The ending of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? reveals a critical truth and culminates in a tragic, ambiguous finale:
- Blanche, who has been paralyzed from the waist down due to a mysterious car accident, finally tells Jane that it was actually Blanche who tried to run Jane over in a drunken rage after Jane humiliated her at a party. Blanche's car then crashed into a gate, causing her paralysis. Jane had been blamed for the accident and felt guilty for years, but Blanche took the blame to protect Jane, which contributed to Jane's mental decline
- By the end, Jane's mental state has completely deteriorated. After the police discover Blanche tied up and near death in the house, Jane takes Blanche to the beach, a place from their childhood memories, in a delusional state. Jane begins to dance joyfully as if performing for an audience, lost in her fantasy of being a beloved child star again
- The police arrive and find Blanche unconscious but alive on the beach. Jane, however, is taken away by the police as she continues dancing, disconnected from reality. The film and novel end ambiguously without clarifying Blanche's ultimate fate, leaving it to the audience's interpretation
In summary, the ending exposes the tragic misunderstanding behind Blanche's accident, Jane's deep psychological breakdown, and the sisters' complex, toxic relationship, concluding on a note of mental collapse and unresolved fate for Blanche.
