“This man was alive a few seconds ago.”
Why it's great
A flat past-tense sentence states a death, and the calm is what makes it land.
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literary
Use it yourself
The driver was talking a few seconds ago; now everything changed.
00:00 / 04:25
00:00 / 04:25
A Stranger Asks to Be Let In, Explained
This Is the End · 2013
Chapter 10 of 27 · 4'25"
The group wakes to a fight about food, then to Jonah's report that the night before left many dead. When a stranger at the door begs, "You've got to let me in," they argue over whether to trust him — they've just boarded up the house, and letting the first knock in could be the last decision they make.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:49–1:18
Jonah Reports the Fatalities
29s - 1:34–1:49
❝ Monologue · 6 lines Danny's murderous business pitch
It hands out gifts, then asks for a killing, stacking conditions until death is a line item.
14s - 2:02–3:29
The Stranger Begs to Be Let In
87s
A Stranger Asks to Be Let In, explained
What happens
Morning comes, and the group turns on each other over food before Jonah delivers the real news: many people died the night before, including friends. Then a stranger starts pounding on the door, begging to be let in and warning that it's chaos outside. The house has just been boarded up, and no one agrees on whether to open it.
What's really going on
After a night nobody can quite explain, the house wakes up fighting over food. Their theory for the missing supplies is that everyone dropped acid, and the argument is settled only when Jonah, in his serious voice, reports the real damage: 'there were a lot of fatalities.' That line resets the tone — the apocalypse is now a body count, not a hangover. Then the moral test arrives at the door. A stranger begs, 'You've got to let me in,' and the group has to decide whether survival means trusting no one or opening up. They've just boarded up the house; letting the first knock inside feels like the opposite of the rule. The vote, and the quick reversal, show how thin their principles are under pressure — and the scene ends by proving the danger was real all along.
Key lines & what they mean
- “This man was alive a few seconds ago.”
- The line that marks the death at the door: a body that was breathing moments earlier is now just something on the floor.
- “We can't play soccer with his head.”
- A grim joke about the body being treated like a toy — the group's way of handling the next shock without breaking down.
- “If pot's legalized my business will suffer.”
- The intruder's pitch outside the door: he frames his motive as economic, refusing to be the one whose livelihood ends if marijuana is legalized.
- “Seth, that's a better performance than you've given in your last six movies.”
- The joke at Seth's expense: his panic reads to the others as the best acting he has done in years.
Theme
- Survival — The group boards up the house to stay alive, then has to decide whether saving a stranger helps or threatens them.
- Trust — A man at the door asks to be let in, and the friends argue over whether anyone outside can be trusted — or whether trust is a luxury now.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level5/7
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“We can't play soccer with his head.”
Why it's great
It draws a moral line through a ridiculous ban, so horror and comedy share one sentence.
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Informal
Use it yourself
We can't put that photo online; he'd never forgive us.
“If pot's legalized my business will suffer.”
Why it's great
A clean first conditional turns a murder plan into a business case, and the logic is the joke.
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Neutral
Use it yourself
If the tax rises, my bakery will suffer.
“Seth, that's a better performance than you've given in your last six movies.”
Why it's great
A backhanded compliment that roasts his last six movies while praising this one moment.
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Informal
Use it yourself
That's a better note than you've hit in your last six karaoke nights.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Danny's murderous business pitch
Good thing I have a lot of fucking weed for you guys. Hey, hey, hey. What the fuck you eating, man? I hooked you guys up. Now I need you guys to assassinate Woody Harrelson. If pot's legalized my business will suffer. And if my business suffers I suffer.
It hands out gifts, then asks for a killing, stacking conditions until death is a line item.
Up next · 11hear me outThe scene: Reading Revelations at Franco'sTakeaways
What you walk away with- First conditionals map out consequences before a choice is made.
- Saying we can't play soccer with his head draws a line through absurdity.
- Fatalities is the cold newsroom word for deaths.
- The vote scene turns survival into a shouting match.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy do they think someone took acid?
It's Danny's guess for why the house is in chaos and why no one remembers the night. The others deny it, but the joke sets up the real news Jonah is about to deliver.
What news does Jonah bring?
That the previous night left many people dead, including people they knew. It shifts the scene from a hangover comedy into the aftermath of a disaster.
Why don't they want to let the stranger in?
They just boarded the house up to keep everyone out, and they don't know him. Some fear he could be dangerous, so they debate and call a vote.
How do they decide whether to open the door?
They put it to a vote, and at least one person decides simply to let him in out of boredom. The decision doesn't last: the danger outside turns out to be real.