They’re Outside

They’re Outside

Year: 2020

Runtime: 83 mins

Language: English

Directors: Sam Casserly, Airell Anthony Hayles

Horror

A YouTube psychologist, Max Spencer, attempts to help an intensely agoraphobic woman overcome her fear and leave her home within ten days. As he works with her, a local legend about sinister, magic-practicing entities known as Green Eyes begins to seem increasingly real, threatening to engulf the town in a dark and terrifying reality. Combining found footage elements with pagan visuals, the film explores a chilling fairytale for adults, starring Emily Booth and Nicholas Vince.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen They’re Outside 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!

They’re Outside (2020) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of They’re Outside (2020), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

Presented as a documentary, this film follows an unaired episode of the YouTube show Psychology-Inside/Out, centered on Max Spencer, a celebrated psychologist who is eager to diagnose and treat a range of mental illnesses on camera. After filming concludes, he and his girlfriend, Nicole, who also served as the cameraperson, vanish without a trace, leaving the project unfinished and the mystery of their disappearance unresolved.

For the episode, Sarah, a woman living near Hastings, is portrayed as battling severe agoraphobia sparked by the death of her daughter in a car accident. [Max Spencer] claims he can not only help Sarah confront her fears but also coax her outside her familiar space within ten days, a promise that adds pressure to the already tense, filmed experiment. Throughout the sessions, Sarah clings to the local legend of Green Eyes, a supposed practitioner of magic who would spirit people away to his home, after which they would vanish from the world. Max remains skeptical, even as inexplicable events begin to disrupt the documentary’s careful veneer.

As the episode unfolds, the truth behind Sarah’s past starts to unravel. She admits that her daughter’s death was not as she initially claimed; instead, she says her daughter went missing in the forest and was taken by Green Eyes, a revelation that shakes the foundation of Max’s measured approach. Despite this unsettling disclosure, Sarah ultimately leaves the house with Max after being lured by a vision of her daughter, a vision that Green Eyes allegedly conjures to bend her resolve.

The pair ventures into an endless woods that seems to loop on itself, until they arrive at Green Eyes’s hut. Inside, the space resembles a dim basement, where a covered body rests beside a bowl of fruit on a simple table. As the atmosphere thickens, Max begins to hear voices urging him to kill Sarah, and he carries out the act after stepping out of the hut. He then rambles about Sarah being a hopeless case, insisting he will still try to help others, even as the narrative threads tighten around him. A chilling moment follows as Max locks eyes with glowing green eyes and barricades himself back inside the hut’s basement, the camera lingering on his panic before he finally looks into the lens to sign off his YouTube show, leaving the final frame to the eerie stillness of the woods.

Last Updated: October 14, 2025 at 04:07

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Explore Movie Threads

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.

Found footage horror movies with dread like They’re Outside

First-person horror where the camera's lens traps you in escalating terror.If you liked the documentary-style terror and immersive fear in They’re Outside, explore more movies that use found footage to build claustrophobic dread. These films put you directly in the characters' shoes, making the horror feel immediate and disturbingly real.

found footageclaustrophobicparanoidunsettlingdocumentary styleimmersiveanxious

Narrative Summary

These narratives often follow a character or crew attempting to document a situation—be it an investigation, a personal project, or an experiment—that spirals horrifically out of control. The story unfolds through the limited perspective of the camera, revealing information as the characters themselves discover it, leading to a slow, paranoid unraveling.

Why These Movies?

They are grouped by their shared commitment to a first-person visual style, which intensifies the feeling of being trapped and creates a uniquely unsettling, authentic-feeling horror experience.

Psychological horror movies about trauma like They’re Outside

Where supernatural terrors are manifestations of deep-seated grief and psychological wounds.For viewers who appreciated how They’re Outside intertwined supernatural folklore with themes of grief and mental crisis, this thread highlights movies where horror emerges directly from psychological trauma. These films explore how personal demons can manifest into terrifying realities.

psychologicaldreadfulheavygriefmental illnesstragicunsettling

Narrative Summary

The story typically centers on a protagonist grappling with a significant psychological wound, such as the loss of a loved one. An external horror—a legend, a monster, or a haunting—emerges that directly exploits or mirrors this inner pain, blurring the lines between psychological breakdown and supernatural encounter, often leading to a bleak resolution.

Why These Movies?

They share a core narrative structure where horror is not random, but a direct consequence or reflection of profound human suffering, making the fear more intimate and the emotional impact far heavier.

Unlock the Full Story of They’re Outside

Don't stop at just watching — explore They’re Outside 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 They’re Outside is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

They’re Outside Timeline

Track the full timeline of They’re Outside with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

They’re Outside Timeline

Characters, Settings & Themes in They’re Outside

Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape They’re Outside. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.

Characters, Settings & Themes in They’re Outside

They’re Outside Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of They’re Outside 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.

They’re Outside Spoiler-Free Summary

More About They’re Outside

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about They’re Outside: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About They’re Outside