A Wounded Fawn

After his art collector client loses a significant proxy bid for a unique Erinyes statue, the secretive serial killer, Bruce Ernst, becomes obsessed with the winning bidder, Kate Horna. Following her home from the auction, Bruce is haunted by a disturbing vision of a Red Owl figure. In a chilling turn of events, he murders Kate and steals the coveted sculpture.

Seeking solace, Bruce invites his new girlfriend, Meredith Tanning, who is a gallery docent recovering from a troubled past, for a weekend at his isolated woodland cabin. However, his true intentions are sinister, as he contemplates murder. Upon their arrival, Meredith hears a disembodied voice warning her to leave, hinting at the dark fate that awaits her.

Complicating matters, Meredith recognizes the Erinyes statue from her museum’s provenance verification. Trying to deter her from investigating further, Bruce lies, claiming it is just a replica. Nevertheless, Meredith snaps a photo and sends it to her friend, Wendy, who works alongside her at the museum. As strange occurrences escalate, tension between Meredith and Bruce intensifies. When Meredith expresses her discomfort and urges Bruce to return to the city, he hesitantly agrees despite feeling the pressure of his dark urges.

As another vision of the Red Owl signals the perfect moment for him to kill, Meredith receives a call from Wendy, who frantically warns her to escape the cabin; the Erinyes sculpture is reported stolen and its previous owner has gone missing. In a shocking moment, Bruce attacks and seemingly kills Meredith by slashing her throat, then destroys her belongings and indulges in a disturbing act before going back to her lifeless body.

Miraculously, Meredith survives the attack and retaliates with the Erinyes statue, striking Bruce unconscious. When Bruce regains consciousness, he realizes that a fragment of his skull is embedded in his head, and he begins to suffer from disorienting visions and encounters with figures from his past, including Kate and another victim named Leonora, along with strange manifestations.

Desperate to escape his tortured mind, Bruce decides to offer the statue outside in hopes of ending his psychological torment, but Meredith continues to confront him, manifesting as an unsettling presence in his mind. Bruce argues that he isn’t inherently evil but is under the influence of a haunting voice that compels him to kill.

Feeling betrayed by Meredith, Bruce rushes outside to reclaim the statue, only to be surrounded by more eerie apparitions of Kate and Meredith. In a final confrontation, Bruce accuses Meredith of driving away the Red Owl, while she demands he confess to being both a thief and a murderer. As Bruce refuses, he is suddenly assaulted by invisible forces, leading to his tragic demise. A heart-stopping twist reveals that Meredith ingeniously survived by securing her throat with duct tape, and she watches as Bruce succumbs to his own violent end in the forest.

Last Updated: November 07, 2024 at 23:04