The Lodger

The film opens with a brutal prostitute murder on Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood. Detective Chandler Manning and rookie Street Wilkenson take charge, initially treating it as a standalone case. The case establishes their partnership and the grim tone of the investigation.

A second murder occurs with eerily similar details to the first. The medical examiner links the two to the Jack the Ripper killings in 1888 London, suggesting a copycat or a past pattern. Manning realizes that the earlier suspect may have been the wrong man and the case is reopened in a new light.

Manning's personal life is under strain as his wife has attempted suicide and his estranged daughter Amanda blames him for it. The investigation begins to intersect with his fragile home life, complicating judgment and focus. The case becomes a pressure cooker for his relationships as well as the killer.

In a parallel thread, Ellen Bunting rents her guest house to Malcolm Slaight, a writer who needs complete quiet. She becomes drawn to him, offering breakfast and attention while he remains aloof. The connection deepens as she clings to the illusion of a life with him.

The ripper copycat murders two more victims, and a witness describes a man in a long black coat. A garbage can near the crime scenes yields a clue: bloody underwear that belongs to one of the victims. Manning recalls the earlier cases and wonders if a copycat is at work.

Manning searches the old case files and recovers a letter written after the previous arrest. In a tense moment, he pulls a gun on the evidence clerk to stop him from following him.

Ellen continues to contact Malcolm, bringing him breakfast and tea and hoping to remain close. She notices subtle signs of his presence, like boots drying and a kiss, while Joe remains largely unaware of the lodger's existence.

Manning and Wilkenson close in on suspects near the murder sites and visit the Bunting home. Ellen acts suspiciously, and Manning is pulled into a meeting with the Captain and the Mayor, resulting in his suspension. The Captain accuses Manning of delusions and possibly being the killer he once apprehended.

Ellen sneaks into the guest house and disturbs a cabinet, spilling a red liquid that Malcolm calls red ink. Malcolm returns with a black bag, and Ellen pledges that she will protect him while Joe is away and the police have already visited. The tension sharpens as loyalties blur.

Manning asks Wilkenson for help as new pressure mounts. They obtain a warrant and search the guest house, discovering maps with red ink and prints. The Captain and Wilkenson grow suspicious of Manning, believing he may be planting evidence, and they cuff him while arranging to pick up Joe.

Manning discovers that the maps, one of London and one of Hollywood, align with the past murders and reveal a new mark near Amanda's dorm. He and Wilkenson rush to Amanda, who is followed by a man in a long black coat, leading to a tense chase.

The killer corners Amanda at a venue, but the pursuit drives them into the Bunting home. Manning, the Captain, and officers converge to find Ellen wielding a curved knife and Joe badly wounded but alive.

The film reveals that Ellen's killings stem from the death of her baby during childbirth eight years earlier, and that the lodger and her imagined son were fantasies. The police and the press accept this explanation, but Manning remains skeptical. The final scene shifts to Malcolm in Santa Monica, still searching for lodgings.