Dear Dead Delilah

In 1943, in Nashville, Luddy murders her overbearing mother with an axe. The crime shatters her life and leads to her imprisonment. The act sets the stage for everything that follows.

Twenty-five years after the crime, Luddy is released from prison and travels to a nearby college town. She observes a touch football game in a local park, hinting at the quiet life she might enter. This marks the start of her new chapter.

During the game, Luddy is inadvertently knocked to the ground by Richard, a local football player. The moment shifts her into contact with Richard and his circle. The incident leaves Luddy vulnerable and curious about the town.

Ellen, Richard's wife and a nurse, invites Luddy to stay with them at South Hall, a decrepit plantation. Luddy agrees, becoming a resident of the sprawling estate. The arrangement sets the stage for the unfolding family intrigue.

Ellen discovers Luddy's prison paperwork while resting and confronts her gently. She vows not to tell anyone, signaling a fragile trust. This moment foreshadows a careful, unofficial alliance.

Ellen asks Luddy to stay indefinitely as a housekeeper, deepening Luddy's ties to the household. Luddy agrees, stepping into a quiet but invasive role on the estate. The arrangement improves her standing while keeping a dangerous secret.

Delilah hosts a dinner at South Hall attended by Ellen, Richard, Luddy, Grace, Morgan, Buffy, and Alonzo. She announces a looming death and a will that leaves South Hall to the state, then reveals a hidden fortune buried on the property. The revelation sets the stakes high for everyone involved.

That night, Luddy wakes to find Roy dying with axe wounds. Alonzo agrees to help conceal Roy's corpse, and the pair hide it in a smokehouse. They also search for the buried money.

The next morning, Morgan asks Delilah for $40,000 to repay embezzlement debts, but she refuses. He later learns that a new septic tank was installed on the property, hinting at possible hidden money.

Morgan digs around the septic tank while Buffy drinks. Neither finds the fortune, and both are killed with an axe in the woods. Luddy discovers the bodies and buries them.

Later, Grace, the alcoholic mistress, is killed in the house when an axe-wielding figure, revealed as Richard, decapitates her. Richard returns bearing the hidden money he uncovered in Bailey's tomb. The threat around Luddy intensifies.

Ellen teams up with Richard, injecting Alonzo with a heroin overdose to incapacitate him. The two celebrate their con, but Richard soon turns on Ellen and murders her. The household grows more dangerous by the minute.

Luddy confronts Richard, who confesses to the murders and attempts to drown her in the pool. Delilah then emerges from the mausoleum and shoots Richard in the head.

Delilah dies after being shot, leaving Luddy and Alonzo to face the future with the fortune. The murder spree ends with the two now free to pursue opening a home for unwanted children.

A few days later, Luddy and Alonzo celebrate receiving the money that will allow them to open a home for unwanted children. The film closes on a note of cautious optimism despite the bloody path to get there.