Seeking respite, Randall and Emily retreat to a remote beach house owned by his family. Their quiet escape is interrupted by Mitch and Jane, friends of Randall's estranged father. As the group attempts to enjoy the peaceful setting, strange occurrences begin to disrupt the tranquility. Environmental anomalies escalate, creating a growing sense of dread and threatening the bonds between them as they face an impending and unsettling doom.
Warning: spoilers below!
Haven’t seen The Beach House yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!
Read the complete plot breakdown of The Beach House (2020), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Emily Liana Liberato and Randall Noah Le Gros arrive at Randall’s parents’ beach house in a remote vacation town, hoping for a quiet escape. The town looks eerily deserted as they step inside, and their mood lightens with the idea of a private getaway. Soon they discover Mitch Jake Weber and Jane Turner Maryann Nagel—old friends of Randall’s father—are already staying there. Jane is terminally ill, and Mitch wants to give her one last happy vacation. With plenty of space at the seaside house, the two couples decide to share the residence for a while, aiming to make the best of a peaceful retreat.
After dinner, Randall brings out some edible marijuana, and the group agrees to share. As they drift into a high, Mitch notices the strange texture of the water, and everyone spots glowing microbes on the beach and in the trees. Jane steps out to observe the phenomenon up close, but the fog begins to form and she becomes disoriented while coughing fits intensify. Emily also grows lightheaded and slips into unconsciousness. When she awakens, she finds Jane in the kitchen, catatonic and covered in skin lesions, while Mitch has vanished.
The next day, Emily and Randall head to the beach and are stunned to find it completely empty. Randall soon becomes sick and hurries back to the house. In the bathroom, he notices the sink water moving in peculiar patterns; at the same time, Jane moans softly somewhere nearby. On the shore, Mitch reappears and muses that something in the area feels off before he goes for a swim—and then inexplicably drowns himself. A panicked Emily steps on a washed-up Portuguese man o’ war, gets stung, and spots a worm-like creature wriggling in an open wound. She fights her way back to the house, where she finds Jane sickeningly transformed and stalking with milky white eyes. She manages to lock Jane inside and, with Randall now gravely ill, the two flee into the thickening fog.
By nightfall, the fog has blanketed the landscape, and Randall deteriorates further. Emily discovers a police car with a radio and manages to reach out to someone who warns them to barricade themselves and avoid breathing the fog. They move from house to house, witnessing the water’s texture change in unsettling ways, and TVs and radios flood with warnings: the microbes—preserved in underwater rocks—have been released, apparently due to global warming. Emily proposes a plan to survive until morning, but Randall’s fear pushes him toward a desperate course. In the basement, she finds oxygen tanks for scuba diving and deduces they can use the tanks to breathe air in a safe space. She also encounters a horribly mutated person feeding on a corpse, a grim sign of the infection spreading.
Upstairs, Randall convulses and vomits a squid-like creature as his eyes turn white. Emily returns with the scuba gear and, when he lunges at her, she defends herself by striking him with a scuba tank. With the keys to a car in hand, she drives away, but the fog roils in and she becomes disoriented, crashing into a tree. She collapses into a tide pool, crawling out into the fog-drenched air and slowly breathing in the eerie atmosphere. She experiences a series of dreams and hallucinations about the microbes as dawn breaks and she lies on the beach, trying to steady herself as the infection completes its course. A final, overwhelming wave surges over her body and drags her out to sea, leaving her fate uncertain as the town sleeps under the fog.
Last Updated: January 08, 2026 at 12:00
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.
When nature itself turns hostile, unraveling humanity in beautiful but deadly settings.If you were captivated by the environmental horror and global dread in The Beach House, this thread brings you more movies where nature turns hostile. Discover films with similar themes of ecological disaster, infection, and bleak survival against an indifferent, changing world.
These narratives typically begin with a semblance of normalcy that is quickly shattered by inexplicable environmental anomalies. Characters find themselves trapped and powerless as a global or localized ecological disaster unfolds, focusing on the psychological and physical toll of survival against an unstoppable force.
Movies are grouped here because they share a core theme of environmental dread and apocalyptic horror. They create a specific kind of fear rooted in the real-world anxiety of climate change and pandemics, featuring a heavy, bleak tone and a focus on the collapse of society or the self.
Trapped in a remote location as psychological and physical terror escalates.Fans of The Beach House's claustrophobic tension and remote setting will find more chilling tales here. This collection features horror movies where characters are trapped in isolated locations, facing escalating dread and psychological breakdown in a slow, steady burn.
The narrative follows a group or individual cut off from help in a remote location. The initial unease grows into full-blown terror through a series of escalating events, testing the bonds between characters and often revealing their darkest instincts as hope diminishes.
These films are united by their atmospheric use of isolation to amplify fear. They share a steady pacing that builds dread, a high level of tension, and a focus on the psychological deterioration of characters facing unimaginable circumstances in a confined space.
Don't stop at just watching — explore The Beach House 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 The Beach House is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of The Beach House 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 The Beach House. 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 The Beach House 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 The Beach House: 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 The Beach House 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.
The Beach House (2020) Scene-by-Scene Movie Timeline
The Beach House (2020) Movie Characters, Themes & Settings
The Beach House (2020) Spoiler-Free Summary & Key Flow
Movies Like The Beach House – Similar Titles You’ll Enjoy
The Deep House (2021) Detailed Story Recap
The Beach (2000) Film Overview & Timeline
House at the End of the Street (2012) Complete Plot Breakdown
A House on the Bayou (2021) Full Movie Breakdown
House (1986) Full Movie Breakdown
Beach House (2018) Film Overview & Timeline
Paradise Cove (2021) Full Movie Breakdown
House by the Lake (2017) Full Summary & Key Details
The Beach House (2019) Movie Recap & Themes
Beach House (1982) Story Summary & Characters
Forbidden Beach (1985) Full Movie Breakdown
Beach House (2023) Full Movie Breakdown
The House by the Lake (1976) Detailed Story Recap
The Horror of Party Beach (1964) Complete Plot Breakdown
The Beach Girls and the Monster (1965) Plot Summary & Ending Explained