When her invalid mother dies and her sister (Virginia Madsen) evicts her, Eleanor "Nell" Vance (Taylor) receives a phone call, telling her about an ad for an insomnia study run by Doctor David Marrow (Neeson) at Hill House - a secluded manor in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. Upon arrival, Nell meets Mr. Dudley (Bruce Dern) and Mrs. Dudley (Marian Seldes), a strange pair of caretakers who do not stay on the property after dark. Shortly thereafter, two other participants in the study arrive, wild Theo (Zeta-Jones) and "bad sleeper" Luke Sanderson (Wilson) along with Doctor Marrow.
Unknown to the participants, Doctor Marrow's true purpose is to study the psychological response to fear. Each night, the caretakers chain the gate outside Hill House, preventing anyone from getting in or out until morning, when the caretakers open the lock. There are no working telephones inside Hill House and the nearest town is several miles away. The house was chosen because of its isolation from the outside world.
On thei
r first night at the mansion, Doctor Marrow relates the story of Hill House. The house was built by Hugh Crain - an Industrial Revolution textile tycoon. Crain built the house for his wife, hoping to fill it with a large family full of children, however all of Crain's children died during birth. Unable to escape from her sadness, Crain's wife killed herself before the house was finished, and Crain became a recluse. As he tells the story, a freak accident causes Marrow's research assistants to leave the house, leaving the doctor alone with the study participants for the duration of the study.
The first night, Theo and Nell begin to experience strange phenomenon within the house, including odd noises and inexplicable temperature changes. Doctor Marrow placates Theo with explanations centered around the o
ld house's plumbing, but Nell remains unconvinced. Her experiences intensify. Eventually, she sees apparitions, but everyone else in the house believes that she's making up stories for attention. Nell is confronted after the main hallway is vandalized with the words "Welcome Home, Eleanor", and becomes extremely distraught, setting out to prove that the house is haunted by the souls of those victimized by Crain's cruelty. She learns that Crain built his fortune by exploiting kidnapped children for slave labor and murdering them when they were of no more use to him. He then burned the bodies in the house's fireplace to hide any evidence. She also learns that Crain had a second wife named Carolyn, of whom Nell is descended.
When Dr. Marrow reveals the dual nature of his study, Theo and Luke believe the pressures of being confined to the house are causing Nell to suffer a nervous breakdown. Dr. Marrow finally comes to his senses and decides they must leave. Terrifying phenomena occur throughout the house—a statue in a nearby fountain comes to life and att
empts to drown the doctor, and Nell is trapped in her room by the spirit of the angry Hugh Crain. After freeing Nell, the four decide to leave, but learn they are trapped on the property. During that time, Nell asks Doctor Marrow how he knew the house wanted her (referring to phone call she received earlier). He does not know about any call and says the first time he spoke to Nell was at the house. When Luke tries to crash the gate with Nell's Gremlin, he fails and is trapped in the car. The car is leaking gasoline and Doctor Marrow and Theo free Luke from the car. While they are helping Luke, Nell goes back into the house, knowing that she cannot leave the children to be hurt by Crain. Luke, Theo, and Doctor Marrow go in search of Nell. Once they find her, she reveals her relation to Carolyn and how she must stay and help the children "pass-on". The other three try to run but Hugh Crain's evil spirit seals up the house, trapping them inside.
Theo, Luke and Doctor Marrow try to break the windows to get out, but Crain's spirit blocks the windows with furniture, and Marrow badly cuts his hand. While Nell and Theo tend to Marrow, Luke destroys a portrait of Hugh Crain, out of frustration with a candlestick. Crain's spirit drags Luke to the fireplace where he is decapitated by a lion-headed flue.
Nell tells Dr. Marrow and Theo they have to hide. When Nell runs to
try and hide, she realizes that she must avenge the souls of Crain's victims and invokes Crain's spirit to manifest and is able to lead him towards a huge iron door with the inscription "All Ye Who Stand Before These Doors Shall Be Judged" engraved on it. An avenging wind howls throughout the room and demons from the gates of hell pull Crain's spirit into it. Nell is thrown into the door and dies with her arms outstretched as a Christ figure, while her spirit floats from her body and rises up to heaven with the spirits of Crain's victims. After witnessing Nell's death, Theo and Dr. Marrow wait by the gate outside till the Dudleys come in the morning.
