'Don't Breathe 2' Ending Explained: Let's Talk About This Very ...

Don't Breathe 2 hits theaters this weekend, bringing back Stephen Lang's highly-capable blind man/killing machine Norman Nordstrom. This sequel takes the character in a new direction – and makes him the lead, rather than a slasher in the background dispatching anyone in his way. That's not to say Norman has mellowed out. Oh no, he's just as deadly as ever – but Don't Breathe 2 has more than a few surprises in store for him, and us.

Major spoilers for Don't Breathe 2 follow.

Don't Breathe 2 opens with a young girl escaping a burning house. She collapses, and we cut to eight years later. The girl, named Phoenix (Madelyn Grace), is now 11-years-old, and she's living with Norman Nordstrom. She thinks he's her father, and he has raised her in a sheltered manner. She's homeschooled, she's trained in survival skills, and she's not often allowed to leave the house she shares with Norman and their dog, Shadow. Meanwhile, we learn that police are on the lookout for a doctor who appears to be running a black market organ harvesting ring. Remember this, because it'll be important later.

Late one night, a group of creepy guys invades Norman and Phoenix's secluded house. They kill the dog (thankfully off-screen) and then go after Phoenix. Norman manages to fight some of them off, and even kill one of them, but eventually, they get the best of him. With Norman incapacitated, the leader of the home invaders, played by Brendan Sexton III, tells Phoenix that he's actually her father, and that Norman stole her away eight years ago. He also says he's here to take her with him. And he does – back to a seedy hotel that is overrun with more creepy guys. Also there: Phoenix's mother, who is in a wheelchair and very sick.

We learn that Phoenix's parents were meth dealers, and the fire in their house at the beginning of the movie was caused by an explosion in the meth lab in their basement. We also learn that Phoenix's mom was badly injured in the fire and inhaled so many foul chemicals that her heart was damaged. She needs a new heart, and she knows just where to get it: from her daughter.