Picture Mommy Dead

Jessica Flagmore Shelley dies when her bed catches fire in the Flagmore mansion. The fire consumes the bed and raises questions about whether it was an accident or murder. This lethal event is the catalyst that haunts Susan for years to come.

Three years after Jessica's death, Susan is released from St. Marie's Convent and Hospital after recovering from a nervous breakdown. She is placed under the custody of Edward and Francene and reenters the world of the Flagmore family. She also reconnects with her cousin Anthony and learns of a substantial inheritance awaiting her at 25.

Susan reads her mother's will detailing hundreds of thousands of dollars to be received at age 25. The will allows her to continue living in the Flagmore mansion for now. To cover Edward's bad investments, the mansion's contents and furniture will be auctioned soon.

Francene privately suggests that Edward recommit Susan to gain control of her trust fund. Edward dismisses the idea, avoiding a direct confrontation for the moment. The suggestion foreshadows the treachery looming over the family fortune.

One evening Susan experiences disturbing visions and scratches a portrait of her mother that bleeds. She also imagines Jessica bursting into flames, convincing herself that Jessica was murdered and that evidence lies somewhere in the house. This marks the moment she begins to investigate the truth.

Cousin Anthony's pet hawk attacks Susan, and she kills it with one of her dolls. Inside the tattered doll she finds Jessica's valuable necklace. The discovery reinforces Susan's resolve to uncover what happened to her mother.

Francene enters the room posing as Jessica and asks to take the necklace. Susan feigns mental regression to avoid suspicion, leading to a violent confrontation. During the struggle they knock over a phone receiver, and Francene overhears Anthony calling police about Susan.

Francene and Anthony are revealed as lovers plotting to steal Susan's fortune. They argue over how to execute the plan, and Francene murders Anthony with a large antique fishing hook. Their crime alliance is sealed even as their plot begins to unravel.

Francene accuses Susan of stealing the necklace and pursues her through the house with a pair of scissors. The chase ends in the bedroom where Susan renders Francene unconscious, then knocks over a candle and ignites the bed in flames. Edward arrives and puts out the fire, complicating the pursuit of truth.

Francene awakes clutching the necklace and accuses Susan of murder. Edward reveals that he killed Jessica to appease Francene, who responds with hysterical laughter. In a fury, Edward strangles Francene, exposing another layer of family violence and deceit.

Susan takes Jessica's necklace from Francene and offers to help hide Edward's crime, echoing the role she played in Jessica's death. She contemplates how to proceed and maintains control over her own fate as the tension in the house climbs. The plan to keep the truth buried intensifies.

With the house engulfed in flames, Susan and Edward flee from the Flagmore mansion hand in hand. They escape the burning house together, choosing survival over justice as the final image lingers on the blaze. The ending leaves the future of the fortune and truth unresolved.