'Bendy and the Ink Machine' Theory: What Happened to Sammy?

Warning: Contains spoilers for Chapter 3. Don't read until you are all caught up!

Since its release back in February 2017, Bendy and the Ink Machine has become an indie hit online. Gamers have loved delving into its mysteries and piecing together the many clues strewn about Joey Drew Studios. One of the many tragic stories told in the game is that of Sammy Lawrence, the musical composer for the studio. Sammy is an intriguing figure, as his attitudes seem to vary drastically between his two available audio logs. He goes from being wary of Joey Drew's bizarre machinations, to throwing himself whole-heartedly into the worship of the Ink Demon. The question is, what could have influenced him in such a way? What, exactly, is happening to Sammy?

We first encounter Sammy when we drop to the lower level in Chapter 2. It is reasonable to presume he is responsible for the ritual spaces, as he attempts to utilize them later, and, once his segment is passed, we don't see anymore pentagrams. However, there's more to the room we drop down into than meets the eye: Notice how there is furniture piled against the door. It looks as if someone holed themselves up down there, and were trying to keep something out.

In the earlier audio log from Sammy (the second one we find), he bemoans the ink pipes Joey Drew has installed. He finds them noisy and distracting, especially when Joey installs two more pumps down in Sammy's office. However, Sammy eventually has a change of attitude, and speaks wistfully of the ink, and of a savior (Bendy) rising out of it. However, much of what we witness in the lower level suggests someone hiding from the Ink Demon. Someone is trying to keep him out. It could be that it was another employee, or even Boris or Alice trying to keep Bendy out, but we don't see them on his level. The only one we see is Sammy.

I think what happened to Sammy was this: He is resentful of the Ink Machine. He hates the noisy pipes, and doesn't like the way Joey is acting as a result of the project. When the Ink Demon eventually gets free, Sammy barricades himself, terrified, in the lower level. However, the pumps Joey installed downstairs provide another entrance route for the Ink Demon, who appears and drags Sammy into the ink, corrupting him. Sammy begins to turn into a Boris, as evidenced by the fact that he is wearing Boris-like clothing when we see him. However, his form is lumpy and imperfect (compare this to how Alice says she was when she was first born). He believes that Bendy will be able to free him from this form, perhaps Bendy does something to make him believe such, and thus Sammy begins to worship him. He sings the "old songs" that he wrote for the Bendy cartoons as a form of worship, in an attempt to get the attention of his "savior." He even gets a sacrifice (Henry) for Bendy. However, when Bendy appears to Sammy, he sees Sammy's corrupted form, and drags him back into the ink.

This is also what Alice is afraid will happen to her. There is something about Bendy that makes him hate imperfect beings. He pulls them back into the ink to be reborn until they are formed perfectly. It's also apparent that Sammy, for whatever reason, is turning into a Boris. It seems that most of the employees are reformed into Borises, or miscellaneous monsters, while Susie/Allison, Norman Polk, and perhaps even Joey himself are turned into Alice, the Projectionist, and Bendy, respectively. What causes these individuals to take on different forms is still unknown. Perhaps Chapter 4 will hold some more clues for us to decipher.