Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)

Benoit Blanc opens the film by silencing a crowded room and reading aloud a letter written by Father Jud Duplenticy. Jud's words take the narrative back to how he arrives at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude in the isolated town of Chimney Rock. As Jud recounts, he is a former prizefighter who punched a disrespectful deacon at his previous parish. Bishop Langstrom intervenes: although the bishop privately excuses Jud's temper, he sends Jud to Chimney Rock to avoid scandal. Jud begins his new ministry under Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, a pulpit figure whose sermons have drawn a fervent following and whose charisma masks a harsh and controlling streak.

From his first days at the church, Jud is folded into Wicks's inner routine. Wicks makes Jud sit and hear a confession from him, a ritual in which Wicks lists his private sins in intimate, embarrassing detail. Wicks's most trusted lieutenant is Martha Delacroix, an older woman who has long served the church; Martha knows the congregation's histories and has been married for years to Samson Holt, the groundskeeper who tends the church property with slow, steady devotion even as the parish's finances strain. Jud learns from Martha the family lore that underpins the Wicks household: Jefferson's mother Grace carried the town's whispers about a disordered past, and when Grace's father, Prentice Wicks, dies, she inherits very little beyond a small, weathered box marked "Eve's Apple" that contains only a carved Christ figure. The box becomes a touchstone; Grace's rage after the estate dispute leads her to trash the church and, in a later scene, die alone at her father's tomb from a sudden brain aneurysm after an outburst in which she attacks a young Martha.

Jud also meets the small circle that Wicks protects--the congregation's "flock." Vera Draven, an attorney, is Wicks's confidante and the daughter of Wicks's former lawyer; Vera now shoulders the obligation of raising her half-brother Cyrus "Cy" Draven. Cy is a loud, attention-seeking online personality who posts provocative videos and records his surroundings; he captures friction at the church on camera more than once. The parish includes Dr. Nat Sharp, a physician who has fallen into alcoholism after his marriage collapsed; Lee Ross, a bestselling science-fiction author who wants to broaden his audience beyond paranoid fans; and Simone Vivane, a young cellist beset by chronic pain who has invested her savings in the hope that Wicks might cure her. Jud tries to gather these people for a private session away from Wicks's pulpit, believing some of them are vulnerable to manipulation, but his initiative puts him into direct conflict with Wicks and begins to strain the fragile loyalties within the church.

Tensions escalate publicly when Jud confronts Wicks about the tenor of his sermons and his treatment of newcomers. Wicks strikes Jud in front of the congregation and taunts him; Jud replies that he will remove Wicks "like a cancer," and the confrontation is caught on phone camera by Cy. The footage of their argument circulates, making Jud a potential suspect if anything untoward should happen to Wicks. Wicks grows increasingly belligerent toward those perceived as disloyal; he publicly humiliates members of the flock--mocking Lee's writing, belittling Vera's family ties, deriding Simone for sinking her savings into the church--and the friction builds behind the scenes.

On Good Friday, during a packed service, Wicks preaches one of his acerbic sermons and then goes into a small room in the pulpit to refresh himself while Jud takes over leading the congregation. While Jud is speaking, a sudden clatter and a heavy thud cut through the church. The doors of the small room fling open and members of the flock rush in to find Wicks collapsed on the floor. Something protrudes from his back; Dr. Nat Sharp kneels, examines him, and declares that Wicks is dead. A devil-headed knife hilt juts from the back of Wicks's robe. Martha immediately cries out that Jud is responsible, recalling their recent quarrel and the viral footage. Chief Geraldine Scott, the county police chief, arrives to secure the scene. The parish and the small town reel. Jud is put in the spotlight because of his public fight with Wicks and because of the flask of liquor he concealed at the scene--he had hidden a hip flask from the congregation when they discovered the body, and later he hides that flask entirely, a fact Blanc will later use to test Jud's candor.

Geraldine, skeptical of the parish's explanations and aware of Jud's recorded confrontation, contacts Benoit Blanc after a referral from a familiar lieutenant. Blanc arrives and, with Jud and Geraldine, begins to pick apart the mechanics of the crime. The murder weapon's handle--the little devil head--turns out to be the head from a lamp on the bar counter of a local tavern. Blanc and Jud go to the bar and speak to the owner, Nikolai. Nikolai points out that the devil head on Wicks's knife looks like one of the lamp-heads he had; one of his lamp heads is missing, and he demonstrates that the head can be quickly removed and modified. He also notes that someone had painted the head red. Jud recognizes Nat at the bar, drunk and belligerent, already accusing Jud of murder. The basic forensic picture does not fit a simple story of a single murderer stabbing Wicks in the pulpit: the handle is odd, the head had been painted, and something about Wicks's collapse looks staged to observers who know the church's machinery.

