The Inhabitant (2022) | Horror | Movie Recap

0:00 Hey friends, how's it going? Today I'm going to take you through a chilling psychological [music] horror story based on the true events of the infamous killer Lizzie Bordon. It's full of dark secrets, possession, and terrifying twists. So, let's dive straight into the story. The movie opens in a lonely, desolate place. A woman dressed in a white gown is shown sharpening an axe, her face emotionless. After a while, she quietly walks away, leaving us with a sense of unease. Next, the scene shifts to early morning. It's 5:00 a.m., and a woman named Gina is about to go for her morning run. Before stepping out, she glances at her husband to make sure he's asleep. On the table, she notices a bouquet of flowers. Instead of appreciating the gesture, she

0:47 picks them up and angrily smashes them outside. From this, we understand that her husband must have made some mistake and the flowers were his way of apologizing. But Gina is still furious and in no mood to forgive him. As Gina begins her run, something horrifying happens. The same mysterious woman in the white gown suddenly appears in front of her holding that sharp ax. Before Gina can react, the woman brutally murders her. The story then introduces us to Tara, a teenage girl who's passionate about hockey. Later, while she's on the bus with her friend Susie, we learn that Tara had been injured during the match when another girl, Karen, attacked her. Despite this, Tara seems strong and determined. We also find out that she has a boyfriend [music] and she's been accepted into

1:32 Stanford University for graduation. A big deal since the university is far away from her small hometown. Soon after, Tara has a terrifying nightmare. She sees her newborn brother, Jack, crying in his crib. Then in a horrifying twist, it's her holding an axe, striking him. The vision is so shocking that she jolts awake on the bus. Thankfully, it was just a nightmare. Later, when Tara reaches home, she finds baby Jack crying exactly like in her dream. Worried, she quickly picks him up, holds him close, and whispers that she'll never hurt him, that no matter what, she'll always protect him. Apart from Jack, Tara also has a younger brother, Caleb, who's 9 years old. The movie now shifts to Gina's house where the investigation

2:18 into her disappearance has begun. Police quickly discover that Gina and her husband had been fighting. When questioned, he admits the shocking truth. He had been sending sexually provocative messages to their babysitter, Tara Halden. Tara never responded, but the confession is enough for the police to want to question her. Meanwhile, at home, Tara asks her mom for permission to go babysitting with her friend Susie. Her mom firmly refuses, especially telling her not to babysit at Gina's house anymore. Tara explains she had already stopped working there long ago. During this conversation, her mom casually mentions that Gina once spent $1,000 on a baby stroller. Her father, Ben, laughs, joking that they never needed such things because they kept Tara locked

3:03 inside a closet for 6 years. Shocked, Tara snaps, "Oh, just like you did with Aunt Diane." It becomes clear that Aunt Diane was never liked or accepted by the family. When her mom mentions visiting Diane over the weekend, both Caleb and her father immediately refuse. Frustrated, Tara storms off. Later, we see Tara working on her true passion, fashion design, while babysitting is just a side gig. She's on a video call with Susie when her boyfriend suddenly shows up at the door. Her dad tells her he's there, so she quickly ends the call and goes to check on him. As she stands in the doorway, her dad brings up her future, asking if she really plans to go to Stanford. He warns that being away will test whether her relationship is true love and even suggests talking to

3:49 Karen's parents since Karen once hurt Tara during hockey. Tara firmly refuses. That evening, Tara and her boyfriend are making out outside when she notices a shadowy figure near her bedroom window. Alarmed, she runs inside, convinced someone is there, but the room is empty. Meanwhile, back in the living room, her [music] parents are casually chatting when Tara, frustrated, bursts out angrily, telling them not to enter her room again. She storms back to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Her mom, Emily, comes in to talk. Tara, visibly upset, explains that someone has been sneaking into her room, touching her things, and even making some disappear. Emily insists no one from the family has been in her room, but Tara

