Year: 1973
Runtime: 93 min
Language: English
Director: Brian De Palma
Three sisters, Diamond, Tia, and Tara, are fiercely devoted to their ailing grandmother and determined to protect her. Haunted by a shared traumatic childhood, they uncover dark secrets within their family's history while trying to prevent a looming tragedy. As they delve deeper, they must confront the sinister forces that threaten to destroy everything they hold dear and reveal the source of their shared pain.
Warning: spoilers below!
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Sisters (1973), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Danielle Breton, portrayed by Margot Kidder, is a model and aspiring actress engaged in a rather unusual scheme. She is cast to impersonate a blind woman on an insurance program called The Peeping Toms, hosted by Philip Woode, played by Lisle Wilson. Throughout this hidden camera show, Philip is tasked with deciding whether he will sneak a glance at her undressing at his gym. In a twist of fate, he refrains from looking, leading both characters to become modest winners; Philip receives a dinner-for-two at the lavish African Room restaurant while Danielle acquires a new cutlery set.
During their dinner, an unexpected interruption arises in the form of Danielle’s ex-husband, Emil Breton, portrayed by William Finley. Philip gallantly confronts Emil, ultimately forcing him to exit the restaurant. Following this drama, the two head to Danielle’s Staten Island apartment. However, unbeknownst to them, Emil has taken to following closely behind. In a frantic moment, Philip pretends to depart for good but makes a cunning return through the back door, surprising Danielle with the cutlery gift she had inadvertently left in his car. The atmosphere becomes charged with intimacy, leading the two to share an affectionate encounter on the living room couch.
The following morning, Danielle awakens feeling unwell. She heads to her medicine cabinet, discovering only three red pills remaining. After taking one, she inadvertently leaves the remaining two on the sink’s edge. While dressing, Philip unknowingly tosses the duo down the sink, leading to more complications. As the day progresses, it becomes evident that tensions run high as Danielle and her twin sister Dominique get into a heated debate over Philip. Danielle, seeking relief, requests Philip fetch more of the red pills from the pharmacy, while he gets sidetracked buying gifts.
Upon returning to the apartment, Philip uses Danielle’s keys once again, and they prepare a celebration with a birthday cake. However, in a shocking turn of events, Danielle resorts to violence, using the knife from the cutlery set to murder Philip. Desperately attempting to reach out for help, Philip tries to alert a neighboring resident, Grace Collier, played by Jennifer Salt, but to no avail as the situation grows dire.
Grace, an investigative journalist, is drawn into the unfolding chaos, seeking to uncover the truth about recent events surrounding Danielle. She is quickly met with resistance from Detective Kelly, portrayed by Dolph Sweet, who is skeptical of Grace’s concerns. As Grace navigates the ever-deepening mystery, she gathers clues that lead her to employ a private detective, Joseph Larch, played by Charles Durning, hoping to unravel the enigma entwined in Danielle’s life.
The layers of complexity deepen when Grace explores the haunting past of the Blanchion Siamese twins, revealing intricate details about Danielle and Dominique’s shared history, filled with love and tragedy. As events escalate, it becomes clear that Emil, also serving Danielle in a troubling dual role as her doctor, encompasses a dark side filled with control and manipulation.
With a series of dramatic confrontations leading to dark revelations, Danielle’s fragile grip on reality becomes more tenuous. A climactic struggle with Emil results in his demise, while Grace remains entranced in Jessica’s complex psyche as she unravels the chaos surrounding her.
In the aftermath of the tumult, while the authorities grapple with the burgeoning case, Grace’s memories begin to blur the lines of reality, echoing Emil’s influence over her mind. As the narrative closes, the undisturbed shrouded sofa becomes a haunting symbol of unresolved mysteries, leaving Detective Kelly pondering the uncanny possibility that the cycle of violence may never truly end.
Last Updated: May 28, 2025 at 19:07
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Stories where character sanity splinters under the weight of dark secrets.If you enjoyed the psychological tension and fractured identity in Sisters, explore these films where characters confront unreliable realities and disturbing pasts. These movies share a similar mood of paranoia and a complex, ambiguous narrative structure.
These narratives typically involve a central character, often in a fragile mental state, whose perception of reality is called into question. As they investigate a mystery or confront their past, the truth becomes increasingly elusive, leading to a climax that questions what was real and what was imagined.
Movies are grouped here based on their intense focus on psychological decay, the theme of an unreliable narrator, and a tone that is consistently tense and unsettling. They share a high emotional weight and often feature ambiguous, thought-provoking endings.
Dread that festers within the home, fueled by a dark inheritance.Fans of Sisters' tense exploration of dark family secrets will find similar dread in these movies. This selection features stories where horror is rooted in familial relationships, creating a claustrophobic and unsettling vibe with heavy emotional weight.
The core pattern involves a family unit—sometimes siblings, sometimes a parent/child dynamic—confronting a legacy of darkness. The horror is psychological and intimate, arising from betrayal, manipulation, or a cursed history that traps the characters together, leading to violent and tragic conclusions.
These films are linked by their oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere, a focus on familial relationships as the source of horror, and the unraveling of a dark past. They share high tension, heavy emotional themes, and a pervasive sense of dread.
Don't stop at just watching — explore Sisters in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Sisters is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of Sisters with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Sisters. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Sisters that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.
Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Sisters: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.
Discover movies like Sisters that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.
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