The Pale Blue Eye concludes with detective Augustus Landor solving the mystery behind the murders of cadets at West Point military academy. Landor discovers that his own daughter Mattie was brutally raped by cadets at the academy, which led her to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff. Driven by grief and the desire for vengeance, Landor murdered the cadets responsible over the next two years. In the final scenes, Landor confronts the academy doctor Artemus Marquis, who had covered up Mattie’s rape. A fight ensues and a fire breaks out, but Landor manages to rescue the young Edgar Allan Poe from the flames. Landor then goes to the cliff where his daughter died and releases her hair ribbon into the wind, symbolizing the end of his vengeful quest. Poe and Landor part ways, both haunted by the dark events they’ve witnessed. The ending provides a tragic explanation for the murders at the academy while also exploring themes of grief, vengeance, and morality. Landor is depicted as a complex man who resorts to vigilante justice in response to his daughter’s suffering. The film closes on a somber, emotional note as Landor finally lets go of his pain and rage.