‘The Fearway’ Ending Explained: Do Sarah and Michael Live?

The 2023 indie horror movie The Fearway is streaming for free on Tubi, as well as on Amazon Prime for subscribers, which means if you’re in the mood for some low-budget thrills, you’re in luck.

Directed by Robert Gajic (Lucky, The Ally) The Fearway indulges in an age-old horror movie concept: A nice couple driving down a highway, being chased down by a maniac. It likely won’t take you long to realize what is actually going on in The Fearway, especially if you’ve ever seen an episode of The Twilight Zone.

But on the off-chance that you got all turned around and confused, don’t worry. Decider is here to help. Read on for an analysis of The Fearway plot and The Fearway ending explained. Spoilers for The Fearway ahead, obviously.

The Fearway plot summary:

The movie opens with an action sequence: A woman with an injured hand running for her life through the desert. She buries two quarters in the dirt, before she is dragged away by a mysterious figure.

Cut to Sarah (played by Shannon Dalonzo) and Michael (Justin Gordon), who are a young, soon-to-be-married couple taking a road trip across the desert to visit’s Sarah’s father. Sarah’s father is suffering from a heart-related health condition and is apparently near death. While driving, their car seems to hit something—but when they get out of the car to look around, there is nothing in sight. Well, except for an inexplicable ice patch in the middle of the desert. Weird!

Sarah and Michael keep driving. Soon, they realize they are being followed by a black sports car. Michael pulls into a diner/hotel, and they lose the car. They decide to get a meal at the diner. The waitress gives them two quarters each for the jukebox machine. To Michael’s surprise, the jukebox has the obscure song he once recorded with a band many years ago. Sarah has a tender moment with the busboy, who she says reminds her of her father. She gives him a big tip.

Sarah and Michael leave the diner and continue on their way. Once again, they hit something, and nothing is on the road. Once again, they are chased down by the black car. This time, Sarah sees who is behind the wheel: A man with claws and pointed teeth, who doesn’t look human. Once again, the couple loses him when they pull into the diner.

It soon becomes clear that the workers at the diner are not what they seem. The waitress and busboy want to help Sarah and Michael, but the manager insists they made a deal, and need to honor it. When a girl with an injured hand—the same girl from the opening sequence tries to warn the couple to leave—the manager quickly pulls her way. He brings her to a hotel room, where it is implied she is killed by “the beast.”

Sarah calls the police on the diner’s payphone, but the manager impersonates a 911 operator and tells them it will take several hours for cops to arrive. The manager very nearly convinces Sarah and Michael to spend the night in a hotel room. But, turned off by his suspicious behavior, Sarah and Michael drive away instead. This time, when the black car chases them, they decide to attempt to out-drive it. They don’t stop when they hit the mysterious bump, and they don’t pull into the diner. Michael even swerves to drive the other way, which seems to lose the follower.

But Sarah and Michael still can’t escape the desert. Michael suggests they try walking on foot. While walking, they come across their own car, flipped over and wrecked on the road, with blood all over the windshield. The couple realizes they have been in a car crash, and are likely dead. Michael attempts to fight the demon man in the car—who we can assume is the grim reaper—and is injured.

Meanwhile, back at the diner, the busboy makes a call to a mysterious someone, insisting there has been a mistake. Sarah and Michael once again return to the diner, to help Michael heal from his injury. Sarah asks the manager if they are dead, and he tells them they aren’t quite dead yet. They were in a car crash, and are currently bleeding out on the road, fighting for their lives. The man in black is “the ferryman,” meant to usher them to their death. The manager and the other workers at the diner made a deal in order to live forever, by helping to assist dying people to the other side.

The Fearway ending explained:

At the end of The Fearway, the manager reveals to Sarah that she can try to fight death because she has something worth living for: She’s pregnant. She and Michael can fight to live for the baby. But they have to win the fight before the sun sets, or else Death will come for them. The manager makes a call, presumably to God, insisting there may have been a mistake, and that it’s not Sarah and Michael’s time to die.

It’s also revealed that the busboy is (probably!) Sarah’s father—after all, he is also in a place somewhere in the real world, fighting for his life. The busboy sacrifices himself to Death, in order to buy Sarah and Michael time. He drives Sarah and Michael’s car straight into the car of Death. Sarah and Michael share a kiss while the sun sets.

In the very last shot of the movie, we see Sarah and Michael lying, bloodied, on the side of the road. In a voice-over, we hear Sarah say, “Stay in my life forever,” and then, with a gasp, Sarah opens her eyes. She’s alive! With that, the movie ends.

So what does it mean? Well, Sarah successfully fought death and won. We can assume that both she and the baby will live and that her dad is now dead. Michael’s fate is less clear. However, if you watch very closely, you can see that Michael is breathing, just before Sarah opens her eyes. Maybe that was just a mistake on the actor’s part, but I’d like to think that means Michael will survive the car crash, too.

What about the quarters that were buried in the sand in the first scene? The movie doesn’t really explain why those quarters were so important, other than the fact that it was possibly a way for dying people to call other people in their life. Honestly, it’s free indie horror movie on Tubi—it’s not that deep.