In this supernatural thriller, a fearful corporate accountant leaves the safety of her day job and purchases an old, abandoned mansion with a sinister past that forces her to face her fears in order to overcome an ancient evil. WGAE Registration #1264087

SYNOPSIS:

The 35-year-old protagonist, Heather Grey, who might be played by Jessica Chastain or Amy Adams, tries to heal from an abusive marriage and gain freedom from her mundane job as an accountant by opening a catering facility with a mystical bent – psychic practitioners available for hire.

Led to Thorne Manor in a dream by her deceased grandmother, the Gothic mansion captivates her, despite the warnings about its violent history.

Her elderly neighbor, Abigail, has a sinister secret tied to the house. She has her own reasons for wanting the house to remain empty – she has lured children to the house for decades, and all have gone missing. Her ally and neighbor, Denise, unknowingly supports Abigail’s menacing activity.

Renovation work begins on Thorne Manor, and the contractors quickly experience ghostly encounters that force some of them to quit.

Heather receives an anonymous gift basket containing fruit and a binder filled with newspaper clippings about Thorne Manor dating back to 1945. They reveal that the house is built on the foundation of an old church, whose priest was accused of child sacrifice and burned to death on the lawn of the house. Heather discovers that she is a descendent of the Webb family, who bought the church and razed it to build the Gothic mansion.

The Webbs, who were celebrated psychics, abandoned the house when the ghostly inhabitants became too much for them to bear. Years later, the Thorne family purchased the house and added to its ominous history.

Heather discovers that the house is inhabited by the spirits of the Thornes, as well as that of the priest and the children he murdered in the name of the demon, Carmox. The Thorne family ghosts consist of an insanely cruel mother, a psychiatrist father with a history of using torturous treatment methods on his patients at a now defunct asylum, and their offspring, the child Amelia and adult Erick, whose long-term suffering at the hands of their parents end in their barbarous murders.

Heather seeks the comfort and guidance of her grandmother’s spirit by communicating with her through tarot cards and dreams.

Heather’s friend Joyce offers to have Heather stay with her until the house can be cleansed, but as she leaves, the ghost of Dr. Thorne appears in her car. She loses control of the car and smashes into a tree. Joyce ends up in the hospital in a coma.

During an attempt to cleanse the house with sage, Heather is attacked by the ghost of Erick Thorne and thrown against the wall, uncovering a diary hidden behind a loose board. The diary reveals Erick to be as damaged as she is, describing his torment at the hands of his parents. The more she learns about Erick, the more she feels for him. Heather resolves to make things right for him and for herself.

Heather is stalked by ghosts and her ex-husband, Robert, who breaks into the mansion and sexually assaults her. She decides to fight back and gets a restraining order against Robert, determined not to allow anyone to stop her from accomplishing her goal.

Thorne Manor’s deepest secrets are revealed when Heather discovers a hidden room in the basement. It contains the sacrificial altar and demonic symbols used by the priest. She alerts the police and Ray, the detective who investigated the Thorne murder-suicide five years earlier, responds to the scene.

Heather discovers a letter written by her grandmother confirming her family’s ownership of the house and a disk emblazoned with the symbol of the demon, Marchosias. She learns that Marchosias is beholden to her family.

Battling against her ex-husband, Robert, her self-doubt, the neighbors, and the nasty entities that terrorize her, she realizes she cannot do it alone. She enlists the help of Celeste Templin, a psychic medium. With Celeste’s help, Heather releases the spirit of Amelia, but chooses not to banish Erick. Together they go against the malicious spirits of Mrs. Thorne and Dr. Thorne. They succeed in banishing Mrs. Thorne, but the spirit of Dr. Thorne fights back. In the process, Dr. Thorne kills Celeste.

Heather reports the death to local police, and Ray is once again the lead detective.

Heather overcomes her fear and succeeds at engaging Erick in a meaningful conversation, and they make a deep connection through their mutual history of emotional abuse and restriction. She shares with him how Dr. Thorne has been terrorizing her. Erick agrees to help rid the property of his father’s stubborn spirit. He protects Heather to make up for his inability in life to protect his sister, Amelia, from their parents.

Heather and Erick lure Dr. Thorne into the altar room and confront him. The priest stands by. Abigail sneaks into the room to help end the cycle of evil, but the priest sets her on fire, and she burns to death, the same way as the priest and Dr. Thorne died. With Abigail’s death, her ally, Denise, becomes the priest’s servant.

When Marchosias is summoned, the priest disappears. Dr. Thorne possesses Heather and Marchosias frees her from his grasp. He then removes Dr. Thorne from the property.

With everything done, Heather says goodbye to the spirit of her grandmother and settles into her apartment on the third floor. The ghost of Erick Thorne watches over her.

Robert breaks the restraining order and the short-lived peace, sneaks into the house and intends to harm Heather. She fights against him until Erick’s ghost intervenes and throws him over the banister head first, and breaks his back and neck. Ray reports Robert’s death as self-defense. Erick feels that Heather is finally safe, and his spirit can leave.

Heather opens her business and achieves huge success. She also finds a safe romantic relationship with Ray. All seems well, but her happiness is overshadowed by the grievous presence of Robert’s ghost guided by the evil priest; their influence far from over.