Blanc and Jud continue to inspect the pulpit area and discover evidence of a mechanical trick. The pulpit contains secret wiring and a remote-control device hidden in a prop that someone in the church uses during Wicks's sermons. Jud learns from Samson that during certain services the flock plays a game or uses a prop while Wicks retreats; Blanc's men find a trigger device consistent with a remote squib--an explosive charge intended to create a startling effect. The investigators begin to suspect that a squib may have played a role in the sequence of events that gave the appearance of something supernatural or conspiratorial.

Meanwhile, Cy reveals that he captured a private meeting between Wicks and the flock on Palm Sunday, when Jud had intruded on a closed gathering. The video shows Wicks exposing various truths: he has just discovered that Cy is his biological son and the rightful heir to a hidden family fortune called "Eve's Apple." The footage shows Wicks plotting with Cy to use the found fortune to launch political ambitions; it also records Wicks viciously mocking the members of the flock--reaming them for their flaws and threats. The revelation that Wicks and Cy are planning a political future together gives many of the flock motives: Wicks has publicly shamed them, and the promise of a newly discovered fortune alters the power dynamics of the family histories that have underpinned Chimney Rock for generations.

Inspection of the small box that had once belonged to Grace Wicks, the one stamped "Eve's Apple," yields nothing immediately valuable. The box contains a carved Christ figure and no gemstone. Blanc and Jud, however, find financial records showing an order for a heavy forklift to access Prentice Wicks's crypt placed two days before the murder. Jud calls the company; Louise, a representative from the heavy-lift company, confirms that someone in the church ordered the equipment to open the crypt on the morning following the funeral. Jud speaks to Louise at length and, in a moment of private compassion, prays with her for her ill mother. The forklift order points investigators toward the crypt and the question of what could be hidden in Prentice's remains. Jud's inquiries reveal that the family fortune has been whispered about for years as a diamond called Eve's Apple, long thought to be lost.

As the searches continue, Jud's own past comes under scrutiny. Blanc presses him to write the letter he delivers at the film's opening, forcing Jud to lay out his memories and soft spots. In private, Jud admits to Blanc that during his boxing career he had once killed a man in the ring and had done so with hatred, a truth he had previously suppressed. His confession complicates Jud's credibility but does not explain the mechanical trickery behind Wicks's death.

Tensions explode again when, after Wicks's funeral has occurred and his body is placed in the crypt alongside Prentice's remains, footage surfaces of what looks like Wicks rising from the tomb. A cloaked figure bearing a lantern appears to step out of the crypt. During that commotion Samson suddenly lies dead; Jud is knocked unconscious in the chaos and wakes with a sickle embedded in Samson's chest. Jud finds himself holding the weapon and is discovered near the body, making him appear culpable in Samson's murder. The security footage shows the cloaked figure emerge from the crypt and attack Samson, followed by Jud sliding down the bank toward the scene. Martha stands over the open crypt, crying out to the heavens and hailing what she declares to be a miracle. The parish turns rapturous, convinced in the moment that Wicks has returned. Geraldine arrests Jud in her mind, preparing to bring him in for Samson's murder, but Matthews and Blanc intervene to stop Jud from surrendering until they can explore the chain of evidence more thoroughly.

Blanc suspects staging. He and Jud revisit the bar photos and find an overlooked detail in a picture taken at the bar where Nikolai keeps the removable lamp heads: another lamp head is missing. Blanc and Jud suspect that two similar heads were used as fake knife hilts--one left in Wicks's back and one hidden to be removed later. Blanc and Jud now focus on Nat Sharp. They go to Nat's house late at night; the property is chaotic, and they find signs of a struggle in the living areas. A sour, chemical reek hangs in the air. In Nat's basement they find a large tub, and inside the tub they discover two bodies: Wicks's corpse, which has its arms badly burned or degraded, and the remnants of another man who had been dissolved to a shocking degree. Blanc drains the tub to reveal Wicks's dead face and the autolysis that acid has inflicted on his limbs; the dissolved remains in the same receptacle identify as Nat Sharp. The physical evidence makes the sequence clearer: Wicks's body had been hidden and doused in acid in Nat's basement, and Nat himself has been killed and partly dissolved.