4:35 angrily insists she's not imagining things. Emily then brings up Tara's nightmares. She explains the same thing happened to Aunt Diane, happy on the outside, [music] but tormented by something dark. Emily calls it a family curse. Worried, she tells Tara these nightmares could be mental illness or something more dangerous. She suggests medication, but Tara refuses, denying any illness. Emily then suggests therapy, but Tara snaps, telling her to leave. Left alone, [music] Tara researches the family curse online. Articles call it bipolar disorder or a rare mental illness, but one mentions that during episodes, the person's eyes turn completely black. Horrified, Tara slams the laptop shut and throws herself

5:20 into sewing late into the night. Meanwhile, we see Susie alone in her room. Shockingly, she's pleasuring herself with Tara's costumes, showing just how obsessed she's become with her friend. That night, Tara is startled awake by someone calling her name. Lizzy, the woman in white, stands there, her eyes pitch black. Tara mutters that Lizzy isn't real. But Lizzy hands her an ax and says, "If I'm not real, then prove it. Kill your brother with this." Tara raises the axe, but it slips, cutting her leg. Terrified, she staggers out and hears her parents fighting. Her father insists therapy won't help. It didn't work for Diane. Emily angrily tells him not to bring Diane into this. Overwhelmed, Tara locks herself in the

6:07 bathroom and eventually falls asleep. By morning, Emily finds her and wakes her up. To her shock, the injury on the leg from the night before is very real. Shaken, Tara finally goes to a therapist. There, she learns the horrifying truth about Diane. At just 16, Diane drowned her own baby. The therapist warns that Tara might be showing early signs of the same disorder, uncontrollable anger, multiple personalities, hallucinations, but with therapy and medication, she could recover. Tara refuses to believe it. She storms out, declaring she'll never hurt her family. But as she leaves, Lizzie whispers chillingly in her ear, "Your aunt Dianne wasn't afraid." Soon, two officers arrive to question Tara. She explains she runs a small business

6:54 selling handmade clothes. One of her gym acquaintances, Miky, bought an outfit from her, but things turned disturbing when he began asking her to model and sending inappropriate messages and explicit images. Tara reveals that Gina knew about this and only her mom was aware too, though her mom didn't know about the images. That's why she had forbidden Tara from babysitting at Gina's house. Meanwhile, in a chilling cutaway, male uses the very dress he bought from Terara for his own twisted pleasure. Elsewhere, Karen is seen walking home with a friend. But since they live in different directions, Karen takes a shortcut through the woods. As she makes her way through, she hears strange noises, but no one is in sight.

7:39 Suddenly, the woman in the white gown appears, this time chopping off one of Karen's fingers before brutally murdering her. Back at home, Tara works on one of her costumes when Susie drops by. Susie praises her sewing skills and gently asks if she's doing okay. This time, Tara admits the terrifying truth. She feels like she might hurt her own family, that the nightmares make her feel cursed like generations before her. Susie laughed it off, joking that every teenager sometimes feels like killing their parents. But Tara shook her head, her expression serious. She insisted she really meant it and begged Susie not to tell anyone. Terra confesses she had a dream where she killed her baby brother, Jack, and she's been terrified ever since. Susie tries to lighten the mood,

8:25 but in the other room, Emily listens through the baby monitor, her face filled with worry. The next day, baby Jack falls sick with a fever. Because of this, Emily tells Tara to visit and Diane on her own. Tara refuses, saying she doesn't want to go alone. Emily then suggests she take Susie along, reminding her that Diane was expecting them and she didn't want to disappoint her. Tara protests, saying Diane killed her own child and didn't deserve their sympathy, but Emily scolds her for calling Diane a murderer and insists she should visit. Finally, Tara agrees, but as she's about to leave, the same two officers show up again. This time investigating Karen's brutal murder. Once again, suspicion falls on Tara. She knew both Gina and

9:12 Karen. And with Karen having attacked her before, the police start seeing a clear motive. But suspicion alone wasn't enough. They couldn't arrest anyone without proof. Later, Tara left with Susie to visit Aunt Diane. On the way, Susie casually admitted she didn't feel sad about Karen's death since Karen used to bully Tara. Tara looked uneasy. And as for Aunt Diane's home, it wasn't a house at all. They arrived at a psychiatric hospital. The moment Diane saw Tara, her expression shifted, as if she noticed something disturbing. Or maybe she was upset that her sister Emily hadn't come. Diane studied Tara carefully, telling her there was something different this time, something she had seen before in herself. She explained that the women in their family had a strange connection with Lizzy, the

