Delusion

Delusion

Year: 1981

Runtime: 91 mins

Language: English

Director: Alan Beattie

Horror

Meredith Stone, a home‑care nurse, is tasked with looking after the bedridden billionaire Ivar Langrock in his isolated country estate. Strange noises lead her to discover Ivar’s violent, locked‑away son. When Ivar’s grandson Gabriel arrives, a hidden killer begins murdering family members and staff throughout the manor.

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Delusion (1981) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of Delusion (1981), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

Meredith Stone, a nurse, recounts, in a letter to her father, her mother’s recent death, and details a job she has taken at a Fairlawn estate caring for the wealthy, elderly Ivar Langrock. There, she is greeted by his butler, Phillip Langrock, and Jeffrey Fraser, Ivar’s attorney. She finds herself almost immediately drawn to a locked room on the second floor of the house. She discovers that Wilfred Langrock, Ivar’s mentally-challenged son, lives in the room. Meredith develops a friendship with Ivar, even confessing to him that her mother had been institutionalized and that her father had raped her mother.

Shortly after Meredith begins working at Fairlawn, Langrock’s adult grandson Gabriel Langrock, who spent his life on a commune in Arizona, comes to stay after the accidental death of his parents. After his arrival, a series of deaths begin to occur; Meredith and Ivar discover his dog hanging from a tree in the garden. Wilfred also dies in what appears to be a suicide when he is found having jumped out the window of his room. Gabriel makes sexual advances toward Meredith, who finds herself increasingly uncomfortable around him.

Phillip is murdered in the wine cellar, having been crushed under a fallen wine rack and clobbered with a table leg; the police, however, conclude his death an accident, though Jeffrey accuses Gabriel of his murder. Later in the evening, the house gardener, Alex, is confronted at the Fairlawn estate by the detective, Detective, in a garage, who tells him the coroner has deemed Philip’s death a murder. After he leaves, Alex hears a commotion behind him, and upon returning, he finds the detective dead. The unseen killer also attacks Alex, beating him to death.

Meredith, while searching the house, discovers a bloodied table leg, and calls Jeffrey, panicked. He tells her he is on his way to the house. Just as Jeffrey arrives, she discovers Gabriel’s body stuffed in a closet. Jeffrey confronts her, and tells her that he has just returned from the hospital where Meredith claimed her mother was kept, and reveals that her mother died during Meredith’s birth; he also accuses her of the murders, telling her she had been institutionalized for murdering her father, who had molested her. She then attacks Jeffrey with the table leg, and storms downstairs to kill Ivar. However, Ivar manages to knock her unconscious with a cane.

The film closes as Meredith narrates her letter to her father, saying that maybe she will be able to return to Fairlawn one day to take care of Ivar.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:22

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Isolated manor horror movies like Delusion

Stories where a remote estate becomes a prison for terror and secrets.If you liked the claustrophobic dread of Delusion set in a remote mansion, explore more movies where isolated estates are the backdrop for psychological terror. These films use the 'old dark house' trope to create a sense of paranoia and inescapable doom, often centered on buried family secrets.

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The narrative often follows an outsider—a caretaker, a guest, a new spouse—entering a secluded, wealthy household. Their initial curiosity or professional duty turns to fear as they uncover gruesome secrets, leading to a tense cat-and-mouse game where the house itself feels like an antagonist. The story typically builds to a violent confrontation that reveals the true horror lurking within the family.

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The story is constructed to build sympathy for the protagonist as they navigate a threatening situation. Clues are subtly placed that hint at their instability, often linked to a traumatic past. The climax revolves around the shattering confrontation where their delusion is broken, revealing the brutal truth of their actions and forcing a bleak resolution.

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These movies are connected by a specific and powerful narrative structure that subverts audience expectations. They share a heavy psychological focus, a dark tone, and a journey that is as much about uncovering the protagonist's mind as it is about solving the central mystery.

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Delusion Timeline

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Delusion Timeline

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Delusion

Delusion Spoiler-Free Summary

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