Just finished the Park (Ending theory) *Spoilers*

[watashiwaken]

I've read a few theories already but the majority of them have many obvious plot holes. I was trying to think of everything that happened within the game such as, the theme park worker and the interrogation police officer were the same guy, why does Lorraine have a flashback of electro-therapy, who is Chad the Chipmunk and why is he there now, was everything just a dream, drug trip, or reality, was Chad the Chipmunk and the Boogyman just a part of Lorraine's conscience?, and why did the interrogation officer have a (bee?) insect in a glass jar.

Now first thing, the developer's did say that this game takes place in the same world as The Secret World, so paranormal incidents are expected and it makes the theory more open. Here's what I think.

As you go around collecting notes, you read some passages from a person's diary, the man who was in the Chipmunk outfit. You slowly come to realize that he has snapped and he's going around murdering a few people with (AN ICEPICK). Dismantling safety harnesses on bumper cars, and even capturing a child that had been wandering around his home with a few of his friends, only to be captured and killed. If you look carefully in a crashed van right after the swan boat tunnel you'll see a teddy bear with an ice pick through his eye, the swan boat's left eye also seems to have been struck by a sharp object, thus the bleeding, the same thing from a police report interrogating a eye witness who says, "I saw the young teen's eye stuck to the ice pick." Near the end of the game when Lorraine is going through the looping horror house rooms you will find a baby doll with an ice pick lodged in it's eye. And finally when you find Callum's body the boogyman guides your hand (almost like he is you, hand and head movement are synced in perfect timing) you stab Callum in the chest with (AN ICEPICK). Now here's where I break everything down.

Lorraine was suffering from depression caused by the accidental death of her lover. This caused her to have serious thoughts of suicide. Overdose or slit wrists. But she couldn't because she was pregnant with Callum. She felt that she had nothing more to live for and that Callum was keeping her from the one thing she really wanted, which was death. Possibly, The Boogyman. When she's on the rollercoaster, with the Boogyman and his arms around her, she's having flashbacks of being rushed into an ER and she ends up hurting Callum. This would explain why "Callum's been having bruises, finger marks on his body. I ask him who did this, how did this happen, but he won't say anything. Somebody has got him too scared to speak." Think, if Lorraine was on as much medication as she was on, her anti-depressants, maybe she would have fits of rage and hurt Callum during black outs. Also, her fridge in the horror house was only filled with raw chicken and wine bottles. She also states that after her mother left, her father would drink constantly. She could've picked up the habit from him, also a similar situation happened to her, just like her father, when Don, her lover, died. She was constantly battling with the thought of, if Callum was gone she could be free from this burden of taking care of him, but as a mother, she truly loved him. Lorraine also says that in the original versions of Hansel and Gretel, the mother was also the witch. She desperately desired to be Gretel and Callum, Hansel, but the cruel truth was she was the mother, and the witch, whether she wanted to be or not. Her abuse to Callum caused him to run away, with a few friends, possibly, to a place where he felt safe, Atlantic Park Island. But the park was shut down on account of a few murders and "workplace accidents". Callum, being a child, didn't know this and snuck inside with his friends where he unknowingly became the latest victim of the killer. In the last diary entry you find from Chad the Chipmunk, he states that it's been so long since anyone has come to his "home" and that he takes one of the boys and kills him. So Lorraine, unwillingly and unknowingly, sent out her son to his death. The cause of leaving the house, the mother. The cause of his murder, The witch. Same person. Lorraine, possibly, is feeling guilty that it's her fault, but also feeling guilty that she feels free of a burden, the sick peace that the Boogyman is trying to give her. She feels responsible for his death which is why in the ending scene it's by her hand that she stabs him with (AN ICEPICK) the weapon of choice by the murderer. So while it's not physically by her hand that Callum died, it was because of her that he died.

The only thing I can think that would be connected to the electro-therapy flashback is the nursery rhyme that Callum and the Boogyman are singing. "Mother duck goes quack, quack, quack, quack, and he never came back." She could've had a mental breakdown after Callum never came home, causing her to shut herself in, not speaking, and needing some form of therapy to get her to speak and give her testament to the police so they can find the killer.