Blanc brings the flock together the following morning in the church to confront the assembled members. He recounts the mechanics of the initial murder in clinical terms: someone placed pentobarbital in Wicks's drink to render him unconscious; while Wicks lay sedated in the pulpit room, the devil-head knife was pushed into the robes and a squib was detonated to create the impression that the wound had been inflicted in a different manner or that some supernatural occurrence had happened. Blanc names Nat as the man who administered the poison and physically planted the knife; Nat also stashed Wicks's body in his basement and later tampered with it. Blanc lays out that Nat had motive--he desired Eve's Apple and thought the family fortune could redeem his personal life--and opportunity, as Nat had been seen drunk and was present in the bar where the modified lamp heads disappeared.

But Blanc does not finish there. He confesses to the gathered parishioners that although he can prove that Nat acted with the knife and that Wicks's death was the result of sedative and a planted blade, he cannot in good faith claim to have cracked the larger orchestration that led to Samson's death and the theater of the resurrection. Blanc explains that he has deliberately left the final threads exposed, and he states openly that the real mastermind will now expose herself. His apparent inability to finish the solution is a device: he intends to force the guilty party to step into the light and confess.

At that moment Martha stands and takes the floor. She says she will tell the congregation the truth and proceeds to give a full, halting account of how Eve's Apple has haunted the family and how she herself carried a secret guilt. Martha explains that in their youth she saw Prentice swallow a diamond to hide it during a dispute; she had mocked Grace, beaten the young woman in a fight, and later watched Grace collapse and die from a brain aneurysm at Prentice's tomb. Martha confesses that she had told Jefferson Wicks the location of the diamond--she did not go to Jud with her knowledge as she had meant to but instead told Wicks--sparking Wicks's desire to seize the family fortune and his cold plans to leverage it into political power with his newly discovered son Cy. Martha admits that she enlisted Samson and Nat to help her. Under her direction, Samson would pose as Wicks in a ruse to create the spectacle of resurrection; Nat would carry out the lethal act against Jefferson and arrange the staging so the world would believe in a miracle or an inscrutable divine explanation that would benefit those plotting to control the narrative.

Martha narrates the plan's degeneration. Nat, she says, grew greedy and violent when he believed the diamond could be used to reassemble his family life; after Wicks's murder and the planned staging, Nat killed Samson in cold blood because Samson, who posed as the resurrected Wicks, could have been an obstacle to Nat's claims on the hidden treasure. Martha had learned through other clues that Nat intended to eliminate her as well; she came to Nat's home to confront him. Martha explains that she discovered he had laced her coffee with a lethal dose of pentobarbital; she swapped the cups so that Nat drank the poisoned beverage, and then she dissolved his corpse in acid to conceal what had happened and to cover up the trail leading back to the truth. In telling her story to the congregation, Martha says she had also taken the remaining pentobarbital prior to speaking, intending a private death rather than public exposure. As she finishes her confession, Martha grows pale and falls into Jud's arms; she breathes her last after spilling the physical object she had clutched--the real Eve's Apple--onto the church floor.

Blanc allows Martha to speak and to collapse; he has already assembled the mechanical and forensic facts and forced the confession through his staged incompleteness. The confession completes the chain he has been tracing: Nat poisoned Wicks's drink and thrust the devil-hilt knife into his back; Samson dressed as Wicks to stage a resurrection and was then murdered by Nat for greed; Nat kept Wicks's corpse in his basement and, after being poisoned by Martha, was dissolved himself in that same tub; Martha orchestrated the plot because she believed controlling the diamond's location would allow her to seize influence, but her long-standing resentment of Grace and the family history drove her to misjudge Wicks and to unleash a series of deadly errors.

After Martha's death the survivors move forward in concrete ways. Vera Draven closes the law practice her father once ran; she resolves to carve a new life after severing ties to the entanglements the Wicks family created. Simone Vivane returns to the cello and resumes performing and practicing despite persistent pain. Lee Ross continues writing the book he began about Wicks and the church; although the book achieves success, it attracts some of the same fringe audiences he hoped to avoid. Cy Draven, having lost both the expected inheritance and his political dream when Eve's Apple turns out to have been mismanaged and then claimed, finds himself left without the fortune he anticipated; he threatens legal action against Blanc and Jud over the diamond's disappearance, but the two men answer his threats with a composed silence and no admission of the diamond's present whereabouts.

