The Curse of Bridge Hollow Plot Synopsis
The Curse of Bridge Hollow tells the story of young Sydney who moves into the town of Bridge Hollow with Emily, her mom, and Howard, her Halloween-hating dad.
Unfortunately, their arrival is the catalyst for terrible events taking place as Sydney accidentally unleashes the spirit of Stingy Jack, a man who centuries earlier was hanged to death for his crimes.
Jack’s return is bad news for both Sydney and the town’s residents but the plucky young teen manages to put an end to the madness he causes by capturing his ghost with the help of her initially sceptical dad.
But at the end of the movie, just when Sydney and Howard think normality has been restored, the pair make a shocking discovery in their home’s attic. This could signify more trouble for the town of Bridge Hollow and potentially another movie if Netflix decides to green-light a sequel.
What do the father and daughter duo find? Keep reading to learn more about the movie and its intriguing ending.
How does Sydney unleash the spirit of Stingy Jack?
After settling into their new home, the family learn that their house was once inhabited by Madam Hawthorne, a 20th-century spiritualist who once captured the spirit of Stingy Jack.
Sydney’s interest is piqued, largely because she has an obsession with the paranormal. She uses her ouija app to contact Madam Hawthorne but rather than reaching the long-dead woman, she seems to connect with the spirit of Stingy Jack instead.
The spirit leads Sydney to a box which the young teen then opens. Inside is a lantern and when Sydney lights it, she inadvertently unleashes the spirit of Stingy Jack.
Is this a bad thing? Well, yes! According to legend, Jack was hanged by the residents of Bridge Hollow because of his wicked ways. While in hell, the devil made him a pumpkin lantern which provided a portal for him to return to Bridge Hollow every Halloween.
Jack returned to the town for many years and terrorized the residents. But in 1927, Madam Hawthorne found a way to trap Jack’s spirit inside a lantern, thus stopping him from getting vengeance on Bridge Hollow and the descendants of the people that once put him to death.
When Sydney lights the lantern, Jack makes his return. With vengeance still on his mind, the ghost of Jack immediately causes havoc by bringing to life the Halloween decorations that the townsfolk have innocently made.
If he isn’t captured before midnight, Sydney learns the town will be forced to endure Halloween and Jack’s meddling forever!
How do Sydney and Howard stop Stingy Jack?
When Sydney realises what she has done, she turns to her father for help. At first, Howard is sceptical and believes that the supernatural forces wandering around Bridge Hollow are some kind of illusion.
But as the story progresses, Howard starts to believe in the curse that has befallen the town. In an effort to learn more about the curse, he and Sydney visit Madam Hawthorne’s granddaughter Victoria at the retirement home where she is residing. The woman tells them about her grandmother and how the clever spiritualist was able to conjure the spirit of Jack using a chant from a book of spells. She also tells them Jack believed he could remain on earth after replacing his soul in the ‘ever after’ with that of somebody else’s. But when Madam Hawthorne trapped Jack’s soul in a lantern, his plan was foiled.
As Sydney has unwittingly unleashed Jack’s soul, the father and daughter realise they need to find the book of spells before the evil spirit finds a soul to take his place in hell.
They discover the spell book was auctioned after the Hawthorne house was sold and that its new owner was the Principal at Sydney’s new school.
When they visit the Principal, they discover he no longer has the book and that he doesn’t know where it might be. With no hope of finding it, they decide to hold a séance to reach Madam Hawthorne and to find out from her the chant that is needed to contain Jack’s spirit.
Meanwhile, the town’s carnival is being overrun by the malevolent Halloween decorations. The town’s residents are understandably alarmed as is the town Mayor who believes an opposing town is behind the monstrosities that are invading them.
There is further trouble for Emily, who is attacked by the animated statue of Stingy Jack at her home. It is clear that Jack’s spirit wants to use her soul as his replacement in the otherworld but before he can send her to the afterlife, Howard and Sydney arrive just in time to save her.
With all the conviction he can muster to make Hawthorne’s spell work, Howard delivers the incantation. This causes Jack’s power to be reduced and he once again ends up trapped in the lantern.
Howard and Sydney then head to the attic where they lock up Jack’s spirit, presumably for good. But after one of the attic walls breaks apart, they discover something surprising.
What do Howard and Sydney discover in the attic?
Howard and Sydney are shocked to discover similar boxes to the one that housed the lantern that held Jack’s spirit.
The box containing the spirit’s lantern was marked “SJ1927.” As you can probably guess, the initials stood for Stingy Jack and 1927 was the year that his spirit was caught by Hawthorne.
The other boxes are marked in a similar way, with the initials of other trapped entities and the year in which they were caught.
The movie then ends but it can be assumed that Howard and Sydney decide against opening any more of the boxes. But if there is a sequel, it might be that a new resident of the home discovers these boxes. And when they do, it might be that they open up one or more of these to unleash whatever evil is lurking inside!
Read More: The Curse of Bridge Hollow Movie Review