Again, this is just my theory and it's open to discussion. I'd like to hear what you think the story is about and what actually happened.

[Bronlos]

Interesting theory, I can see where you're going with most of it. But the dairy you read. I dont think its from chad. Dont know if you played The Secret World. But I recently replayed the theme park quest there. I think the diary is from Nathan Winter.
And that Nathan Winter also took Callum as his latest victim. The boogeyman feeds on the terror of the children, due to the fact of the dark magic eminating in the Theme Park.
And its known (through the secret world game) that Nathan Winter wanted to become an Wizard and bought the land because of the magic nodes coming together there. Except mr. Winter didnt know you cant buy wizardry and became corrupted and turned into a Boogeyman.

[arekin]

I think the park contains two stories that tend to blend together due to Lorraine's instability. I know that there is a story of Nathan Winter, but I think Lorraine's story goes as such. Lorraine is a pretty tragic story of a woman who worked at the park with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend is not stable either (both having issues due to the dark nature of the park), and only can find joy when he leaves the park and spends time with friends. As the burdens of becoming a father overwhelm him, he decides to take a leap from the Ferris Wheel. Lorraine is left alone, and from the clues in the story you can see she reaches out to everyone for help with a child she is raising on her own. From letters you can see that she tried to reach out to her mother, But her mother blamed her for running away when her father, when we know it was her father that took her away. She tries to get some support from the estate of Callum's father, but his parents deny her, perhaps blaming her for his death. She turns to her medication, and her increasing self medication dosages only do more damage.

Sadly, my friends, we know how it ends. But, what I have yet to see theorized was something far worse. We all lose things, But I dont think Callum will be found. Here is why. Lorraine ATE HIM. Early in the story you hear the story of Hansel and Gretel. The story talks about how the witch has a desire to eat Hansel. Towards the end, Lorraine starts to talk about how she becomes frustrated with Callum and even hates him. Her rage subsides, but it is the first hint to what she has done. The comment is made that in some early versions of the story of Hansel and Gretel, the mother was the witch. Later she comments on the idea that she never wanted to become the witch. Some of our final clues to this come from the books. The books point to her mental state, and display different aspects of what she is encountering. The book of note in this case is one entitled Hunger. Its first book cover back talks about the Donner Party, a well known story of cannibalism. The second time around the story is about the Holodomor, a story of cannibalism in large numbers in the Ukraine in 1932 and 1933. Seeing a theme?

In the kitchen we get more of the story, Looking at her shopping list we can see that she is increasing her meds. In the fridge, we get items that are more and more terrifying. But here we also notice that as we descend into madness, that the ovens fires get more and more prominent.

So what happened? Lorraine had a harder and harder time taking care of Callum. With no money, and a mind addled with drugs, Lorraine does what she can to stop Callum from crying. I don't she actually stabbed him with the Ice Pick. I think her mind is filling in the gaps with the story of Chad, who did kill a child with an ice pick. The hat in Callum's room hints that he was hit in the head, as the hat has a large blood stain, but no holes in it. The pictures around the room show that she had demonized him, perhaps to justify killing him. And then, in her HUNGER, unable to understand her actions, she ate her son.

I plan to replay the game this weekend with that theory in mind to see if i can back it up with more evidence, but ill be honest, the thoughts made my skin crawl the first time. This game is easily the best advertisement for the Secret World you could possibly play.

[Bronlos]

Interesting point of view indeed, I did notice the books change the further you go down. It is indeed plausible that she ate her son with the hints on the books indeed. Wich then indeed puts my view aside. If I have time this weekend I will replay aswell and see if I can find some more clues about the story.

But yes this game is an excellent advertisement for the Secret world. Wich is aswell an great game to play.

[Queen HawlSera]

This was a terrible FNAF ripoff, but here's the story in a sentence

Woman takes child to blatantly unsafe park, ignores all of the warning signs, now blames herself for her kid's death. The park was just a recurring nightmare she keeps having about it.

It's... kind of obvious.

