‘The Rental’ Ending Explained: What Does That Creepy Footage Mean?

Dave Franco’s 2020 AirBnb horror movie, The Rental, is now streaming on Netflix, just in time to scare you away from booking a Memorial Day getaway.

Originally released on video-on-demand by IFC Films in July 2020, The Rental is the directorial debut of Dave Franco, who also co-wrote the script with Joe Swanberg. The film was popular on VOD when it came out—remember that very few people were going to movie theaters back then—and was praised by critics as a chilling and tense horror thriller.

But if you didn’t want to pony up the cash to pay for The Rental on digital, you can now watch the movie streaming free on Netflix. It’s sure to give the film a “Netflix boost,” and with every Netflix boost comes a new wave of viewers who didn’t quite get it.

Don’t worry, Decider isn’t here to judge you—we’re here to help. Read on to see The Rental plot summary, as well as The Rental ending, explained.

WHAT IS THE RENTAL MOVIE ON NETFLIX ABOUT? THE RENTAL PLOT SUMMARY:

The set-up of The Rental is simple: Two couples decide to chip in for an Airbnb on the coast, for a weekend getaway together. You’ve got Michelle (Alison Brie), Michelle’s husband Charlie (Dan Stevens), Charlie’s co-worker Mina (Sheila Vand), and Mina’s boyfriend Josh (Jeremy Allen White), who also happens to be Charlie’s brother.

Right away, Mina is mistrustful of the Airbnb host, Taylor (Toby Huss). She initially tried to book the property but was rejected, while Charlie was instantly approved. She suspects the host discriminated against her Middle Eastern name, but Charlie brushes aside her concerns. We soon learn that Charlie and Mina have something of a “special bond.” It makes Josh insecure, but Michelle’s totally cool with it… until she finds out Charlie cheated on his last two girlfriends.

When Michelle opts to go to bed instead of staying up with everyone else to do drugs, Charlie and Mina end up having sex in the shower together. That didn’t take long! The next morning, Charlie and Mina agree never to speak of what happened, and not to tell their significant others that they cheated on them. But then, while showering by herself, Mina discovers a camera on the showerhead. Someone is watching them, and someone saw what they did.

Charlie convinces Mina not to call the police, which he reasons would lead to the footage being seen by Michelle and Josh. Later, when Michelle calls the host, Taylor, to come to fix the hot tub, Josh confronts him about his missing dog, and Mina confronts him about the camera. Taylor claims he knows nothing about either the dog or the camera. Taylor starts to call the police, and Mina tries to stop him. Josh runs in, thinking Taylor was attacking Mina and beats him unconscious.

Mina tells the others about the hidden camera, but not about the cheating. While everyone is outside, a masked man sneaks into the house and smothers Taylor to death. We realize that Taylor was telling the truth and that it’s this masked man who has been watching them.

When they discover that Taylor is dead, they assume Josh accidentally killed him. Charlie refuses to call the police because he doesn’t want his brother to go back to jail. Instead, Charlie says they should stage Taylor’s death as an accident by throwing his body off the cliff. Michelle refuses to participate in the cover-up and stays home while the others take care of the body. While alone in the house, Michelle suddenly hears the shower turn on. She is lured by the water to a room with the TV on, where she sees the footage of Charlie and Mina having sex.

WHAT IS THE RENTAL ENDING EXPLAINED?

On their way back to the house, Charlie, Josh, and Mina are followed by the masked man. Michelle tells Charlie she saw the footage and drives off with the only car. While driving, Michelle hits a spike strip—one that definitely wasn’t there when they drove in—and crashes into a tree. She texts Charlie for help, and then the masked figure shows up outside her window.

Charlie runs to help her and finds her dead body. Then he, too, is attacked by the mysterious assailant and is murdered. Back at the house, Josh and Mina break into the locked cellar under the house deck, looking for a computer, hard drive, or router to retrieve the footage of Josh attacking Taylor. Josh gets a text from Charlie’s phone, with a video of Mina and Charlie having sex in the shower.

Josh hears someone come into the house, and, thinking it’s Charlie, runs to attack him. He’s attacked and killed by the masked man. Mina flees the house, but accidentally falls off a cliff while running, and falls into the ocean. The masked man watches her body fall, and then calmly returns to the house and collects all of his surveillance equipment: the camera showerheads, audio devices in the light switches and plants, and, finally, the router and hard drive hidden in the ceiling. In the bathroom mirror, he removes his mask, but we don’t see his face. Oh, and also—the dog lived! Everybody else died, but the dog lived.

In the film’s final scene, we see the mystery man installing surveillance equipment in a new property. Then, before the credits roll, we see an example of the footage he watches from the new apartment: Renters cooking, typing, hanging out, sleeping, having sex—normal things you’d do in an Airbnb.

The movie leaves viewers with the terrifying sense that, the next time you rent an apartment, there could be someone watching your every move. We don’t know who this man is or why he does what he does—the point is just that there are some sick people out there.

Next time, maybe just get a hotel.

Where to watch The Rental