Woman's Life Turns Upside Down When She Moves Into This Creepy House

0:20 The movie is set in the 80s, and it begins with a man named George arriving home after work. As he’s parking his car in the garage, blood suddenly drips onto the windshield from above. And so, a panicked George rushes upstairs, and finds his daughter staring at something. The next second, we see him frantically running through the open fields, holding his daughter in his arms. The scene then cuts to a few months earlier, and we learn that George, his wife, Catherine, and daughter, Franny, live in Manhattan. During the little girl’s birthday celebration, George breaks the news that not only has he completed his PHD, he has also landed a teaching job in a private Upstate college. Later, Catherine talks to one of her friends in private, and we learn that she’s a successful art restorer.

1:09 Moving with her husband upstate means she’ll have to quit her dream job, but she’s ready to make that sacrifice. George had also been struggling for years, and had repeatedly borrowed money from his father, so she must support him this time. The following day, the family moves into a large 19th century farmhouse, which has vintage furniture, and a beautiful old piano. But from the very first night, strange things begin to occur. Catherine smells car exhaust fumes coming from somewhere, while Franny gets spooked by a moving chair in her room, so she rushes to her parents’ room. The next morning, George is welcomed to the college by Floyd DeBeers, the head of the art history department.

1:59 Floyd is interested in spirits and after lifes, so he gives George a book called Heaven and Hell by a famed Swedish writer named Emanuel Swedenborg as a welcome gift. Meanwhile, Catherine is visited by two brothers from the neighborhood, Eddie and Cole, who are looking for work. And so, she hires young Cole to babysit her daughter, and Eddie to help out with handyman tasks. Later that night, as Catherine is working in the kitchen, she comes across an old bible containing a family tree of the previous owners in the house. It reveals that the house was previously inhabited by the Smits family. But some of the names in the family tree are scratched out and marked "Damned.” Shortly after, Catherine notices strange lights in the kitchen which lead her to an antique ring.

2:45 And when she picks it up, she suddenly senses a spirit which leaves her startled. The next day, Catherine decides to dig deep about the family, and visits the local Historical Society. She learns that a man named Jacob Smit and his wife Ella built the house, and also finds a picture of them. On the other hand, George approaches a college girl named Willis at the library, and they have a brief chit chat. Surprisingly, we later see George pleasuring himself at home, indicating that he’s attracted to that girl. Overtime, George becomes very popular in college, not only among the students, but also in the teacher’s circle. He befriends one of his colleagues named Justine Sokolov who is the weaving instructor at the college.

3:31 Justine is amazed by the paintings in his office, but George says he quit that long time ago, and now solely focuses on teaching. That night, Catherine continues to smell exhaust fumes in her room, so George speculates it’s coming from the garage below their bedroom, and assures her that he’ll install fans in the garage the next morning. But a fed up Catherine decides to fix it right away, and heads to the garage alone. However, as she works on the fan, the piano suddenly starts to play in the other room. This freaks her out and she goes to inspect, but finds no one there. Upstairs, Franny spots a mysterious woman in her room, causing her to scream in horror. The little girl tells her parents that she saw a spirit, so Catherine takes her along with her.

4:17 The next morning, Catherine comes across the book Floyd had gifted George. She begins reading it, and senses something supernatural around the house. Meanwhile, George is out on a jog when he finds Willis working on a nearby stable. She doesn’t say much, and simply leads him to a room. George also gives in to his temptations, and the two end up making love. After a while, he returns home with a wildflower for Catherine, and she finds the gesture very sweet. But when she puts on Ella’s ring, she immediately throws the flower in the bin, seemingly under the ring’s influence. On his way to work, George runs into Eddie and they strike up a conversation. We shockingly learn that Eddie and his brother once lived in this farmhouse, before some incident forced them out.

5:05 George is already aware of this, but he asks Eddie to keep it from his wife, saying she might not handle the truth well. Later, while Catherine is with the boys, she learns that Eddie is good at playing musical instruments and wanted to study music in college. That night, when George returns home, he finds Eddie playing the piano while Catherine enjoys it. George is annoyed by their closeness, but doesn’t say anything at the moment. As the days pass, both Catherine and Franny continue seeing the strange spirit at night. Even vultures start roaming outside, indicating that there’s a dark energy. In the next scene, we see George finishing up another one of his intimate sessions with Willis.

5:52 He seems very happy, but she’s fed up with their illicit affair and declares that they’re done. George tries to talk her out of it, but Willis doesn’t listen and rides away on her horse. That evening, George and Catherine go over to Justine’s home for dinner. George immediately bonds with her husband, Bram, over their shared love for weed, while the girls also engage in deep conversations. Justine then invites Catherine to join a women’s art group she attends, and the latter, who’s desperate for company, immediately accepts. On the way home, Catherine talks a lot about Justine, but George simply mocks her. He then starts driving erratically under the influence, and this leads to an argument. Catherine angrily gets out of the car, and expresses her frustration over the fact that she had to quit her dream job for him.