Benoit Blanc and Father Jud Duplenticy part company on amicable terms after the case's closure. Jud elects to remain in Chimney Rock and to try to rebuild the parish on different terms. One year after the revelations, Jud reopens the church under a new name, Our Lady of Perpetual Grace. He stands at the church door greeting new parishioners and visitors--singularly focused on quietly rebuilding the congregation's life. In a private, final image, Jud steps back into the sanctuary and places Eve's Apple into the breast of the carved Christ figure from the box that Grace once owned, hiding the diamond inside the statue's chest. He closes the statue, leaves it in the church, and resumes his duties among the small group of people who come seeking solace. The film ends with Jud at the pulpit of the newly renamed church, the controversial fortune now secreted away within the Christ's carved ribcage, and the survivors dispersed into lives rewritten by the revelations that erupted from the pulpit, the crypt, and the cramped basement where acid dissolved truths as well as bodies.

At the end of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025), Benoit Blanc uncovers the truth behind the complex murder mystery involving the church community. The true culprit is revealed, justice is served, and the main characters face their fates accordingly: some find redemption, others face consequences, and Benoit Blanc moves on to his next case.

The ending unfolds in a detailed, scene-by-scene narrative:

The climax begins inside the grand church where Monsignor Jefferson Wicks has been a charismatic and controversial figure. Benoit Blanc gathers all the key players--Rev. Jud Duplenticy, Martha Delacroix, Geraldine Scott, Dr. Nat Sharp, Vera Draven, Lee Ross, Simone Vivane, Cy Draven, and Samson Holt--in the main sanctuary. The atmosphere is tense, heavy with anticipation.

Benoit methodically recounts the sequence of events leading to the murder, highlighting subtle clues and contradictions he uncovered during his investigation. He reveals that the murder was not a simple crime of passion or greed but was deeply entwined with the power struggles and hidden secrets within the church community.

The pivotal moment comes when Benoit exposes the murderer: it is revealed that Monsignor Jefferson Wicks orchestrated the crime to cover up his own misdeeds and maintain control over the church's influence. His firebrand sermons and public persona masked a darker, manipulative nature. The evidence includes forged documents, witness testimonies, and a secret correspondence that Benoit found hidden in the church archives.

As the truth sinks in, Monsignor Wicks attempts to deny the accusations but is overwhelmed by the mounting proof. Geraldine Scott, the local police chief, steps forward to arrest him, ensuring that justice will be served. Wicks is taken into custody, his fate sealed by the law.

Rev. Jud Duplenticy, initially suspected due to his youth and idealism, is cleared of wrongdoing. He expresses relief but also sorrow for the damage done to the church's reputation. Martha Delacroix, Wicks' right-hand woman, is shown grappling with her loyalty and the betrayal she feels, ultimately deciding to leave the church to seek a new path.

Simone Vivane, the disabled former concert cellist, and Cy Draven, the aspiring politician, are revealed to have been unwittingly caught in the crossfire of the church's internal conflicts. Their futures remain open but are marked by the trauma of the events.

Lee Ross, the best-selling author, and Dr. Nat Sharp, the town doctor, provide key insights during the investigation but are not implicated in the crime. Vera Draven, the tightly-wound lawyer, assists Benoit with legal expertise, helping to navigate the complex web of church law and civil justice.

The final scene shows Benoit Blanc quietly leaving the church grounds at dawn, reflecting on the case's resolution. His calm demeanor contrasts with the turmoil left behind, signaling his readiness to take on the next mystery.

This ending ties together the film's themes of deception, faith, and the quest for truth, with each character's fate reflecting their role in the unfolding drama. Monsignor Wicks faces legal consequences, the church community begins a painful process of healing, and Benoit Blanc's reputation as a master detective is further solidified.

As of my last update in October 2023, there is no specific information available regarding the plot details, character deaths, or any other elements of the movie titled "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery," produced in 2025. Since the film has not been released or detailed in available sources, I cannot provide a summary or analysis of character deaths or circumstances surrounding them. For accurate and detailed information, I recommend checking official movie releases or credible film databases once the movie is available.

