Directed by Steven Fierberg, “The Spirit Lock” tells the story of the Mellor family. It is not a typical happy family because Karl Mellor and Vanessa Mellor’s marriage is failing, and their son, Kit Mellor, is suffering from asthma and issues of aggressive behavior. Karl tries to find remedies to cure his son’s illness because he thinks Kit is probably possessed, and he comes across an ancient wooden box known as the Spirit Lock. The Spirit Lock is handed over to him by a spirit because Karl is in need of it. After the Spirit Lock finishes its work with Karl, he will have to transfer it to another spirit who will be in need of it.
Why Is Father Bailey Karl’s Only Option To Fix His Son, Kit?
As days go by, Kit’s behavior becomes more aggressive. He has no control over himself, and he tends to attack anyone who comes near him except his mother. When he was in school, he attacked a fellow student, because of which he was taken out of the institution. Now, Kit spends his days tied to his bed as his parents are trying their best to help their son. His parents have given up their daily chores and individual work to take care of Kit. Karl goes all out to fix Kit, but nothing seems to work. They cannot rely on the doctors anymore because, according to the doctors, Kit is absolutely fine. The doctor tells Karl that he should put Kit in school again and that they should return to their work. However, Karl is unconvinced. He has a strong belief that Kit is possessed because of how violent he has become. At times, Karl claims that he noticed Kit’s eyes glowing red and whirring, which supports his conviction all the more. Karl contacts Father Bailey because he is now the only option who can help his son. Nevertheless, Father Bailey does not prove to be of much help since, like the doctors, he too has the same opinion about Kit. According to Father Bailey, Kit reacts too normally to the Bible for someone who might be possessed. He concludes that Kit is alright, and he does not need an exorcism whatsoever.
What Is Karl Trying To Do With The Spirit Lock?
The Spirit Lock is an ancient Pagan device that was created by societies that no longer exist. It works in an enigmatic way, and Karl does not have much idea about it. Even though Karl does not understand how the Spirit Lock actually works, he believes that the wooden box will help to alleviate his son’s ailment. The Spirit Lock has three different stages in which it works. The first stage is the “Initiation”- during this stage, the ancient power within the wooden box connects with the evil spirit. The second stage is the “Manifestation”- it is during this stage that the evil spirit is drawn out by the Spirit Lock. The last and third stage is the “Deliverance”- the Spirit Lock finally eradicates or destroys the evil spirit for good. Karl knows about the three stages, but he does not know how these stages will ultimately help his son. The Spirit Lock needs to be activated through a covenant, and to form it, Karl needs to combine the blood of his son and his own. Karl successfully activates the Spirit Lock, but Vanessa is not very sure about it. She does not understand the Spirit Lock like Karl, and believes that the thing will only hurt her son. Hence, she throws it away. However, throwing it away does not allow the family to get rid of the wooden box because now they are locked inside their house until the evil spirit is drawn out and eradicated for good.
What Is Vanessa’s Truth?
Karl is not the same man that Vanessa married in the past. He is always out of their lives and in his own world. After he lost his job as a History teacher, the situation of their failing marriage worsened because they are always broke and cannot even treat their sick son properly. When Karl stopped Vanessa from helping Kit during one of his episodes, she lost it. Kit has asthma, and he was struggling to breathe; instead of helping him, Karl tried to stop Vanessa from interfering since he believed it was the work of the Spirit Lock. Vanessa does not believe in Karl or the Spirit Lock anymore. She needs to save her son, and Karl’s obsession with the wooden box was exacerbating the condition. Vanessa reveals to Karl that since he was mostly absent from their lives after their marriage, she fell in love with a man named Thomas. You might think this is new information for Karl, but it is not. Karl knew about his wife’s affair with Thomas and even warned the man to stay away from his family. What Karl does not know is the fact that Vanessa had miscarried their biological baby, and Kit is not his son. Kit’s father is none other than Thomas himself. Vanessa thought that she would leave Karl and go away with Kit to live with Thomas, but she could not because that man killed himself. The reason for Thomas’ suicide has not been disclosed in the movie. When Karl learns the truth, he is distressed because all this time he thought Kit was his son. Now, he has nothing else to do.
Who Is The Real Evil?
It is revealed that the real evil is not Kit but Karl. Kit was not having an episode; it was Karl who choked him and tried to kill him. The Spirit Lock is working on Karl and not on Kit. There were several instances during which Karl hurt Kit because he was not in control of himself. During the attic scene, Kit did not hurt Karl; it was the father who repeatedly abused his sick son because he was found in the attic where he was not supposed to be. All this time, Karl was hallucinating about Kit being possessed. Karl even killed Father Bailey when he found out that Kit needed real help, instead of an exorcism. It is not revealed why Karl was behaving like this in the movie, which makes it all the more confusing. Throughout the movie, the audience is made to believe that Kit might be possessed, but the ending tells a different story. Karl’s background, the reason for his hallucinations and killing Father Bailey are not discussed in the film, thereby confounding the audience. In the end, during the ultimate act of the Spirit Lock, i.e. the “Deliverance,” Karl gets consumed by the wooden box, revealing that he was the evil all this time. In a post-credits scene, it is shown that the Spirit Lock gets transferred to another soul, who is probably in need of it, by Karl’s spirit, hence ending his cycle with the wooden box.
