following on from the original in the thematic and spiritual sense more than directly from the plot. This is somewhat unsurprising, given that the ending of Fall saw Becky rescued from the tower and reunited with her father, James. Given her harrowing ordeal, it’s unlikely that she’d want to attempt another climb anytime soon.

While the ending of
Fall
didn’t directly set up a sequel, it did lay the foundations for what looks set to be a franchise of standalone movies about wayward climbers who find themselves trapped at dizzying heights.

What’s more, the basic premise of Fall means that a sequel featuring entirely new characters in a fresh location has a lot of mileage. There’s plenty of scope for Grace Caroline Currey’s Becky to return too. While the chances of her being stranded yet again in Fall 2 aren’t high, there’s nothing to suggest she couldn’t return as some kind of survival expert who’s turned her experiences into a career helping others in similar situations.

The biggest question about Fall 2 is, of course, the location. It probably won’t be set at the B67 tower again, but there is no shortage of vertigo-inducing locations the sequel to Fall could use. So, while the ending of Fall didn’t directly set up a sequel, it did lay the foundations for what looks set to be a franchise of standalone movies about wayward climbers who find themselves trapped at dizzying heights.

How The Fall Ending Was Received

The Final Moments Of Fall Were Enough To Secure A Sequel

As those who have seen it know, the final moments of Fall were essential to cementing it as a solid narrative. Had the ending been poor, then it would have been an incredibly unsatisfactory watch given that the majority of the runtime is simply Hunter and Becky trapped at the top of the tower. It’s the ending of Fall that ties everything together, with both the tragedy of learning Hunter is dead and the catharsis of Becky’s rescue being essential to director Scott Mann’s 2022 movie as a viewing experience.

This wasn’t lost on critics or viewers either, and many reviews have cited the ending of Fall (especially the twist when it came to Hunter) as being key reasons they responded to it so well. While Fall’s praise wasn’t universal, it was still seen as a success overall, as evidenced by its 79% score on both the Tomatometer and Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes. Considering just how little actually happens throughout most of the film in terms of visual spectacle or significant plot events, this is quite impressive, and also wouldn’t be the case had the ending of Fall not been so strong.

What’s more, with a sequel on the way in the form of Fall 2, it’s clear that the final moments of Fall helped studio Lionsgate see the potential of the survival thriller as a franchise. There was never a guarantee that a movie like Fall would have a sequel, as its vertigo-laced premise was always going to be a difficult story to bring to the screen in a way that didn’t doom it to become a niche title. Instead, thanks to the Hunter twist in the Fall ending, and the triumphunt catharsis of the moment Becky is finally rescued, there will be more Fall movies to come.