6:41 George tries to take her back to the car, but ends up pushing her down, bruising her face. He immediately regrets his actions and apologizes, but she doesn’t say a word. Later at home, George once again apologizes to Catherine and expresses regret over not tending to her needs, but she remains indifferent. As the couple continues to drift apart, Catherine begins spending more time with Justine, while Goerge gets busy at work. One day, during a sailing trip with Floyd, George reveals that he used to go sailing on his cousin Henry’s boat. Henry was a sophisticated artist, but he ended up drowning at the tender age of 19. Later that night, George invites Floyd home, and the old man finds Catherine reading the Heaven and Hell book.

7:27 He immediately starts yapping about the artwork cover, explaining that it depicts the soul transitioning into the afterlife. Following this, Catherine gives Floyd a tour of the house, but he quickly senses the presence of a female soul. He reveals that the spirit means no harm, and has a reason for lingering around the house. Here Catherine feels relieved to have finally found someone who believes in her. She admits that although the spirit initially frightened her, over time she began to feel strangely comforted by its presence. Catherine now wishes to learn more about the spirit, whom she believes is Ella Smith, so Floyd offers to hold a seance in the house. The next evening, George and Catherine throw a party where they invite all their neighbors and also George's colleagues. Everything seems to be going well, and the couple finally feels a sense of joy.

8:16 But then, Catherine learns through a neighbor that the previous owners of this house were none other than Eddie and Cole’s parents. The father, Calvin, struggled financially, and was very cruel to his wife Ella. One night, he sedated his family, and shot all the cows they owned. After the cruel act, he went to the garage below his and Ella’s bedroom. He started the ignition of his two trucks and closed all the windows. Calvin then went upstairs, and laid down in bed next to Ella until they passed away. Catherine is stunned by the revelation and feels angry for being kept in the dark. She now finally understands why her bedroom smells so weird. Meanwhile, while smoking weed with Justine, George takes sarcastic digs at her for putting ideas in Catherine’s head.

9:02 He suddenly holds her hands and grabs them tightly, making her really uncomfortable. George refuses to let go, but she angrily pulls her hands away and storms out of there. Later that night, after all the guests have left, Catherine confronts George about the house's violent history. He insists that he was just trying to protect her from the unpleasantness, but she’s having none of it. And then, as they argue… George tries to unplug the radio, but it still keeps on playing, so he smashes it to pieces. The following day, George takes Franny to his parents’ home, so Catherine seizes the chance to invite Floyd and his team over to conduct the séance.

9:49 She brings forth a picture of Ella, and says she has been seeing her spirit in the house. However, Floyd is surprised, as he had assumed the spirit was Jacob Smit’s wife. He then reveals that Jacob’s wife was an early devotee of Emanuel Swedenborg. The couple wasn’t in a happy marriage, and Jacob disapproved of his wife's philosophical explorations. She mysteriously died in their home at the age of 26. Catherine is alarmed by the number of deaths that have happened in her house, but the seance group assures her that inhabited houses should be considered a blessing. Following this, Catherine places Ella’s ring on the table, and the group summons the spirit. Suddenly, the candles blow out, and the table starts shaking. Ella’s spirit then lets her presence known, but soon, the voice of a male spirit is also heard.

10:38 He shouts at Ella and intimidates her, causing her to go away. In the aftermath of the seance, Floyd concludes that there is another spirit in the house. He tells Catherine that until the spirit reveals its nature, she should be careful of people around her. The next day, Catherine goes to the library to return the books she had borrowed. She also returns an overdue book she found in George’s car, and the staff reveals that the book is issued in the name of a girl named Willis. It is at this point that Catherine figures out that her husband’s having an affair. Meanwhile, George takes his class on a tour of the MET museum, and Justine tags along. He later runs into his PhD dissertation advisor Dr. Warren, who’s surprised to learn that George has acquired a teaching position without his recommendation letter.

11:26 A nervous George lies that he’s only a temporary instructor filling in for an absent professor, but Warren remains suspicious. Justine also overhears the conversation, and realizes something’s fishy. The next day, Floyd, the head of the arts department, confronts George about his forgery. It turns out Dr. Warren called him earlier, and admitted that he never wrote any recommendation letter for George. The latter admits his wrongdoing, and asks him for a chance to explain himself. He pleads with Floyd to wait till the thanksgiving holiday is over before taking any action. The scene then cuts to thanksgiving night, where George’s family have come for dinner. During the conversation, mom reveals that George was very close to his cousin Henry, who was a talentedartist.

12:13 He used to draw exquisite watercolor paintings of shorelines, lighthouses, and other seaside things. Henry’s family wanted to do an exhibition of his seascapes after his death, but his paintings suddenly disappeared. Upon hearing this, Catherine realizes that the paintings George had taken credit for were actually done by his cousin. She leaves the dinner in disgust and heads straight to the washroom. George follows her to explain. But then all of a sudden… Later that night, George sits motionless in his car with the engine on. A male spirit's voice is then heard saying that it’s here to help George and asking him to free himself. The next morning, Eddie spots a depressed Catherine and goes to talk to her.

