Scum of the Earth

A volatile, heavy drinking patriarch whose controlling and abusive behavior grips the household. He gropes Helen and brutalizes Emmy, establishing a climate of fear. His violent temper and thirst for dominance contribute to the house becoming a deadly trap, ultimately meeting a violent end at the hands of the intruder.

Odis's wife who married him to help her father but remains trapped by abuse and fear. She tries to shield her family and appears to be pragmatically loyal even as danger escalates. Emmy shows resilience and a willingness to aid Helen, providing a fragile lifeline as events unfold.

A teenage daughter caught in a volatile household, she resents Bo and engages in a tense moment of hexes and accusations. Her hostility and fear reflect the family’s fractured dynamics. She becomes another casualty of the intruder, ending a life that had already been marked by turmoil.

The developmentally disabled son whose unsettling behavior and affinity for the outdoors underscore the household's instability. He skins and boils a possum, highlighting the harsh, primitive rhythms of life in the cabin. Bo is killed by an assailant, heightening the sense of danger for the remaining characters.

The film's central survivor who arrives at the farmhouse seeking safety after Paul is murdered. She endures repeated assaults and the constant threat of being unable to escape. Helen's determination to survive and uncover the truth drives the narrative toward a climactic confrontation with the killer.

Helen's first husband whose return reframes the violence circling the house. He is the killer who stalks the family, revealing a dangerous history tied to Helen. His presence culminates in a violent confrontation and his eventual death at the hands of Sarah.

Helen's husband who is murdered early in the story, which acts as the trigger for the events that follow. His death and the subsequent pursuit reveal the underlying dangers hidden within the isolated setting. Paul serves as the catalyst that brings Helen into the danger of the Pickett household.