The Terrifying Revelation of Archie's Teeth in Leave the World Behind

The Unsettling Scenes of Leave the World Behind

One of the most unsettling and confusing scenes in Leave the World Behind is given some terrifying new insight from the information provided in the 2020 novel. Sam Esmail's dystopian doomsday Netflix thriller has become one of the most popular movies on the streaming service, maintaining the number one spot on the Top Movies list since it premiered on December 8, 2023.

The Scotts standing in front of the Sandfords, with the door open in Leave the World Behind. 

Even weeks after its release, viewers still have many questions about the logic behind the events of the film, which depicts a cyberattack that ignites the collapse of American society. There are a number of details and additional information provided in Rumaan Alam's 2020 novel, which inspired the 2023 Netflix film, that provides some additional context.

Vanessa Aspillaga as Salvadora in Leave the World Behind

For example, the loud noise in the movie is not really explained other than the possibility that it could be targeted microwave radiation attacks that are deliberately trying to poison Americans. In the book, however, it's explained that the loud noise is caused by highly advanced planes flying by that only the government knows are in existence. The loud noise is the most likely reason why Archie's teeth fall out in the movie and the book.

G.H. Scott and Ruth Scott sitting on the bed and staring forward, while covered in blue light in Leave the World Behind. 

The Revelation from the Book

Given the additional information in the Leave the World Behind book, Archie's falling teeth situation could have been a lot worse. It is revealed that Danny, played by Kevin Bacon in the film, has a wife named Karen who is also experiencing a loose teeth phenomenon similar to Archie's. Danny is incredibly protective of his property and information in Leave the World Behind, which is likely why he did not share this similarity with Clay and G. H. It is strange, however, given the information from the book, that Danny would act surprised when he heard that Archie's teeth had fallen out as well.

Julia Roberts inspecting Teslas in Leave the World Behind

Whether the Danny character in the Leave the World Behind movie was hiding the information about his wife from Clay and G. H., the additional information from the book makes the implications in the film more terrifying. It highlights the reality that whatever is happening to Archie could eventually happen to everyone in Clay and G.H.'s family and thousands of people across the country. If the noise did cause Archie and Karen's teeth to fall out, then it's likely only a matter of time before the others experience similar symptoms.

The White Lion from Leave the World Behind

The Terrifying Implications

There is the possibility that what Archie is experiencing isn't from the loud noise but is rather a result of the mysterious tick that bit him. It appears to be an unusual bug that could even be an agent of biological warfare, spreading a terrible disease through the disguise of a seemingly natural tick. Whether the source of the disease is from the loud noise or the tick, the fact that Danny's wife Karen was also affected paints a much more hopeless picture over the ending of Leave the World Behind.

Farrah Mackenzie as Rose Sandford talking about The West Wing in bed in Leave the World Behind