Is Secret Window Scary? The Verdict and the Whole Plot
Somewhat, 4 out of 10. It is a stalker thriller about a writer at a lake cabin, with some jump scares.
🐱THE SCARE SIGNAL
SCARE SCORE
4 /10
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DREAD LEVEL
Medium
You will think about cabins in the woods for an evening and then forget it.
DOG
Dog: not fine
not fine, and the body is shown early.
Ruling: This stalker thriller suits a rainy evening, with some sudden jumps and a cabin you will want to avoid.
Secret Window runs ninety-six minutes and stars a mystery writer who retreats to a cabin after his wife's affair, which is already a mistake. A stranger turns up at the cabin and says Mort stole his story.
The premise, briefly
A mystery writer named Mort Rainey, hiding in a cabin after his wife's affair, is visited by a stranger who says Mort stole his short story.
How much do you want to know?
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The verdict above is spoiler-free. Everything below, including the ending, stays hidden until you pick a depth.
🐱CUT TO THE CHASE
How it ends
Shooter is revealed as a figment of Mort's imagination. Mort kills Ted and stabs Amy, and the film implies both end up buried under the corn in his garden. Months later Mort is over his writer's block and happy.
The scene you're dreading
Near the end, Amy finds the cabin ransacked with SHOOTER carved into the walls and furniture. Mort stabs her in the leg, and when Ted arrives Mort kills him while she watches. The big reveal comes before it, so you will already know why.
The dog
Chico, Mort's dog, is found dead outside the cabin early on, and the body is shown.
Secret Window is a slow stalker thriller with some jumps, and knowing who Shooter is removes most of the threat.
THE SHORT VERSION IS HIDDEN
How it ends, the scene you're dreading, what happens to the dog, and the bottom line. About twenty seconds to read.
What actually happens
Two stories, one ending
Mystery writer Mort Rainey catches his wife Amy with their friend Ted and goes to hide at his cabin upstate in New York. Half a year on he is depressed, blocked and still putting off the divorce. A man named John Shooter turns up and accuses Mort of stealing his short story, "Sowing Season". When Mort reads the manuscript he finds it almost identical to his own story, "Secret Window", apart from the ending. The next day Mort, who has plagiarized another author before, tells Shooter that a magazine printed his story before Shooter wrote his, which cancels the claim. Shooter demands proof and warns Mort not to contact the police. Later that night Chico, Mort's dog, is discovered dead outside the cabin with a note from Shooter attached, which gives Mort three days.
Mort reports it to Sheriff Newsome and drives to the house he used to share with Amy to find a copy of the magazine, but leaves when he sees Ted and Amy there. He hires a private investigator, Ken Karsch, who watches the cabin and talks to a local resident, Tom Greenleaf. Shooter appears at the cabin again and demands that Mort rewrite the ending of his story to match Shooter's, where the main character kills his wife. A fire then destroys Mort and Amy's house, and presumably the magazine, and Mort tells the police he has an enemy. Mort and Karsch plan to confront Shooter after meeting Greenleaf at a diner, but neither man turns up. Mort runs into Ted, who wants the divorce papers signed, and Mort refuses because he thinks Ted hired Shooter.
The magazine has been read already
Shooter summons Mort and Mort finds Karsch and Greenleaf dead. Shooter says he killed them because they interfered, tells Mort he has framed him for both murders, and hints that Mort should get rid of the bodies. Mort agrees to show Shooter the magazine at the cabin, which his agent has sent overnight, and he disposes of the bodies. At the post office he collects the package and finds it already opened, with the pages of his story cut out. After several strange events Mort understands that Shooter is only a figment of his imagination, made up without his noticing to cope with his anger and to do the things Mort cannot, including killing Chico, Greenleaf and Karsch and burning down Amy's house.
A cabin full of one carved word
Amy arrives at the cabin and finds it ransacked, with the word SHOOTER carved over and over into the walls and furniture. Mort appears, now fully taken over by the Shooter persona. Amy works out that the name stands for Mort's wish to shoot her. This is the scene to brace for, and it comes near the end: Mort stabs Amy in the leg, and when Ted arrives Mort kills him while Amy watches helplessly. Mort then walks toward her as he recites the ending of "Sowing Season" aloud.
The ending, explained
Months later Mort has got over his writer's block and has his enthusiasm for life back. People in town fear and avoid him after the rumors about the murders. Sheriff Newsome visits and tells Mort he is the prime suspect and the bodies will be found eventually, but Mort shrugs it off and calls the ending of his new story perfect. The film implies that Amy and Ted are buried under the corn growing in his garden. An alternate ending on the home media release shows both of their bodies under the corn patch.
The post-credits ruling
Nobody has confirmed whether there is a scene after the credits.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: not fine, and the body is shown early.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is Secret Window scary?
Somewhat. Secret Window is a 4 out of 10 with medium dread: a slow stalker thriller with some jump scares and violence near the end.
How does Secret Window end?
Mort turns out to be Shooter. He kills Ted and attacks Amy, and months later he is happy while the sheriff suspects him and the bodies are implied to be buried under the corn in his garden.
Does the dog die in Secret Window?
Yes, the dog dies in Secret Window. Chico, Mort's dog, is found dead outside the cabin early on, and the body is shown.
Is there a post-credits scene in Secret Window?
Nobody has confirmed whether Secret Window has a scene after the credits.
Is John Shooter real in Secret Window?
No. In Secret Window Shooter is a figment of Mort's imagination, created to cope with his anger and to do things Mort cannot, including killing Chico, Greenleaf and Karsch and burning down Amy's house.
BLURRED FOR YOUR PROTECTION
The whole plot of Secret Window is hidden, ending included. It stays that way until you ask.
You don't need to sit in a cabin for ninety-six minutes to find out who Shooter is. Install Scaredy Cat and it blurs horror before you see it.