There is no available information from the current search results indicating that Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) has a post-credit scene. The reviews, official descriptions, and festival coverage do not mention any post-credit or mid-credit scenes for this film.

Given the detailed nature of the sources, including reviews and official festival write-ups, it is likely that if a post-credit scene existed, it would have been noted. Therefore, based on the information available, the film does not appear to include a post-credit scene.

The victim is Msgr. Jefferson Wicks, a charismatic and firebrand priest whose sudden and seemingly impossible murder shocks the town.

Geraldine Scott is the local police chief who, facing a lack of obvious suspects, joins forces with detective Benoit Blanc to solve the murder case.

Rev. Jud Duplenticy is a young priest involved in the story, and his relationship to Msgr. Wicks and the unfolding investigation is a key plot element explored by Benoit Blanc.

Simone Vivane is a disabled former concert cellist whose background and interactions with other characters provide important clues and emotional depth to the mystery.

Benoit Blanc uses his signature investigative skills to sift through a complex series of suspects, uncovering hidden motives and secrets within the town's community, particularly focusing on the church and its members.

Based on available reviews and synopses for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025), here is a detailed, spoiler-free assessment of its family-friendliness and potentially objectionable content, organized by narrative elements and emotional impact:

General Tone and Content

Wake Up Dead Man is a murder mystery in the tradition of the Knives Out series, directed by Rian Johnson. It features a witty, elaborate script, an A-list ensemble cast, and a plot centered on a sudden, seemingly impossible murder that shocks a small community. The film is described as both engrossing and emotionally complex, with some critics noting it as the most divisive and intense entry in the franchise so far. While the series is known for its humor and clever twists, this installment leans into darker, more gothic tones and themes.

Potentially Objectionable or Upsetting Content

Violence and Death:
As a murder mystery, the film necessarily involves a violent death at its core. The murder is sudden and shocking, designed to unsettle both the characters and the audience. While the violence is not gratuitously graphic, the emotional impact of the death--including scenes of discovery, grief, and fear among the characters--is palpable. The atmosphere is tense, with moments of suspense that may be intense for younger or more sensitive viewers.

Thematic Material:
The story delves into themes of betrayal, suspicion, and moral ambiguity. Characters experience anxiety, paranoia, and emotional distress as the investigation unfolds. The film's tone is described as "emotionally hollow" by some critics, suggesting a certain coldness or detachment in its portrayal of human relationships, which could be unsettling for viewers seeking warmth or reassurance.

Language and Humor:
The script is sharp and witty, with dialogue that includes sarcasm, irony, and social commentary. Some humor is pointed and satirical, including political mockery that may go over the heads of younger viewers but could be jarring for those sensitive to partisan themes. There is no indication of strong profanity, but the tone is adult-oriented.

Visual and Atmospheric Elements:
The film employs a gothic visual style, with moody lighting, eerie settings, and a sense of foreboding. Scenes set at night or in isolated locations may feel claustrophobic or unsettling. The overall atmosphere is one of unease, which could be distressing for children or those prone to anxiety.

Emotional Complexity:
Characters grapple with guilt, fear, and the pressure of suspicion. The emotional stakes are high, and the narrative does not shy away from exploring the darker sides of human nature. Some critics found the emotional core of the film less satisfying or more confounding than previous entries, which might leave sensitive viewers feeling unsettled rather than resolved.

Summary Table of Concerns

| Aspect | Description | Potential Impact | |-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------| | Violence/Death | Central murder, tense discovery scenes | May frighten young/sensitive viewers | | Thematic Material | Betrayal, suspicion, moral ambiguity, emotional distress | Could be unsettling or confusing | | Language/Humor | Witty, sarcastic, some political satire | Adult-oriented, may confuse children | | Visual Atmosphere | Gothic, moody, eerie, claustrophobic settings | May induce anxiety or unease | | Emotional Tone | High stakes, guilt, fear, unresolved tension | May feel hollow or distressing |

Conclusion

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is not recommended for young children. It is best suited for older teens and adults who enjoy complex, suspenseful mysteries with a dark edge. Sensitive viewers--regardless of age--should be prepared for intense emotional moments, a pervasive sense of unease, and themes that explore the darker aspects of human behavior. While not excessively graphic, the film's tone, subject matter, and atmosphere are more mature and challenging than typical family-friendly fare.