did she pull the trigger??

Of course she didn't - it was love! Certifiably insane, crazy *beep* up love, but love all the same ;-)

"People incapable of guilt usually do have a good time." - Rustin Cohle

I think she did. Note that she shot the other two men in the room, and a cover of "These Boots Are made For Walking" plays over the credits. She had spent the whole movie being alternately exploited, whored out and treated like *beep* by the men in the movie; I view the ending as Dottie regaining her own agency, if that makes sense; in that sense, her killing Joe is the logical ending.

At first I fully believed she shot him as the camera went dark. However, after thinking about it, I don't think she did. I believe she pointed the gun at him and put her finger on the trigger to let Joe know she was not his toy any more. She was his equal. She also did not want her kid to be ignored like she was and she was letting Joe know she was calling the shots (see, the symbolism there?).

While Dottie lay in her bed, listening to Joe feed Sharla, she says something to the effect of "I have to go. It's suffocating me. I can't be around it anymore"

Unless Dottie was having another of her heightened awareness episodes, I don't think she knew exactly what Sharla was eating in the kitchen with Joe.

The whole scene sounded authentic enough, didn't it?

It's apparent that Dottie had voluntarily revealed Chris' intentions with her to Joe, because Joe shares the plan with Ansel and Sharla just before Chris' arrival.

Up until this point, of all the central characters, Dottie most certainly would have been the least culpable and, arguably, the brightest too. Try to imagine a scenario where she might escape the sometimes seemingly absent compassion of a Texas jury and Karma settles its score with the evil doers:

I can't tell exactly where Chris was shot, mainly because he was a bloody mess. It looks like the right shoulder though. He may have met his demise due to eating too much pumpkin, though still conscious and standing. The shot simply didn't look lethal, even though he ended up, laying motionless, in a pool of blood.

Ansel was gut-shot, but far from dead.

For all intents and purposes, forensics would support that something had provoked Chris who produced a weapon. After which, Sharla stabbed him to disarm him and then absolute chaos ensued. Killer Joe then relentlessly pummels Chris as Dottie retrieves the weapon and begins to shoot wildly accidentally striking first Chris and then Ansel.

Seeing her brother apparently dead and Joe now turning his focus to her, she shoots the mad man in self defense.

The only loose ends being the pictures and the check made out to Rex Newall (Rex Knew All!) both of which could be quickly and easily hidden.

I'm holding out for Killer Joe Jr., the sequel. This time it's finger lickin' good!



"If people like you don't learn from what happened to people like me..." -Professor Rohl

It looks like she's going to. Notice she moves her finger from outside of the trigger guard to the inside. I think she's telling Joe "I'm going to have a baby" as an explanation for what she's about to do. As she misses several times before she hits Chris, I'm not sure she intended to hit him. Maybe; but it doesn't matter, much. I think she didn't want to be involved with any of them because she was in self preservation mode in preparation for motherhood.

Of course she did.

Fanboy : a person who does not think while watching.

I think she did shoot Joe at the end. Right before the screen went black, she was squeezing the trigger.


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I don't think she did. But then my theory is based on a single shot roughly one hour into the movie. Chris and Joe are driving in the car with Adele in the trunk, and lightning and a street lamp illuminate three crosses on the side of the road. Three people die in this movie: Adele, Chris, and Ansel.