[sidunn192]

nice theory really good mate. Enjoyed the game and really think it could go to be something big

[Craggle]

I came to many of the same conclusions as yourself Arekin. Other supporting evidence: the letter from the power company mentioning the extreme cold of Maine winters (another tie to the Hunger book), and shortly before Lorraine says she wanted herself and Callum to be Hansel and Gretel, the tunnel's narrator points out that the kids had to resort to cannibalism.

Given some of that, it almost makes me wonder whether Callum was the hacked up body found behind the carnival tent? Lorraine asks the question of "who could have done this?" which is shortly after the revelation of the bruises on Callum's arms that she asks of him "Who did this?"

[AshGames]

I just finished it, and as someone who has not play TSW, and didn't know it had any connection to it, this is what I thought:

Lorraine did not directly kill her son. The pressure from being a single mother and her illness caused her to abandon Callum at the haunted house, where Winters was staying at. Winters kinda went a little crazy after the closure of the park and remained there (it says he stayed in one of the notes), and maybe even the rumors getting to him despire him not believing in them. He found Callum and killed him. Lorraine eventually realized what she did and reported Callum missing. The thing with Chad might have been her blaming him as the culprit (would kinda fit since he went on that stabbing spree with the ice pick).

The whole game is pretty much her trying to figure out what happened before she is interviewed by the cop, but it is muddled by the drugs/her illness. As for the Hansel and Gretel stuff, she said about her thinking of them as the children, but she turns into the "witch" because of her disdain of having a child. I don't think cannabilism is involved, the book just changed to further hammer in the Hansel and Gretel thing. As for the end... I think it symbolized her making the choice of abandoning Callum in the Haunted House, and the bruises she mentioned may have been from her, and Callum wouldn't say because it may cause Lorraine to abuse him some more, her being made that he would blame her for the injuries.

That's just my thoughts. They may be wrong so..

[watashiwaken]

I just love how many good theories and thoughts about this game there are. I think that's the strongest part of this game is that it's very flexible. Everyone's thoughts and theories are great.

[3 Ducks In a Man Suit]

Originally posted by watashiwaken:

I've read a few theories already but the majority of them have many obvious plot holes. I was trying to think of everything that happened within the game such as, the theme park worker and the interrogation police officer were the same guy, why does Lorraine have a flashback of electro-therapy, who is Chad the Chipmunk and why is he there now, was everything just a dream, drug trip, or reality, was Chad the Chipmunk and the Boogyman just a part of Lorraine's conscience?, and why did the interrogation officer have a (bee?) insect in a glass jar.

Now first thing, the developer's did say that this game takes place in the same world as The Secret World, so paranormal incidents are expected and it makes the theory more open. Here's what I think.

As you go around collecting notes, you read some passages from a person's diary, the man who was in the Chipmunk outfit. You slowly come to realize that he has snapped and he's going around murdering a few people with (AN ICEPICK). Dismantling safety harnesses on bumper cars, and even capturing a child that had been wandering around his home with a few of his friends, only to be captured and killed. If you look carefully in a crashed van right after the swan boat tunnel you'll see a teddy bear with an ice pick through his eye, the swan boat's left eye also seems to have been struck by a sharp object, thus the bleeding, the same thing from a police report interrogating a eye witness who says, "I saw the young teen's eye stuck to the ice pick." Near the end of the game when Lorraine is going through the looping horror house rooms you will find a baby doll with an ice pick lodged in it's eye. And finally when you find Callum's body the boogyman guides your hand (almost like he is you, hand and head movement are synced in perfect timing) you stab Callum in the chest with (AN ICEPICK). Now here's where I break everything down.

