Conjurer 2008

Over the course of a year, photographer Shawn Burnett and his wife Helen Burnett have been gripped by the grief of losing their first child, a loss that occurred before birth. In search of healing, they plan a move to the country, hoping the quiet can help them both move forward. Shawn, though uneasy about taking help from Helen’s brother, Frank Higgins, agrees that any path to solace is worth pursuing. Frank promises to build them a brand-new house, but until the construction is finished they must reside in an older home that includes a dilapidated cabin out back. Not long after they settle in, Helen discovers she is pregnant again, introducing a fragile new thread of hope into their fragile recovery.

Shawn grows intrigued after learning from neighbors that the cabin is said to be haunted by the ghost of a witch who curses anyone trying to conceive, seeking revenge on a husband who killed her own child years ago. While he probes the legend, he injures himself on a tooth left behind in the cabin and develops a serious infection. As the infection worsens, he begins to experience odd visions and events, unsure whether they are real or the product of fevered mind and latent illness—a fear compounded by the memory of his father, who murdered his wife and then took his own life. This combination of superstition, personal history, and deteriorating health pushes him to protect Helen, even if that means leaving the unsettling place behind, a choice that pits him against Frank, who believes the land to be perfectly safe.

As events grow more bizarre and Shawn’s grip on reality erodes, the tension erupts into a chase scene in which he fires a gun at his wife. Authorities arrive, and Shawn tries to recount the tale of the witch, only to be told that there is no witch and that the neighbors who spoke of her never existed. He is taken to a mental institution, while Helen remains to inhabit the house alone. The film closes with Helen listening to a phone message from Shawn and turning to the camera with a cold, malevolent look, leaving the audience to decide whether the terror stemmed from Shawn’s psyche or if a real witch ever walked the house and perhaps possessed Helen at some point during the story.