What actually happens
A cynic with a very short lease
In Mexico, a scavenger digs up the spear tip that once stabbed Jesus, ends up possessed, and takes it to Los Angeles. There, John Constantine performs an exorcism on a young girl, and he notices that the demon was trying to cross over, which should be impossible under the treaty between Heaven and Hell. He is dying of lung cancer, so he goes to ask the half-breed angel Gabriel for more time, and Gabriel says no, since Constantine has chosen himself over everyone else for too long. Elsewhere, detective Angela Dodson is investigating the death of her twin sister Isabel, a devout Catholic who jumped from the roof of a psychiatric hospital. Angela refuses to accept that her sister would commit a sin that sends her to Hell. She finds Constantine's name on security footage and asks for his help, and he refuses until demons show up for her and he fights them off.
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The priest who left a note in his own hand
Constantine performs a ritual to look at Isabel in Hell and confirms that she did kill herself. He tells Angela he once attempted suicide as a teenager to get away from seeing demons, survived, and is now bound for Hell when he dies. At the morgue, his friend Father Hennessy spots a strange symbol on Isabel's wrist and is killed by Balthazar, a half-breed demon. Later, Constantine and Angela find that Hennessy carved the same symbol into his own hand for them. Isabel also left Angela a hidden message pointing to a chapter of Hell's Bible. Constantine's armorer Beeman explains that the symbol stands for Mammon, Lucifer's son, before Balthazar kills him too. The chapter describes Mammon overthrowing his father with the help of a powerful psychic, and Isabel sacrificed herself to stop it. Angela admits she has the same psychic gift and buried it. Constantine pushes her through a near-death experience to bring it back, and she finds Balthazar. He reveals that Mammon needs Christ's blood on the spear tip, and that Angela is the host. Something unseen destroys him and carries Angela off.
A hospital full of demons, and a surprise from upstairs
A witch doctor named Papa Midnite helps Constantine see where Angela is, and the visions lead to the same psychiatric hospital. Constantine and his apprentice Chas Kramer load up on weapons and fight through a crowd of demons to reach her. They appear to drive Mammon out of Angela, but the unseen force kills Chas, and it turns out to be Gabriel. Gabriel resents that God forgives humans so easily, and his plan is to let Hell loose on Earth so that the survivors will earn God's love. He throws Constantine aside and gets ready to drive the spear tip into Angela, which would bring Mammon through.
Lucifer agrees to a meeting
Desperate, Constantine slits his wrists on purpose, because he knows Lucifer will come to collect him personally. This is the scene people dread, and it comes near the end. Time stops. Constantine talks Lucifer into stepping in, and Lucifer sends his own son Mammon back to Hell. It plays as a negotiation, and Constantine does not stay dead. Lucifer then destroys Gabriel's wings and reluctantly offers to restore Constantine's life as a reward. Constantine asks for something else.
The ending, explained
Constantine asks Lucifer to send Isabel to Heaven instead of saving himself, and Lucifer releases her. Lucifer starts dragging Constantine down to Hell, but Constantine begins rising toward Heaven because of his sacrifice. Furious, Lucifer brings him back to life and removes his cancer, betting that Constantine will eventually prove he belongs in Hell anyway. Constantine punches Gabriel, who is now mortal, and leaves the spear tip with Angela to look after. Hennessy, Beeman and Chas are dead. Angela and Constantine both survive.
The post-credits ruling
There is a post-credits scene. The scene shows Constantine at Chas's grave, where Chas appears as an angel, so it is worth staying for if you liked Chas.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: none, because there is no dog in the film.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is Constantine scary?
Constantine is a 4 out of 10 with low dread. It has a handful of loud jump scares, plenty of demons, and a possessed girl early on, but the tone is closer to a noir adventure.
How does Constantine end?
Constantine kills himself to summon Lucifer, who sends Mammon back to Hell and releases Isabel to Heaven. Lucifer then revives Constantine and cures his cancer, hoping he ends up in Hell eventually.
Does the dog die in Constantine?
No. There is no dog in Constantine.
Is there a post-credits scene in Constantine?
Yes. Constantine has a post-credits scene in which John visits Chas's grave and sees Chas as an angel.
Who is Mammon in Constantine?
Mammon is Lucifer's son, an antichrist who wants to take over from his father and rule Earth. In Constantine he needs a psychic host and Christ's blood on the spear tip, and Angela is the host.