The Dudleys appro
ach as the sun rises, and do not seem at all preplexed to find the car smashed into the front gate. It is as if they were fully aware of all that is The House. Mr. Dudley asks Dr. Marrow if he found what he wanted to know, but the traumatized psychiatrist does not give an answer. When the gate opens, he and Theo silently walk out and down the road, leaving Hill House behind them.
Unknown to the participants, Doctor Marrow's true purpose is to study the psychological response to fear. Each night, the caretakers chain the gate outside Hill House, preventing anyone from getting in or out until morning, when the caretakers open the lock. There are no working telephones inside Hill House and the nearest town is several miles away. The house was chosen because of its isolation from the outside world.
On thei
r first night at the mansion, Doctor Marrow relates the story of Hill House. The house was built by Hugh Crain - an Industrial Revolution textile tycoon. Crain built the house for his wife, hoping to fill it with a large family full of children, however all of Crain's children died during birth. Unable to escape from her sadness, Crain's wife killed herself before the house was finished, and Crain became a recluse. As he tells the story, a freak accident causes Marrow's research assistants to leave the house, leaving the doctor alone with the study participants for the duration of the study.The first night, Theo and Nell begin to experience strange phenomenon within the house, including odd noises and inexplicable temperature changes. Doctor Marrow placates Theo with explanations centered around the o
ld house's plumbing, but Nell remains unconvinced. Her experiences intensify. Eventually, she sees apparitions, but everyone else in the house believes that she's making up stories for attention. Nell is confronted after the main hallway is vandalized with the words "Welcome Home, Eleanor", and becomes extremely distraught, setting out to prove that the house is haunted by the souls of those victimized by Crain's cruelty. She learns that Crain built his fortune by exploiting kidnapped children for slave labor and murdering them when they were of no more use to him. He then burned the bodies in the house's fireplace to hide any evidence. She also learns that Crain had a second wife named Carolyn, of whom Nell is descended.When Dr. Marrow reveals the dual nature of his study, Theo and Luke believe the pressures of being confined to the house are causing Nell to suffer a nervous breakdown. Dr. Marrow finally comes to his senses and decides they must leave. Terrifying phenomena occur throughout the house—a statue in a nearby fountain comes to life and att
empts to drown the doctor, and Nell is trapped in her room by the spirit of the angry Hugh Crain. After freeing Nell, the four decide to leave, but learn they are trapped on the property. During that time, Nell asks Doctor Marrow how he knew the house wanted her (referring to phone call she received earlier). He does not know about any call and says the first time he spoke to Nell was at the house. When Luke tries to crash the gate with Nell's Gremlin, he fails and is trapped in the car. The car is leaking gasoline and Doctor Marrow and Theo free Luke from the car. While they are helping Luke, Nell goes back into the house, knowing that she cannot leave the children to be hurt by Crain. Luke, Theo, and Doctor Marrow go in search of Nell. Once they find her, she reveals her relation to Carolyn and how she must stay and help the children "pass-on". The other three try to run but Hugh Crain's evil spirit seals up the house, trapping them inside.Theo, Luke and Doctor Marrow try to break the windows to get out, but Crain's spirit blocks the windows with furniture, and Marrow badly cuts his hand. While Nell and Theo tend to Marrow, Luke destroys a portrait of Hugh Crain, out of frustration with a candlestick. Crain's spirit drags Luke to the fireplace where he is decapitated by a lion-headed flue.
Nell tells Dr. Marrow and Theo they have to hide. When Nell runs to
try and hide, she realizes that she must avenge the souls of Crain's victims and invokes Crain's spirit to manifest and is able to lead him towards a huge iron door with the inscription "All Ye Who Stand Before These Doors Shall Be Judged" engraved on it. An avenging wind howls throughout the room and demons from the gates of hell pull Crain's spirit into it. Nell is thrown into the door and dies with her arms outstretched as a Christ figure, while her spirit floats from her body and rises up to heaven with the spirits of Crain's victims. After witnessing Nell's death, Theo and Dr. Marrow wait by the gate outside till the Dudleys come in the morning.The Dudleys appro
ach as the sun rises, and do not seem at all preplexed to find the car smashed into the front gate. It is as if they were fully aware of all that is The House. Mr. Dudley asks Dr. Marrow if he found what he wanted to know, but the traumatized psychiatrist does not give an answer. When the gate opens, he and Theo silently walk out and down the road, leaving Hill House behind them.