The Carpenter 1988

Relocation after institutional release

Alice Jarett, recently released from a Québec institution after her mental breakdown, moves with her husband Martin to Canada. They settle into a house that was never finished and begin the long process of finishing it. The move marks the start of a haunting dynamic between Alice, the unfinished house, and the strange builder who will soon appear.

Basement hammering and the unseen carpenter

One night Alice is awakened by hammering in the basement and notices a carpenter who was not part of the rest of the crew. Unlike the others, he carries a quiet confidence and seems unusually skilled. While Martin is away, he intervenes when a second carpenter tries to assault Alice, using a circular saw to stop him and then cleans up the mess.

The carpenter as Ed the house's spirit

Alice comes to believe the carpenter is the spirit of Edward, the builder who was executed for killing repo men, driven by an obsession with perfecting his home. His presence is linked to the house itself and its history of violence. Despite this, she finds him strangely charming.

Ed's past violence revealed

Ed proves his murderous history by killing two disgruntled former workers who break into the house to loot it. The killings demonstrate that his spectral influence is deadly and that the house is a trap for intruders. Alice begins to accept that Ed is more than just a myth.

Laura Bell confesses an affair

Martin's student Laura Bell visits the house to confess that she and Martin are having an affair and that she is pregnant with his child. The revelation triggers a confrontation between Laura and Alice and destabilizes the couple's dynamic. The tension in the house grows markedly after this revelation.

Alice and Ed kill Laura

During the confrontation, Laura is killed with a nail gun, aided by Ed. Martin returns home and discovers her mangled body, triggering a violent reaction. He attacks Alice, only to be subdued as Ed crushes his head in a vise, solidifying Ed's control over the situation.

Rachel's arrival and threat

Sometime later, Alice's sister Rachel stops by and tries to leave with Alice after spotting the corpses of Martin and Laura. Ed intercepts and becomes violent, preventing their escape and escalating the danger in the house. The sisters are forced to confront the escalating supernatural danger.

Alice turns against Ed

Angered by Ed harming her sister, Alice resolves to resist him and take back control of her fate. She begins to look for ways to end Ed's influence over the house. The confrontation shifts from fear to active resistance.

Discovering Ed's vulnerability

During the scuffle, Alice realizes that damaging the house hurts Ed, revealing his vulnerability to destruction. The insight gives her a rational plan rather than pure panic. She uses this knowledge to turn the house itself against Ed.

Fire as the weapon

Alice seizes a blow torch and starts a fire, intending to destroy the house core and Ed's hold over it. The flames spread as Ed fights to maintain his dominion, but the structure begins to crumble around him. The fire marks a turning point in the battle between human and spirit.