One of the best Horror Indie Developers has returned with the fourth episode of Midnight Scenes. This Twilight Zone inspired Horror Series follow short Horror stories in a side-scroller style. Its fourth episode is a sequel to the third, following the events of The Nanny. This time however, we learn the truth of what happened to both Oliver and Tina who were the main characters in The Nanny. After their disappearance, Oliver is found and taken to Fernwood Creek Center where he meets protagonist, Elijah. This episode handles a lot of issues such as racism, homophobia, animal cruelty and bullying, all encapsulated into a short and brilliant Horror Game. This is the full story and ending explained of Midnight Scenes: From the Woods.
NOTE: If you have not played Midnight Scenes: The Nanny you will not be able to follow the events of From the Woods fully. Therefore we highly recommend playing through Episode 3 of Midnight Scenes before playing From the Woods as it follows the same characters.
Midnight Scenes: From the Woods Story Explained
The game begins with a news broadcast revealing that Oliver (protagonist in The Nanny) had been found. From the ending of The Nanny, we anticipated that both Tina and Oliver were lost forever, taken by Mother. But this does not seem to be the case. Oliver had been held captive for almost ten years, making him 18-years old. Now, with his return, he is taken to Fernwood Creek Psychiatric Center for his wellbeing. This introduces us to From the Woods main character, Elijah, a great representation of a queer character done well.
The First Day
Our first moment playing as Elijah is in a counselling session with Al, this is our safe/intermission spot between the retelling of the horrors Elijah had experienced leading up to this session. Immediately, we are wondering what happened with Oliver as it appears to be that Elijah knows him. The game turns back the time to one week prior to the session. It is Oliver’s first day at the Center and Elijah’s job is to show him around the facility. We quickly learn about who to like and avoid within the Center. With two distinct characters standing out: Theo and Aiden. These two characters will be seen throughout the game and are at the core, the embodiment of everything wrong with humanity.
At the garden, you quickly notice how Oliver has a strange affiliation with the old Oak Tree, where he can be seen in a trance as he connects with nature through physical touch. A later interaction between Elijah, Theo and Aiden outlines their reason for being at the Center. Aiden had assaulted an African-American couple but due to his Father’s power and status, he remains at the Center instead of in prison. Theo is more dangerous than Theo as the lead suspect of murdering his Mother at the age of 9-years old. So, just the worst kind of people you could be stuck with 24/7 really.
As Oliver settles in for the evening, we see our first glimpse with his new “powers”. The lights of the bedroom flickers and ominous, inhuman growling can be overheard. Through Oliver’s perspective, we see that he is communicating with someone we cannot see. But who?
The Mother Shows her Presence
Elijah performs his weekly Monday tasks of caring for the Center’s mascot, Ms. Murphy, the goose. As he walks Ms. Murphy outside, we notice a strange increased presence of black crows surrounding the Center as if they were watching and waiting for something to happen. Oliver is found once again at the Oak Tree, this time with his hand intertwined with a Tree root. In this same moment we find out that Oliver has a female friend on the other side of the wall for the Girls Center, her name is Grace. She appears to be at the moment, Elijah’s only real friend. Although her appearance is more of an imagination as Al, the counsellor appears to not know of her existence. When Elijah returns the goose, the root that Oliver was attached to has now overgrown into the Center walls itself.
Elijah’s only friend inside the Center is Eric, who is another queer character. With an obvious infatuation with Elijah, he asks about Oliver regularly out of jealousy. Oliver appears as a mute through the majority of the Episode, which is to be expected for the decade trauma he went through. When night arrive, we as players see our first experience of Elijah’s panic attack as he sees a terrifying, inhuman figure inside the Shower Room, just after Oliver had left.
The Overgrowing Roots
The following day, roots have surrounded the Center, forcing their way inside the walls. We find the photo we had taken of Oliver on the first day which reveals a shadowy creature behind him, similar to what he saw last night in the mirror. His mailbox is destroyed and Logan was attacked by the same creature from the Shower Room. Elijah spends the day helping Joe, the Caretaker, destroy the Oak Tree roots which have made their way into the Center. We leave Joe using a chainsaw at the roots core, outside in the Garden. Later, Ms. Murphy is killed by Aiden as a attack towards Elijah against his sexuality.
As Eric comforts Elijah that night, Oliver appears, to hand him a twig doll. With no words exchanged, Elijah accepts the doll and the day passes. The following day Joe is found dead, strung up on the Tree on display.
