Time Cut ending explained: Who was the killer in the Netflix sci-fi slasher?

Time Cut is Netflix's latest sci-fi slasher. Its twist has left the audience shocked. It has a timeline-tripping plot directed by Hannah Macpherson. Time Cut is all about slasher scares and a head-spinning time-travel narrative that keeps you guessing.

Fans were just as shocked as the movie's stars, who found themselves stumped about who the killer really was in Time Cut. Antonia Gentry, who plays Summer Field, a high school student and one of the movie's victims, even told Netflix's Tudum,

“I was surprised!”

Madison Bailey, her on-screen sister Lucy, agreed:

“I was shocked. But it also made a lot of sense to me.”

In this article, we’ll find out who was behind the killing, why they went on a killing spree, and how all that time-traveling madness created more questions. Let’s take a look at Time Cut and know who the Sweetly Slasher was.

Who killed Summer in Time Cut?

In the movie's final act, we discover that the Sweetly Slasher killer is none other than Future Quinn. This comes as a surprise not just for the audience but also for the characters. But who is Quinn, and what’s his motivation?

Present-day Quinn (played by Griffin Gluck) is a quiet, science-loving high schooler. He becomes friends with Lucy, Summer’s younger sister.

When Lucy time-travels back to 2003, she meets Summer and Quinn in the past. There, they all team up to prevent Summer’s impending death. But as Lucy and Summer grow closer, Lucy learns that her time-traveling friendship with Quinn has serious, life-changing results.

Future Quinn is bitter and scarred by years of bullying and rejection. He returns to 2003 to seek revenge on those who tormented him. Those people include Summer and her friends. The time machine has given him the power to change his painful history. And well, he’s out for blood.

Why did Quinn become the Sweetly Slasher in Time Cut?

In the original timeline, Quinn experienced a lot of bullying and heartbreak. Ethan and Brian were his classmates. They publicly humiliated him by throwing him into a river. To make matters worse, Quinn confessed his romantic feelings to Summer, and she rejected him. These rejections and betrayals built up over time, making Quinn resent those people.

Fast-forward to 2024. The adult, embittered Quinn, uses the time machine to travel back and exact his revenge on his high schoolmates. He goes on a three-day killing spree. He targets Summer, Emmy, Brian, and Val, all the teens he felt wronged him.

The chilling twist is that not high school Quinn becomes the Sweetly Slasher. It’s his future self who is haunted by years of bitterness.

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Does Lucy save Summer in Time Cut?

Yes, she does. Lucy successfully stops Future Quinn by stabbing him in Time Cut. She ends the terror once and for all. This confrontation between teenage Quinn and his future self pushes him to face the dark path he’s destined for.

Lucy’s intervention means that the younger Quinn won’t grow into the bitter, murderous man he saw in his future self.

Thanks to Lucy’s time-traveling escapades, she manages to prevent her sister’s death and change Quinn’s tragic fate. With Future Quinn defeated, past Quinn can live a different life.

He has been freed from the cycle of revenge and violence. After the bloody showdown, Summer and Lucy get to live happily together. Albeit in 2003, which became Lucy’s new permanent home.

What about Quinn’s promise in Time Cut?

Teenage Quinn makes a heartfelt promise before Lucy returns to 2003 for good. He’ll never turn into the Sweetly Slasher. But with time travel, you never really know.

Lucy’s actions may have changed some of the events that led to Future Quinn’s descent into darkness. But there’s always a chance the timeline could shift again.

Since Lucy changed Quinn’s future, it doesn’t seem like he’ll go down the same path. However, the butterfly effect could mean other unexpected changes in Time Cut.

The unsolved mysteries of Time Cut

Even though Lucy and Summer defeat Future Quinn, some questions remain. Tragically, they weren’t able to save Brian and Val. They were two of Quinn’s other victims.

Future Quinn returned to his timeline before dying. So, there’s no way for Lucy and Summer to prove their guilt. Even if they do, they must convince the authorities that time travel exists.

This means that in their timeline, Brian and Val’s deaths technically remain unsolved.

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