House of the Long Shadows

Kenneth Magee travels to the deserted Welsh manor to use isolation as inspiration for his wager. He intends to craft a novel of Wuthering Heights' caliber within twenty-four hours, hoping the storm and atmosphere fuel his creativity. He settles in as night falls, ready to begin the extraordinary deadline.

The Grisbanes explain they are there to release their brother Roderick, who has been imprisoned for forty years after a crime involving a village girl. They claim the time has come to set him free, and their plan hinges on the bars and the locked room becoming unsealed. When they approach the prison-like room, the bars appear broken and empty.

During the tense chaos following the attempted release, Lord Grisbane suffers a fatal heart attack. Almost immediately, Victoria is found strangled to death, escalating fear among the survivors. The storm outside continues to trap them inside the mansion.

Corrigan, a potential buyer of the property, arrives along with Mary Norton, the publisher's secretary, seeking shelter from the worsening storm. Their presence adds new suspects and nerves to the already perilous night. The mansion's secrets start to close in as more people converge inside.

Diana and Andrew Caulder arrive and seek refuge, but their hopes are short-lived. Diana is left with her face washed by water that has been replaced with acid and Andrew drinks poisoned punch, sealing their grim fate. The danger now feels personal and immediate for the group remaining in the house.

With only five survivors left—Magee, Corrigan, Mary Norton, Lionel, and Sebastian—they decide to locate Roderick and prevent him from harming anyone else. They steel themselves for a dangerous search through the mansion's labyrinthine spaces. Trust among the survivors frays as fear takes hold.

The group investigates a hidden tunnel system behind a bookcase, hoping to uncover Roderick's location. They become separated during the perilous exploration, and Sebastian is found dead, hanged from the ceiling in the darkness. The line between reality and nightmare blurs as the mansion's traps close in.

In a chilling twist, Corrigan confesses that he is Roderick, having escaped his prison long ago and returning periodically to torment the others. He uses his revelation to justify a killing spree, including Lionel's death, and he relentlessly pursues Mary through the mansion's corridors. The others realize the danger is not supernatural but human and cunning.

Magee confronts the killer, fights through the mansion's labyrinth, and knocks Roderick down the stairs. In the chaos, Roderick is wounded by his own fall and dies from the stab, yet the supposed victims arrive, alive and unharmed, revealing the night to be a staged nightmare. The publisher's prank becomes clear as a twist in the tale.

It is revealed that the entire night’s horrors were part of Magee's imagination while writing the story. He finishes the manuscript in the morning and returns it to his publisher. The publisher hands him twenty thousand dollars, but Magee tears up the check, deciding that money isn't the only reward for art.

Magee meets Mary Jameson, who resembles Mary Norton, hinting at a possible love at first sight. They discuss the idea of love and share a moment of connection as they move toward the exit. The scene ends with a note that love may be more enduring than the fiction that inspired it.

As Magee and Mary leave the building, they pass through the club bar and notice the waiter resembles Lionel Grisbane, hinting at subconscious ties between fiction and reality. They hurry out, choosing to walk away from the unsettling echoes of the night. The ending leaves a lingering sense that life can imitate art.