Rest in Pieces

Rest in Pieces

Year: 1987

Runtime: 90 mins

Language: English

Director: José Ramón Larraz

Horror

A newlyweds' dream of a perfect home turns nightmarish when they inherit the mansion of the bride’s recently deceased aunt. As they settle in, the house’s long‑standing tenants and servants refuse to leave, and unsettling events unfold, trapping the couple in a deadly struggle to escape the hostile neighbors.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Rest in Pieces (1987)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Rest in Pieces (1987). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Pennsylvania estate, Los Angeles

A sprawling estate in rural Pennsylvania serves as the central setting, a mansion and its outbuildings where Catherine's circle resides after her death. Helen and her ex-tennis pro husband relocate from Los Angeles to the estate to start anew, only to confront its dark history. The grounds, parlor, basement, and other buildings become stages for secret rituals, hidden money, and increasingly unsettling events.

🗺 Location 🏰 Estate 🌆 Los Angeles

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:26

Main Characters – Rest in Pieces (1987)

Meet the key characters of Rest in Pieces (1987), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Aunt Catherine

A wealthy, volatile aunt whose suicide is recorded on video and whose influence lingers over the estate. Her secret cash and mysterious past push the houseguests into a deadly, ritualistic lifestyle that defines the night’s horrors.

💰 Wealth 🧠 Mental illness

Helen Hewitt

The heiress who inherits the Pennsylvania estate and relocates from Los Angeles with her husband. She experiences disturbing apparitions and increasingly doubts what is real as the guests’ true nature emerges and danger closes in.

👁️ Perception 🧭 Identity

Bob Hewitt

Helen's ex-tennis pro husband who follows her to the estate, partly driven by the lure of the rumored fortune. His actions reveal a mix of guilt, self-preservation, and a willingness to collude with the cult under pressure.

💰 Wealth 🗡️ Betrayal

Lisa

Live-in maid on the estate who is part of Catherine's circle. She participates in the cult’s schemes, contributing to the violence by stabbing Bob and subtly manipulating events to keep Helen off balance.

🧹 Service 🔪 Violence

David Hume

A blind concert pianist living on the estate who becomes entangled with the guests’ rituals. His presence underscores themes of perception, artistry, and vulnerability amid the horror.

🎹 Music 👁️ Blindness

Dr. Anderson

A physician tied to Catherine’s hospital past, he reveals the truth about the other guests and their shared, troubled history, exposing the depth of the cult’s roots.

🕯️ Medicine 🧠 Secrets

Gertrude Stein

A member of the cult whose participation reinforces Catherine’s influence and the group’s ritualistic control over the estate’s inhabitants.

🖋️ Writer 🗝️ Authority

Jack Ritchy

A brutish guest embodying the estate’s darker side, whose aggression mirrors the violence at the heart of the cult’s rites.

💪 Strength 🩸 Violence

Louis

An attorney connected to the estate’s mystery, who becomes entangled in the pursuit of Catherine’s secrets and the estate’s dangerous bargains.

⚖️ Law 💰 Money

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:26

Major Themes – Rest in Pieces (1987)

Explore the central themes of Rest in Pieces (1987), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💰 Greed

The rumored eight million dollars hidden on the property drives characters to deception, murder, and coercion. Wealth becomes the fuse that exposes moral corruption and motivates dangerous choices among the houseguests.

🧠 Mental illness

Catherine's troubled past and institutionalization cast a long shadow over the estate. The cult-like behavior of the guests blends madness with ritual, blurring lines between sanity and manipulation.

🕯️ Haunting reality

Helen's visions of her aunt and the unsettling move of belongings create a tense atmosphere where perceived hauntings may reflect real danger. The estate weaponizes atmosphere and fear to control the living.

🎭 Cult & ritual

A death cult emerges among Catherine's circle, staging ceremonies and murders as if following an invisible will. The rituals reveal the characters' dedication to a macabre legacy and their willingness to sacrifice others for power or protection.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:26

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Rest in Pieces Summary

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Rest in Pieces Summary

Rest in Pieces Timeline

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Rest in Pieces Timeline

More About Rest in Pieces

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More About Rest in Pieces

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