Groundhog Day is a comedy classic and a fan theory about Bill Murray’s comedy classic has proven to be very popular on Reddit. The movie never explained why Phil Connors was trapped in a time loop, living the same day over and over. But what if it was the ever-annoying Ned Ryerson who cursed him, because he was the devil?
Reddit user SuperConductiveRabbi writes: “When Phil first encounters Ned he insults him. Immediately after the insult Phil steps into a puddle, and Ned remarks, ‘Well-ha-ha! Watch out for that first step, it’s a doozy!’ The ‘first step’ Ned refers to [is] literally the first step Phil takes after being placed into the time loop, and Ned is laughing at the irony that Phil’s first step was so unpleasant. It’s a cruel irony that only Ned is able to enjoy.”
The theorist continued: “Immediately after Phil takes his ‘first step’ into his hellish torment, the framing of the shot prominently shows a red coffee cup with steam coming off it as Ned laughs devilishly. Perhaps this symbolises the fiery torment of hell, directed at Phil as Ned points his finger at him. On the last day of the loop we see that Phil has purchased insurance from Ned, much to Ned’s pleasure. This is actually the act that frees him from the time loop, not him successfully getting Rita sexually interested in him.”
They added: “[Then there’s the] religious symbology…note the framing when Ned finally releases Phil from his perdition. Phil’s head is illuminated in a halo of light reminiscent of the Christ, and the groundhogs appear above his head in a Holy cross. Consider this: in this day and age, buying a s**t-ton of life insurance is as close as you can get to selling your soul to someone.”