Don’t Open the Door

In 1962, Amanda awakens to her mother Rita's dying screams and discovers Rita's corpse after an unseen assailant murders her. The killer confronts Amanda and then lets her go, leaving her traumatized. This horrific event haunts Amanda as she grows up.

Thirteen years later, Amanda receives a call that her grandmother Harriet is on her deathbed. She travels back to Allerton for the first time since her mother's murder. She returns to Harriet's large home to face what feels like a final family reckoning.

Amanda arrives at Harriet's home and is greeted by Dr. Crawther, Judge Stemple, and Claude Kern, all of whom have a stake in Harriet's estate. The three men maneuver for influence over the grandmother's property. The atmosphere hints at darker undercurrents surrounding the house.

In a private conversation with Claude, Judge Stemple alludes to knowing that Claude murdered Amanda's mother years earlier. The implication deepens the sense that the estate dispute is entangled with a decades-old crime. Tension rises as old secrets resurface.

That evening, Amanda receives several anonymous lewd phone calls at Harriet's house. Her doctor friend Nick comes to examine Harriet and suspects that the medication Crawther gave Harriet kept her sedated. The calls heighten the sense of danger surrounding the family's secrets.

At Claude's invitation, Amanda visits the local historical society museum where Claude shows her a mannequin styled to resemble her mother. The display unsettles Amanda, and she storms out in anger. The scene reveals Claude's unsettling fixation on the past and his hold over the house.

It becomes clear Claude and Stemple are vying for Harriet's home when Stemple offers a lump sum for the property. Amanda refuses the deal, standing firm on Harriet's wishes. Stemple vows to return that night to press for a decision.

Later, Crawther is summoned to meet Stemple at the historical society and is bludgeoned to death by Claude, who is hiding as one of the mannequin figures. The murder demonstrates Claude's willingness to eliminate anyone who stands in the way of his plan. Amanda remains unaware of the immediate danger.

Claude phones Harriet's house again, issuing disturbing threats and alluding to Amanda's mother's murder. The killer's voice seems to come from within the home, heightening the sense of confinement and menace. Amanda feels increasingly trapped by a house that feels alive with danger.

Annie, a local woman who helped trigger Amanda's return, meets her outside. The phone rings again, and Claude demands that Amanda masturbate on the line while he caresses a doll. The scene marks Claude's total control and perverse manipulation of Amanda's trauma.

Amanda unknowingly drinks a drugged glass of water and loses consciousness. Stemple returns inside only to be bludgeoned to death by Claude in the foyer. The house becomes a theater of killings as the family secrets unravel.

Nick arrives to help but is chased by Amanda into the attic, where she pushes him over a bannister to his death. She then returns downstairs as the phone rings again. In a daze, Amanda laughs hysterically as the nightmare closes in on her.