9:59 dark spirit. Diane claimed even Emily had seen her. Lizzie had told Diane she could always push the blame onto Emily. Diane suggested that Tara must be having very dark thoughts too, which might be why Lizzy was drawn to her. Tara quickly denied being like her aunt. But Diane shocked her, admitting she hadn't suffocated her baby like everyone believed. She had killed him with an ax. The strange part was that Diane didn't remember doing it, having blacked out. She warned Tara that the same evil lived inside her as well. Their bloodline was cursed. Lizzie fed on those dark thoughts [music] and took control. Terrified, Tara muttered that she would end up in hell. Suddenly, Diane lunged at her, singing an eerie nursery rhyme she had once hummed long ago. Nurses

10:45 rushed in and dragged her away. Shaken, Tara ran outside and told Suzie everything. Later at home, furious and confused, Tara confronted her mother, demanding to know why she had never told her that Diane killed her own child with an ax. Why had she lied? Emily didn't answer. That night, Tara's dad sat in his car when he received a call from his boss. He ignored it only to suddenly see a horrifying figure, a woman in a Halloween costume standing right in front of his car. Meanwhile, inside the house, Tara asked her mom if she too had seen hallucinations of Lizzy since Diane had said Emily had experienced them. Emily flatly denied it, saying she had

11:31 only lied to comfort her lonely sister. She explained that Diane used to pass out drunk and one night was found [music] unconscious on her bed with an axe still in her hand. Next to her lay blood soaked sheets and her dead baby. That's how everyone assumed Diane had killed him. At that moment, Tara's dad returned home. Emily quickly told Tara to keep everything a secret and then left the room. Tara had grown restless. She dove deep into [music] researching the Bordon family murders and discovered connections to dark rituals and maybe even the paranormal. Her curiosity led her to one decision. She would visit Lizz's old house. Once a home of horrors, it was now a museum where seances and rituals were still performed. When Tara told Susie, she refused, not wanting Tara to get hurt.

12:17 Tara hung up while Susie sat staring at their happy photos, hurting silently, consumed by guilt over her love for Tara. The next morning, Mikall was alone in his bedroom when someone knocked at the door. At first, he ignored it, but the knocking grew louder and faster. When he finally opened the door, he was struck down in cold blood with an axe. Meanwhile, Tara told her family she was going to Suz's house, but instead she and her boyfriend Carl went to Lizz's house for an overnight stay. Tara chose Lizz's own room to spend the night. The museum guide warned them of a seance at 8:00 p.m. As they explored, Tara heard Lizz's voice calling her name. They found old vintage costumes in the basement. Tara insisted they either throw them out or take them home. They

13:02 were triggering her hallucinations. During the seance, Tara began hearing whispers. Lizz's voice filled her head and she became possessed, seeing visions of the seance leader as her stepmother, trying to replace her real mom and steal her father. Blinded by rage, Tara grabbed an ax, her visions twisting further. Blood, her father, Lizz's stepmother, but waves of horrifying visions overwhelmed her and she collapsed. When she came too, Carl rushed her out of the museum. The next morning, Susie went to Terara's house to collect some clothes. Emily told her everything was stored in the basement behind the furnace. [music] Susie began stuffing the old clothes into a trash bag when suddenly she froze. There was blood on one of the

13:48 garments. Before she could react, someone attacked her with an ax and her body was stuffed into the same trunk. Her love for Terra died with her, sealed in that dark tomb. Meanwhile, Tara tried calling Susie, but no one picked up. Then, the police made a chilling discovery. [music] Gina and Male's bodies had been found. Next to Male was a white dress, the same style Lizzie Bordon once wore. Terra reached home and noticed Suz's car parked outside. But when she checked, it was empty. She called Suz's phone and froze. The ringtone was echoing from the basement. Panic hit her. She screamed Suz's name, then called for her mom, but the house was silent. No answer came. Tara quickly heads inside and panics when she

