The Unseen

The Unseen

Year: 2016

Runtime: 110 mins

Language: English

Director: Geoff Redknap

ThrillerActionHorror

A man who disappeared from his family years ago and retreated to a quiet northern town seeks a final opportunity to mend fences with his estranged daughter. When she vanishes, he embarks on a desperate search, confronting a startling secret: he is gradually becoming invisible. He must now risk everything to find her and face the reasons he left in the first place.

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The Unseen (2016) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of The Unseen (2016), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

After discovering he inherited a family curse that is slowly turning his body invisible, Bob Langmore, Aden Young, a disgraced former NHL player, abandons his wife Darlene, Camille Sullivan, and their young daughter Eva, Julia Sarah Stone, to spare them his suffering. He has spent eight years living in isolation as a logger, attempting to slow the transformation with illegal drugs while clinging to thoughts of suicide.

Darlene calls Bob to warn him about Eva’s mounting disobedience and a troubling plan to travel with friends rather than pursue college. Unable to follow through on ending his life, Bob quits his job and hits the road, but a bodily collapse behind the wheel leaves his truck wrecked and his ribcage fractured.

Seeking a way to fix the vehicle, he reaches out to his drug dealer Nelson, Scott Lyster. Nelson brings in his boss Crisby, Ben Cotton, who offers a deal: repair the truck in exchange for Bob delivering a black bear organ and couriering back another package from black market contacts Milton, Eugene Lipinski, and Bishop, Nickolas Baric. Desperate, Bob agrees, hoping the arrangement will also give him chances to see Eva and Darlene while handling the dangerous exchange.

Darlene, who is now in a relationship with her girlfriend Molly, lets Bob crash on her couch for a time. He has awkward, strained interactions with Eva, including her question about her grandfather’s history with mental illness.

Bob completes the first leg of the deal, delivering the organ to Milton and Bishop and receiving a return package to fetch from Crisby. Crisby begins pestering Bob for a quick return, but Bob rebuffs him, insisting he will come back in his own time.

On a dare, Eva accompanies her friends Amelia, Max Chadburn as Amelia, Benji, Maxwell Haynes as Benji, and Oggy, Kurt Ostlund, on a trip to the abandoned wing of Mountainview mental hospital. A terrifying encounter reveals that Eva is showing signs of turning invisible, and the teens are chased by a security guard, only escaping when something unseen attacks the guard.

Inside the hospital, Eva is captured by a Chinese doctor, Chang Tseng, who becomes fascinated with her condition. When a search party discovers Eva’s disappearance, Bob and Darlene race to Mountainview to find her.

Bob’s aggressive behavior at Mountainview leads to his detainment. Dr. Amherst, Linda Darlow, who once treated Bob’s father, reveals a troubling truth: Bob’s father did not simply kill himself; he burned himself on purpose to prevent Bob from uncovering his condition. Amherst also implies that Bob’s father may still be alive, though whose whereabouts are unknown. She urges Bob to stay for treatment, but he slips away during the night.

Bob learns that Eva is also turning invisible and that her interest in his father’s case drew her toward the hospital. He eventually tracks Eva to a Chinese grocery where she is being kept in a cage in the back room and rescues her.

Returning home, Bob, too debilitated by the worsening transformation, allows Eva to drive him. On the road back, Bob hands Milton’s package to Nelson, instructing him to deliver it to Crisby. Crisby later opens it to find nothing but a bag of metal bolts.

Eva remains with Bob for a time. Bob confides his plan to kill himself at the mill, explaining that his only wish is to see Eva one last time. Despite Eva’s protests, Bob heads toward the mill.

Crisby arrives at Bob’s house with a shotgun. Finding Eva alone, Crisby prepares to attack, but Bob—now fully invisible—returns and beats Crisby to death. The two dump Crisby’s body for a bear to devour.

Eva decides to go to college. In a moment of shared vulnerability, Bob and Eva realize that the invisible presence who rescued Eva in the hospital basement was actually Eva’s grandfather, who remains alive. Mother and daughter resolve to press on, and the pair begins their journey back toward Morningview to search for Bob’s father.

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:59

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Thrillers with a personal curse like in The Unseen

Characters pushed to their limits by a horrifying personal affliction against the clock.If you liked the high-stakes tension of The Unseen, you'll find similar movies here. These films feature protagonists grappling with a degenerative affliction—be it supernatural, psychological, or physical—while trying to achieve a critical goal, blending desperate action with heavy emotional weight.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a character who is deteriorating under a powerful curse or affliction. This internal struggle is compounded by an urgent external mission, often a rescue or redemption quest. The story intertwines the physical horror of their condition with the emotional stakes of their goal, driving toward a climax where both conflicts come to a head.

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Movies in this thread share a core structure of a dual-threat narrative: an internal, progressive horror and an external, time-sensitive crisis. They create a unique, relentless tension by making the protagonist's own body or mind the primary antagonist in their struggle for salvation.

Dark family redemption stories like The Unseen

Flawed parents seek forgiveness in dire circumstances, facing past failures head-on.For viewers who appreciated the heavy emotional core of The Unseen, this thread collects movies about estranged parents seeking to mend broken relationships. These stories often involve a perilous journey, confronting past trauma, and a bittersweet conclusion where redemption comes at a great personal cost.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative revolves around a deeply flawed protagonist, estranged from their family due to past actions. A crisis forces them back into their family's life, offering a final opportunity for atonement. The journey is physically and emotionally perilous, forcing a confrontation with their failings and culminating in a sacrifice that may or may not lead to full reconciliation.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their exploration of fractured family bonds and the painful, often violent, road to possible forgiveness. They share a melancholic mood, a focus on heavy themes like guilt and sacrifice, and an ending that is more bittersweet than purely happy, reflecting the complexity of real-world reconciliation.

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Characters, Settings & Themes in The Unseen

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Characters, Settings & Themes in The Unseen

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