The ending of Valley of the Dead felt pretty convenient because of all the zombies going after them. Having Jan (Miki Esparbé) and Matacuras (Aura Garrido, as seen in The Innocent; Solo; The Warning) locked in one escape pod on a train while zombies come after them, only to be saved by overhead bombs from airplanes, felt like a plot convenience. How else would the two of them have escaped when all seemed hopeless?
On top of that, the train started to pull out of the station right as the bombs were coming down to save them. Jan wanted Matacuras to stay with him so that they could be safe together. But, Matacuras says that they have nothing in common and wouldn’t have met if they hadn’t been in this situation. In Jan’s mind, he believes that this is fate and that they should seize the moment together.
But, ultimately, they end up parting ways. Jan ends up watching Matacuras ride away on her bike as he lights a cigarette.
He then walks into the valley, not knowing if any more zombies are hiding in those trees. After coming across the Nazi general who created the experiment, it’s a possibility that there could be more and it leaves the ending open to interpretation.
Could there be a sequel based on the fact that Jan walks into the unknown? It’s a possibility. In a way, it did feel a bit like a video game because of the way it could continue.
Fortunately, Matacuras did cut off Jan’s hand in time, or else the zombie bite would have spread to his entire body, and he would have been infected. A lot of it felt like it was going through the motions, and it was a fairly basic ending that ended up saving the two main characters in the end. It felt safe, while still leaving it open-ended with a possibility of a sequel.
There’s still something so rewarding about watching a character walk away from a situation that could have killed them. Jan overcame so much and was able to live. He also saved the one woman that he had grown to care for during this tough situation.