Lorraine was suffering from depression caused by the accidental death of her lover. This caused her to have serious thoughts of suicide. Overdose or slit wrists. But she couldn't because she was pregnant with Callum. She felt that she had nothing more to live for and that Callum was keeping her from the one thing she really wanted, which was death. Possibly, The Boogyman. When she's on the rollercoaster, with the Boogyman and his arms around her, she's having flashbacks of being rushed into an ER and she ends up hurting Callum. This would explain why "Callum's been having bruises, finger marks on his body. I ask him who did this, how did this happen, but he won't say anything. Somebody has got him too scared to speak." Think, if Lorraine was on as much medication as she was on, her anti-depressants, maybe she would have fits of rage and hurt Callum during black outs. Also, her fridge in the horror house was only filled with raw chicken and wine bottles. She also states that after her mother left, her father would drink constantly. She could've picked up the habit from him, also a similar situation happened to her, just like her father, when Don, her lover, died. She was constantly battling with the thought of, if Callum was gone she could be free from this burden of taking care of him, but as a mother, she truly loved him. Lorraine also says that in the original versions of Hansel and Gretel, the mother was also the witch. She desperately desired to be Gretel and Callum, Hansel, but the cruel truth was she was the mother, and the witch, whether she wanted to be or not. Her abuse to Callum caused him to run away, with a few friends, possibly, to a place where he felt safe, Atlantic Park Island. But the park was shut down on account of a few murders and "workplace accidents". Callum, being a child, didn't know this and snuck inside with his friends where he unknowingly became the latest victim of the killer. In the last diary entry you find from Chad the Chipmunk, he states that it's been so long since anyone has come to his "home" and that he takes one of the boys and kills him. So Lorraine, unwillingly and unknowingly, sent out her son to his death. The cause of leaving the house, the mother. The cause of his murder, The witch. Same person. Lorraine, possibly, is feeling guilty that it's her fault, but also feeling guilty that she feels free of a burden, the sick peace that the Boogyman is trying to give her. She feels responsible for his death which is why in the ending scene it's by her hand that she stabs him with (AN ICEPICK) the weapon of choice by the murderer. So while it's not physically by her hand that Callum died, it was because of her that he died.

The only thing I can think that would be connected to the electro-therapy flashback is the nursery rhyme that Callum and the Boogyman are singing. "Mother duck goes quack, quack, quack, quack, and he never came back." She could've had a mental breakdown after Callum never came home, causing her to shut herself in, not speaking, and needing some form of therapy to get her to speak and give her testament to the police so they can find the killer.

Again, this is just my theory and it's open to discussion. I'd like to hear what you think the story is about and what actually happened.

She has flashbacks to electroshock therapy because she was institutionalised right after her husband died, and recieved electroshock therapy. How did you miss this? That's also why she was on meds.

The guy having a bee in a jar was a reference to The Secret World game this is based on, it means that guy is magic and knows about the supernatural ♥♥♥♥ that's going on basically.

She didn't imagine the Chipmunk guy or the Bogeyman, but they probably weren't physically there. The park is haunted by the spirit of its founder Nathan Winters, who has transformed himself into the Bogeyman thing in an attempt to become immortal. She almost certainly did kill her son with the icepick. She was being influenced by the evil of the park and the spirit of Nathan Winters, but she also had resentment towards Callum and wanted to be free of him.

[Lupin III]

Originally posted by Lady HawlSera The Prinny:

This was a terrible FNAF ripoff, but here's the story in a sentence

Woman takes child to blatantly unsafe park, ignores all of the warning signs, now blames herself for her kid's death. The park was just a recurring nightmare she keeps having about it.

It's... kind of obvious.

Atlantic Island Park, and the story behind it, is straight out of The Secret World and predates Five Nights at Freddies by two years.

[S1nnur_]

Has anyone considered that her wish to be Callum's sister in the Hansel and Gretel allegory - instead of his Mother - was not just her shirking responsibility or fantasizing, but it may hint that she was in fact both? Her Father essentially kidnapped her and was an abusive bastard as far as I could tell. She was also unable/unwilling to provide DNA evidence to her late partner's parents to ease her financial burden as requested/noted in the solicitor's letter.

[Nox]

Originally posted by Queen HawlSera:

This was a terrible FNAF ripoff, but here's the story in a sentence

Woman takes child to blatantly unsafe park, ignores all of the warning signs, now blames herself for her kid's death. The park was just a recurring nightmare she keeps having about it.

It's... kind of obvious.

Sounds like you didn't play it. I hope you didn't, as it makes it ten times worse for you if you did.