The Stranger in Me

A tense, claustrophobic drama unfolds at a remote summer home as a newly unwed couple confronts an uninvited nightmare. James Hoyt and Kristen McKay arrive at James’ quiet childhood retreat after a wedding, hoping to mend what’s broken between them. Kristen’s firm rejection of James’ marriage proposal hangs in the air, and James leaves a plan to have Mike pick him up at first light, setting the stage for a fragile, uneasy night. The evening’s intimacy is interrupted by a knock at the door: a young woman asks if Tamara is home, and James brushes her off while trying to warm the house with a crackling fire for Kristen. When James slips away to grab cigarettes for Kristen, the mystery woman returns, repeating the same question, and a silent, unsettling observer—someone masked and watching from inside—lingers just out of sight.

Kristen senses something is wrong as a dropped smoke alarm, once on the floor, now sits ominously on a chair, hinting that an intruder is closer than they realize. Her cellphone disappears, and the front door is forced ajar, allowing the masked intruder to slip a look into the living room before retreating. The couple catches sight of the masked figure again, a brunette called Dollface, who watches from the cold edge of the property. James makes a half-hearted attempt to retrieve his phone from the car, only to find it ransacked. They try to flee in the car, but a pickup truck driven by an unseen assailant slams into them, cutting off their escape.

What follows is a brutal twist of fate: Mike arrives in what should be a rescue, but James accidentally shoots him dead. Desperation drives James to recall an old radio transmitter tucked away in a barn on the property, a potential escape route or last-ditch signal for help. The intruders strike back with chilling silence, and the Man in the Mask knocks James unconscious, later doing the same to Kristen inside the house. When they awaken, they find themselves tied to chairs in the living room, their fear rising with every unanswered question.

Kristen, shaken and furious, demands to know why they’ve been targeted. Dollface’s flat reply—> “Because you were home.” <—lands like a cold bolt, as the killers reveal their unmasked faces and begin to take turns tormenting the couple. They eventually depart, leaving a trail of dread in their wake. Outside, the horror grows colder still when two young boys distributing Mormon tracts encounter the masked figures, and one of the intruders—Pin-Up Girl—murmurs, “It will be easier next time” as the group drives away.

The two boys, shaken by what they’ve witnessed, hasten to the house and discover the bloodied bodies of Kristen and James. Kristen’s sudden, frightened grab of one boy’s hand tears through the silence, and the boys summon the police, their fear turning to a grim, chilling certainty about what lurks behind the door. The night’s terror lingers, a wakeful reminder that some homes, no matter how secluded, harbor shadows that refuse to leave.

Last Updated: October 05, 2025 at 11:31