What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) Ending Explained
TL;DR:
The ending of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) is a tragic culmination of decades of sibling rivalry, manipulation, and psychological torment. After years of imprisoning her paralyzed sister Blanche in their decaying Hollywood mansion, Baby Jane Hudson orchestrates a failed escape, only to realize Blanche had actually been crippled in an accident Jane didn't cause. The film closes with Jane, now completely detached from reality, dancing on the beach in a childlike trance as police arrive, while Blanche dies nearby, unable to reveal the truth. The ending leaves audiences questioning guilt, redemption, and the destructive power of fame and resentment.
The Final Scene: A Descent into Madness
The movie's climactic scene occurs on a sunlit beach, a stark contrast to the claustrophobic gloom of the Hudson sisters' mansion. Jane, dressed in her grotesque parody of childhood innocence-a frilly dress and makeup mimicking her long-lost vaudeville persona-skips and twirls in the sand, utterly oblivious to the chaos around her. Meanwhile, Blanche, who had been secretly trying to escape Jane's abuse, lies dying nearby, her final words unheard by the authorities closing in. This juxtaposition of Jane's delusional joy and Blanche's silent suffering underscores the film's central theme: the irreversible damage wrought by jealousy and the illusion of fame. The beach setting symbolizes Jane's final escape-not into freedom, but into the sanctuary of her fractured mind, where she remains forever the adored "Baby Jane."
The Reveal: Blanche's Secret and Jane's Innocence
In the film's penultimate moments, Blanche confesses to Edwin, a neighbor, that it was she who caused the car accident that left her paralyzed, not Jane. This revelation reframes the entire narrative: Jane's decades of guilt and self-loathing, which fueled her cruelty toward Blanche, were based on a lie. Blanche's admission adds a layer of tragic irony - Jane's abuse was a misdirected punishment for a crime she didn't commit. Yet Blanche's confession comes too late; Jane, already lost to psychosis, never hears it. This twist forces viewers to reconsider who the real victim is: Is it Blanche, who endured imprisonment and terror, or Jane, whose life was derailed by a false burden of guilt?
Unresolved Questions and Interpretations
- Did Blanche intentionally let Jane believe she caused the accident?
- Possible Answer: Yes - Blanche may have withheld the truth to manipulate Jane, exploiting her guilt to maintain control.
- Possible Answer: No - Blanche might have feared Jane's instability and only realized too late the harm her silence caused.
- Could Blanche have survived if she'd revealed the truth earlier?
- Her death suggests she prioritized protecting Jane's fragile psyche over her own life, a twisted act of sisterly love.
- What does Jane's final dance signify?
- It's a regression to her childhood, the only time she felt loved, or a symbolic rejection of the adult world that rejected her.
Psychological and Cinematic Impact
The ending's power lies in its ambiguity and brutality. Director Robert Aldrich uses grotesque close-ups of Jane's ruined makeup and Blanche's gaunt face to emphasize their shared tragedy. The lack of a clear villain - Blanche's lies vs. Jane's abuse-creates a morally complex portrait of co-dependency. The film's noir-inspired lighting and Bette Davis's unhinged performance amplify the horror, making Jane's final dance both pitiful and terrifying. The audience is left unsettled, forced to grapple with the sisters' mutual destruction and the cyclical nature of their suffering.
Personal Opinion: A Masterpiece of Gothic Horror
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a brilliant, harrowing study of fame's corrosive effects and the dangers of living in the past. The ending is perfect in its devastation-there's no catharsis, only the hollow realization that both women were doomed from the start. Davis and Joan Crawford deliver career-defining performances, with Davis's portrayal of Jane ranking among cinema's most iconic villains (or victims?). The film's legacy endures because it refuses easy answers, instead presenting a haunting, almost Shakespearean tragedy about the masks we wear and the prisons we build for ourselves and others. It's a dark, unforgettable finale that lingers long after the credits roll.