Among the Living

John Raden returns to the family estate for his father's funeral after twenty-five years apart. He is stunned to meet Elaine, his widowed stepmother, and learns that his twin brother Paul is alive and has been kept hidden in the house. The arrangements have been overseen by Pompey, the Radens' loyal caretaker.

The family doctor explains that Paul suffered a brain injury after their father struck him, a trauma that led to his presumed death being faked. John learns that a death certificate for Paul was falsified to spare him the truth and to cover up the arrangements. Paul has been sequestered in the house, unseen by John.

Paul, enraged by the thought of his father being interred beside his mother, murders Pompey in a violent burst and escapes from the estate. He then exhumes his father's corpse as part of his grim flight.

To avoid detection, John falsifies Pompey's death certificate and covers for Paul's disappearance. Paul then takes up temporary lodging at a boardinghouse, where he befriends Millie Pickens and begins sending her money.

Paul tracks down John and Elaine at a local hotel, approaches them, and strikes John before fleeing again.

In a cafe, Paul meets Peggy Nolan and rants about Millie, which unsettles her. After the cafe closes, he stalks Peggy through the streets, signaling the danger to come.

The next day, newspapers report that Pompey and Peggy's murders may be linked, fueling fear in the town. Bill Oakley, a disenfranchised ex-employee, forms a vigilante group to capture the killer.

Bill Oakley and his group begin patrolling the area, driven by anger and a desire for justice. They focus their search around the Radens' estate as a potential hideout.

Millie suspects the killer is nearby and brings Paul to the Raden estate, pistol in hand. Inside, Paul's fixation on his mother triggers a frenzy as he tries to murder Millie, but Bill and another vigilante intervene and save her.

Paul is shot during the confrontation but manages to flee. John arrives at the scene shortly afterward and is mistaken for his unstable brother by the townspeople.

Local authorities push for an immediate hearing to convict John, while Elaine urges Dr. Saunders to reveal the truth about Paul. Saunders agrees but is arrested for complicity in falsifying Paul’s death certificate.

Shortly after, Paul is found dead in the local cemetery, slumped over his mother's grave, bringing the tragedy to a close. His death brings some closure to the town, but the truth about the family remains contested.