Unhinged 1982

On October 22, 1981, Terry Morgan, Nancy Paulson, and Gloria set out for a music festival in a remote part of rural Washington. The drive through dense, rain-soaked forests is tense and uneasy, with the trio passing the hours joking to lighten the mood while a news broadcast on the radio mentions the unsettling disappearance of two teenage girls in the area. A sudden storm intensifies the atmosphere, and a reckless slide on a slick stretch of road leaves them all unconscious after a violent crash. When [Terry Morgan] regains consciousness, she discovers that she and her friends are alive but trapped in an isolated mansion that feels almost deliberately at odds with the outside world.

The house belongs to the Penrose family: [Marion Penrose], a middle-aged woman with an austere composure; her elderly mother, [Mrs. Penrose]; and their steady, quiet groundskeeper, [Norman Barnes]. Gloria, who bears the brunt of the crash’s injuries, is kept under watch while Marion suggests they spend the night so Gloria can recover. A sense of unease settles over the dining room as the family welcomes them with polite but standoffish hospitality. During the meal, [Mrs. Penrose] erupts with rambling diatribes about misandry and old grievances, recounting how her husband left for another woman years earlier when the family moved among Rhode Island’s social circles. She also accuses Marion of letting men into their home. The tension is palpable, and a new, pulsing sense of danger grows as a mysterious observer lingers outside, watching the women through the windows.

That night, [Terry Morgan] finds a human tooth tucked under her bed, a small, jarring clue that the mansion may hide darker secrets. A strange, heavy breathing echoing from upstairs unsettles her, and in the morning, she and [Nancy Paulson] shower while someone lurks behind a wall peephole, amplifying the sense that they are never truly alone. The moment [Nancy Paulson] decides to venture into the nearby village, the woods themselves seem to close in around her. On a rural road, she is accosted by a cloaked figure armed with a long scythe, and she is brutally killed, the flash of violence punctuating the peaceful exterior of the day.

Back at the house, the tension deepens. Dinner resumes with an air of forced civility as [Mrs. Penrose] continues her tirades, and [Terry Morgan] frets about Nancy’s absence. Alone in her room, [Terry Morgan] confronts the same hollow breathing she heard before and ventures into the attic, where she uncovers black-and-white photographs of two children and a dusty tool belt containing a handgun and a machete. A glance out the window reveals the looming figure again, and she flees, screaming, as the unknown presence appears to close in. Marion offers a calm, controlled explanation, insisting that the man is harmless and is merely [Norman Barnes] ensuring their safety, though the fear remains.

The following day brings more uncertainty. [Norman Barnes] admits he never spoke with Nancy and instead offers a confusing tale about two teenage girls who disappeared in the woods, leaving [Terry Morgan] with more questions than answers. Later, Gloria regains consciousness, and Terry’s instinct to leave grows stronger. Yet before any plan can be set in motion, a brutal act shatters the fragile balance: an unseen attacker strikes Gloria in her room, stabbing her head with a hatchet and leaving the scene eerily quiet.

As night falls again, [Terry Morgan] searches for Gloria and discovers that her friend has vanished. A chase ensues, culminating in Terry’s desperate escape and a frantic sprint back to the house. She makes her way to the attic once more, where she finds a handgun and uses it to shoot [Carl Penrose] in the head, ending the threat he posed in that moment. Marion arrives in a panic, chastising [Terry Morgan] for killing her brother, but the young woman stands firm, demanding that Marion reveal the truth about what lies in the shed outside.

A tense silence follows as Marion, her voice shifting into a deeper, more masculine register, reveals a shocking truth: Carl had nothing to do with the dismembered corpses. The real secret lies with Marion herself, who is described as [Mrs. Penrose]’s second son, biologically male but presenting and living as a woman. The revelation shatters [Terry Morgan]’s understanding of the family’s dynamics, and the danger escalates to a fatal climax as Marion advances with a machete. In a harrowing struggle, Marion mortally wounds [Terry Morgan], her voice alternating between a grim masculine tone and a calmer feminine cadence as she rants about the pressures of gender dysphoria and her perceived duty to care for her mother and brother. The struggle ends with Terry’s life bleeding away on the floor, while downstairs, [Mrs. Penrose] calls for Marion, unaware of the carnage above. Marion answers, her voice once again feminine, with a chilling, quiet declaration: No, mother.