Cries in the Night

Heather arrives in the small unnamed town and moves into Maude's converted funeral-home inn. She meets her eccentric grandmother, whose routine and religious devotion make the inn feel like a peculiar sanctuary. The setting hints at a hidden history behind Maude's business venture of hosting travelers.

Maude's husband James has been missing for years, and she struggles to make ends meet. She sustains herself by selling artificial flower arrangements and hopes to supplement her income by opening the home to traveling guests.

Billy Hibbs, a mentally-challenged man, lives with Maude as the property handyman. He helps maintain the inn and grounds, providing a steady if unsettling presence around the house.

Nearby, farmer Sam reports an abandoned vehicle on his property, traced to a missing real estate developer who had been surveying the area. The discovery triggers police interest and suggests danger connected to Maude's secluded residence.

That evening, Harry Browning and his mistress Florie check in to the inn. Maude confronts them about their unmarried relationship and asks them to leave, but they refuse. After this, they drive to a quarry on Heather's suggestion, where Maude's truck ambushes their car and pushes them into the water, where they drown.

The next day, while Maude is in town, Rick stops by and reveals that her grandfather James was known for drinking and recalls a Childhood tale of him locking a boy in the funeral home's basement. Heather and Rick explore the property and discover Maude's Cadillac hearse in the garage, along with a necklace engraved with the initials 'H.D.'.

That evening, Helena's husband Mr. Davis arrives to question Maude about the rumored affair with Helena. Maude denies any affair, and later that night Mr. Davis is murdered with a pickaxe.

The following day, Heather and Rick swim in the quarry, and Florie and Harry's bodies are found. The incidents deepen the sense that something dark is concealed around Maude's inn and its grounds.

Heather confides in Rick that she believes Maude is hiding someone in the basement. She explains her growing fear and the need to uncover the truth, even as danger seems to close in.

That evening, Heather and Rick return to the house and find Maude away. They decide to explore the basement and discover Billy's corpse. Maude suddenly appears, imitating her husband's voice to scold Heather and attacks with an axe. Heather flees and discovers a hidden room where James's corpse rests among a bed of Maude's artificial flowers.

The police arrive at the scene, and Joe asks Maude if they can talk about what has occurred. She agrees, provided she can finish making a cup of tea, hinting at her ritual calm under pressure.

Later, Joe explains to a news reporter that Maude murdered James and Helena, his mistress, after discovering their affair. She preserved James's corpse and buried Helena and Mr. Davis in the local graveyard.