13:02 One thing leads to another, and they start making out right on the ground. Meanwhile, an anxious George joins Floyd on his boat to talk. He claims that he was ostracized by his earlier college after he reported a sexual misconduct incident. He says that’s the reason why Dr. Warren doesn’t like him. But Floyd firmly tells him that regardless of his reasons, forging recommendation letters is a crime, and he will report it to the HR. He also makes it clear that George will be fired, leaving him completely distraught. Elsewhere, Justine is at a cafe when she recognizes the scarf she had made for George’s mother. It’s currently on Willis’ neck, making her realize that they’re having an affair. The scene then cuts to night time where a thoroughly soaked George returns to campus.

13:50 Justine also arrives in her car, and confronts him about his affair with Willis. Annoyed and fed up of her prying, George insults her and tells her to mind her own business. Suddenly, Justine asks him to explain his conversation with Dr. Warren at the Met. She then drives away from there, leaving George furious and worried. Some time later, Justine is driving down the highway, when she notices George tailing her. And then this happens… Once home, Catherine tries to talk to George about something, most likely about the divorce, but he tells her that he’s not in the state to have a conversation.

14:36 After she leaves, a dejected George seemingly talks to the male spirit in their home, and asks it to confirm its presence. Just then, a crow breaks into Catherine’s bedroom through the window, freaking her out. George also arrives there, but he simply tells Catherine to ask her “boyfriend” to fix the window. The next morning, Catherine sneaks out of the house to meet Justine, only to discover that she has met with an accident. She learns that Justine is in a coma, and might never recover from it. On her way back home, Catherine is hit with yet another shock when a radio broadcast announces Floyd’s death, and the old man’s body was discovered in the Hudson River. At college, when George hears about Floyd’s death, he puts on a show of shock and sorrow. Since the position is now vacant, he’s offered to be the interim head of the art department.

15:26 George accepts the offer saying he’ll do anything for his department. Later in his classroom, George finds the cover art of Swedenborg’s book, Heaven and Hell, projected on the screen. He tries to change the slide, but can’t make it go away. Frustrated and scared, George screams at his students before storming out of the class. When he returns home, he finds Catherine’s packed suitcases in her car parked outside. Realizing that she’s planning to leave, George feigns ignorance, and gives Catherine a protein shake. She also drinks it without hesitation, pretending as if everything’s fine. George then asks her about Franny to which she claims that she already put her to bed. However, a suspicious George insists on seeing her and rushes upstairs.

16:13 But he finds an all dressed Franny asleep, and finally tells Catherine that it’s a terrible time to travel. Scared for her life, Catherine runs downstairs, and tries to call for help, but George angrily smashes the telephone. He then drags her out of the house, takes the luggage out of her car and asserts that she can’t leave with his daughter. Here, a frustrated Catherine says she knows what he did to Floyd, and Justine, but George rejects the allegations and calls her mentally unstable. After he heads inside, Catherine puts her luggage back into her car. However, she soon starts to feel dizzy, and we learn that George had spiked her protein shake earlier. Despite this, Catherine collects all her strength, and rushes into the house to look for Franny.

16:58 She asks Ella’s spirit for help, and it guides her upstairs. Catherine eventually reaches her daughter’s room, but doesn’t find her there. In the end, the poor woman passes out on the bed while trying to call the police. Ella’s spirit tells Catherine that she’s here to help her, but the male spirit, presumably Calvin, also appears and yanks her away. Soon, a frantically sobbing George arrives in the room with an axe. He’s hesitant to kill his wife, but Calvin’s spirit encourages him, asking him to free himself, while Ella’s spirit tells George that those who commune with evil will never win. However, a possessed George butchers Catherine to death while screaming and crying. The scene then cuts to the morning where Cole comes to babysit Franny.

17:44 He finds an instruction note from George that tells him not to disturb Catherine as she’s ill. Later that evening, we are taken back to the opening scene where George returns home from college. He pretends to discover Catherine's body, and the police suspect George after they find his axe next to Catherine’s body. However, he claims that he was teaching the whole day, which is confirmed by his college. Due to lack of evidence, the police are forced to release him, and George moves to his parents' home in Connecticut. Meanwhile, Justine remains in a coma, but Catherine and Ella’s spirits come together to reveal the truth about George, and her eyes snap open. She later calls George’s parent’s home, and leaves a message for him. Justine says that she remembers everything, leaving him horrified.

18:32 While George is taking a shower, Calvin’s spirit begins whispering to him again. It insists that everything was Catherine’s fault, and that she was trying to hold him back. It then urges him to trust his instincts, and run away before it’s too late. To avoid being arrested, George escapes on his dead cousin’s boat. But he doesn’t get much far as a storm arrives, and thunder opens a portal. Ella and Catherine’s spirits then tell George that the gates of hell are only visible to those about to come into it. George desperately tries to turn back his boat but to no avail. This causes him to slowly disappear into the flames, while an upside down cross appears in the sky. The scene resembles Swedenborg’s book's painting, while the inverted cross indicates that George is damned.