I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House

Iris Blum, a former horror author, resides in a secluded home in Braintree, Massachusetts. As she grapples with dementia, her estate manager decides to hire a live-in nurse to assist her in this eerie residence that holds a haunting past.

The home, built for a man’s new bride, has a tragic history as both the bride and groom vanished on their wedding day. The house has remained unfurnished since that fateful event, echoing its sorrowful past.

On her very first night at the estate, Lily Saylor, the new nurse, encounters a disturbing force. A telephone is violently snatched from her hand, and she catches a glimpse of a white figure walking backward, setting an eerie tone for her stay.

As days progress, a disturbing black mold spot appears on the wall, growing larger. Additionally, Lily notices a corner of the rug has been flipped up, despite being the only one moving around the first floor.

Throughout her time caring for Iris, she often refers to Lily as 'Polly.' Mr. Waxcap explains that Polly is the protagonist of Iris's most famous novel, *The Lady in the Walls*, intriguing Lily further.

Lily explores a copy of *The Lady in the Walls* and begins to suspect Iris’s connection to the story is deeply personal. The narrative hints at Iris recounting a forgotten tale from her own troubled history.

The movie flashes back to 1812, where Polly, blindfolded and in a wedding dress, unsuspectingly wanders through the deserted house. She is oblivious to the ominous events transpiring above her as she explores her surroundings.

In a shocking turn of events, Polly lifts her blindfold to see her husband. The sense of dread culminates when he violently strikes her down with a hammer, sealing her body behind the wall and marking the house with tragedy.

One evening, Lily experiences a horrifying hallucination of her arms looking grotesque and disfigured with the same black mold. Later, she glimpses the figure in white but finds nothing when she turns to confront the mystery.

While searching through a hidden box in the closet, Lily finds rough drafts for *The Lady in the Walls*. This discovery intensifies her belief that the story may not be pure fiction but instead a terrifying recounting of real events.

In an attempt to discuss her findings with Iris, Lily faces unexpected wrath as Iris accuses her of betrayal, likening Polly's story to decay and loss. The tension escalates as the supernatural presence grows stronger.

As the events unfold, Iris experiences an unsettling apparition of Polly whispering dark secrets. This culminates in a scene where Lily discovers the removed wall boards, amplifying the ghostly interactions occurring within the home.

In a horrifying confrontation with Polly’s ghost, Lily suffers a heart attack, highlighting the overwhelming pressure of the dark secrets that circle the estate. This tragic event seals her fate as she succumbs to the haunting atmosphere.

Days after Lily's demise, Mr. Waxcap discovers both Lily and Iris's lifeless bodies. This grim revelation marks the end of their tragic stories intertwined with the haunted history of the house.

Years later, a new family moves into the haunted house, unaware of its ghastly history. Their arrival initiates a new chapter, but they soon find themselves under the watchful eyes of Lily's ghost, forever bound to the estate.