The Reveal of Oliver’s Story
As things are escalated within the Center, what with Joe’s death on display for everyone to see, Oliver takes Elijah aside and reveals what happened to him all those years ago. We find out that the only reason he was able to escape Mother was because of his sister, Tina who sacrificed herself to save Oliver. Mother believed that the children were hers and that they had to stay with her at all times, which was slowly killing Oliver and Tina with them living under harsh and unforgiving conditions. Tina burns Mother, destroying most of her lifeform, but Tina does not make it out alive. Oliver makes it out and is found by the neighbour, shown at the beginning of the game.
When night falls, Elijah wakes up and finds Oliver outside at the Oak Tree. He claims that because he can no longer feel Mother’s presence, she must be dead. The Nanny has come to its final conclusion, however the horror turns into something else in the climax of From the Woods. When Elijah spends the night with Oliver, we see that the same creature who appeared behind Oliver in the photo and inside the Shower Room is still attached to Oliver. If the Mother is dead, who is this who stays by Oliver’s side?
The Final Day
After Eric sees Elijah go into Oliver’s room, he tells Aiden and Theo out of rage and jealousy. This results in homophobic graffiti being plastered all over Elijah’s bedroom door as another warning shot made by the bullies. Time skips to night where the true horror begins. Elijah is ambushed by Aiden, Theo and Eric. The bullies strap Elijah down to a chair and pour water on him. A taser is brought out and Elijah is shocked like another form of the already twisted Conversion Therapy or a reimagination of Electroshock Therapy. Eric sobs at the side, naive for not realising how far Aiden and Theo would go to punish Elijah.
It is when Oliver awake, sensing that something is wrong, that he goes to the Shower Room to investigate. He finds Elijah unconscious and warns the bullies that they made a mistake harming Elijah. The music reaches its climax, a Grudge rattle sound can be heard off camera. The boys turn and the screen goes black.
The Meaning of Midnight Scenes: From the Woods
Unlike Navarro’s other work, From the Woods handles many real topics outside of the realm of cosmic, supernatural horror. Whilst there are details of the destruction of mother nature, seen with Joe being punished for killing the Oak Tree, the intention of From the Woods was to focus on more serious matters. The hatred in society against anything they do not understand. Elijah is a normal guy who never provoked or judged anyone, especially based on their past actions. This is shown by his comments on Aiden and Theo, where his opinion is based on their treatment of him rather than their past crimes.
From the Woods is a great tale of the importance of friends and family for queerness. Elijah is already deemed an outcast of society based off his queerness, but his tight-knit circle of friends is so crucial for him to be his true self and continue living. He found happiness in completing errands for Ms. Murphy, to write about stories and to wish for a better future for Oliver. Hatred in all forms is never okay and Navarro brilliantly encapsulates all of this inside the short story of From the Woods.
The Ending Explained
We find out that both Oliver and Elijah made it out okay. Grace is seen here for the first time, as a supporter for Elijah. The past night’s events reveal themselves as Theo and Aiden are brutally murdered by the creature attached to Oliver. We finally find out that the creature itself is Tina. She was transformed by Mother to stay with her forever, but Tina holds onto her humanity, protecting Oliver and his loved ones in a loving but also messed up way. That is sisterly love after all. The Twig Doll acted as a sign of protection granted by Oliver and linking Tina to Elijah. The game ends with Oliver holding Elijah to his promise to give Oliver a good ending after those years of torment.
The credits show Oliver and Elijah’s life together, through polaroid pictures taken at important moments of their lives. Oliver gets his happy ending and Tina remains a part of every moment, forever side by side with her younger brother, there to protect if anything tries to harm him. In a world filled with hate: homophobic, sexist, transphobic, racist, you need someone there who protects and does not judge. Everyone deserves their happy ending. Everyone but Theo and Aiden. Screw those guys. Elijah wins the National Book Award, becoming the writer he always dreamed of becoming. The couple have a baby who they name Tina after Oliver’s sister, with Nanny Grace remaining in their lives.
For Midnight Scenes, this is the happiest ending we have ever seen and probably will ever see in Octavi Navarro’s work. With Films, Games, TV Shows and Celebrities obsessed with queerbaiting and burying the gays tropes, an ending like this is a welcoming change and one I highly appreciated. So thank you Navarro, for your excellent Horror Games. That was the story and ending of Midnight Scenes: From the Woods explained, we hope you enjoyed the read. For more Indie Horror Games like Midnight Scenes, take a look at: 10 Best Point-and-Click Horror Games and for our Horror recommendation: How to Get All Endings in The Karaoke.