14:34 realizes her little brother Jack is missing from his crib. Searching frantically, she finally finds her cousin Caleb hiding in the attic, clutching Jack in his arms. Caleb explains in fear that Susan's body is locked in the basement trunk and that someone killed her. He says he heard noises in the house, so he grabbed Jack and hid upstairs to keep him safe. Terra tells Caleb to stay put, hand him the phone, and orders him to call 911. Meanwhile, Caleb also informs their dad about the situation, and he rushes home immediately. Inside the house, Tara and Carl search for their mom, armed only with the stick. Suddenly, a woman leaps out of the shadows and attacks Carl, injuring him before fleeing. Tara quickly ties a belt around his wound to stop the bleeding, then grabs an ax

15:19 lying nearby and goes after the mysterious figure. Meanwhile, Ben keeps [music] calling Emily's phone again and again, but she never answers. As she searches, Tara stumbles upon the lifeless body of Aunt Diane. Right beside it stands her own mother, Emily, dressed in a white gown, her face twisted in madness. Emily calmly tells Tara that she has spent years hiding behind medication, but tonight she feels more alive than ever in her true form. Then Emily lunges at Tara with anim animalistic rage, but slips and crashes to the ground. For a brief moment, Tara tries to reach her mother, begging her to remember who she really is, the loving mom of Jack, Caleb, and her. Emily breaks down in tears, speaking

16:05 gently to Tara, saying she only needs help. But the moment doesn't last. Emily's face twists again, her voice cold and venomous. She screams that she doesn't need anyone's help. She declares she'll kill Caleb and Jack first because Jack just keeps crying anyway and she'll make him quiet forever. Emily then reveals her darkest secret. Aunt Diane [music] never killed her baby. She did. Diane had passed out drunk with an axe in her hand. But Emily suffocated the child because it was illegitimate. Just like her own father betrayed her mother, she claims everyone in her life betrays her. And now Tara is trying to do the same, stealing her place, her home, her family. Emily swears she'll kill every single one of them. Tara, broken and

16:52 trembling, drops the axe and whispers for her mother to kill her if she must. At that moment, Emily's eyes glaze over with visions of Lizz's spirit, and she becomes fully possessed. She raises the weapon, ready to strike her daughter down. But before the blow lands, the police storm into the house. An officer fires and Emily collapses to the floor, badly wounded. She is rushed to the hospital, barely alive, but not dead yet. In the aftermath, Tara's father promised to protect her from the curse. Tara took responsibility for her brothers, her family, and herself, taking medication to ensure she would never become like her mother or aunt Diane. She visited Suz's grave, placing flowers in mourning. For a while, the nightmare seemed over. But then one morning, Caleb asks his father for the

17:39 car keys and his dad hands them over. Laughing. Caleb starts playing around, enjoying [music] himself until he suddenly freezes. Someone is there sitting silently behind him. The camera pans and it's not just anyone. It's Lizz's spirit watching [music] him. And with that chilling sight, the movie ends. Now, I know some of you might be wondering what really happened and who Lizzy actually was. So, here's the truth. Lizzie Bordon in this story is based on a real ancestor of the family, a girl who shockingly killed her father and stepmother in a case that was never solved. The film builds on that crime, suggesting Terara's family is haunted by the same curse, blending possession with mental illness to make it even darker. In the movie, Lizz's spirit seems to

18:25 return and possess Emily from the very start, driving her to commit the murders. But it's never clear if the deaths are supernatural or simply the result of a fractured mind. And if you're wondering why Emily killed her sister Diane's child, it's hinted that their father had an affair with Diane, making the child his. Feeling betrayed, Emily lashed out to end what she saw as a twisted family scandal and even feared Tara might suffer the same fate or secretly fall into an affair with her own father. Diane eventually escaped from a psychiatric hospital to intervene, but Emily killed her. Male was brutally slaughtered for his obsessive behavior toward Tara, including sending her explicit pictures. Gina's death might suggest she turned a

19:10 blind eye to her husband's [music] actions. Sadly, Susie was silenced after discovering the bloodstained clothes, and Karen met her end for secretly bullying Tara. That's The Inhabitant. If you liked this recap, hit like and subscribe, and I'll see you in the next one.