“The Inhabitant” is the latest movie directed by Jerren Lauder, starring the likes of Odessa A’zion, Lizzie Broadway, Leslie Bibb, and Dermot Mulroney. This Steelyard Pictures movie explores a string of supernatural incidents prevalent in the Borden family’s female bloodline. Written by Kevin Bachar, it is a psychological thriller with a touch of jump-scare scenes throughout the movie. It follows the journey of Tara, a teenage girl who is seen to be fighting her inner cursed spirit. She has been hearing the voice of Lizzie Borden calling her name again and again, provoking her to do the things that Lizzie once did.
Lizzie Borden appeared to be the first female member of the Borden family to get affected by the curse. However, it was later found that Borden’s family had a history of violence that had been passed down the generations, particularly the female bloodlines. Furthermore, this film might also be categorized as detective fiction, in my opinion, as Tara is seen looking for all the answers to her family’s generational curse. Was Tara also affected by this curse? If so, then did Tara succeed in overcoming her cursed spirit? Also, could she grasp the reality of what passed in her feminine bloodline? This ending explainer of “The Inhabitant” will answer all the questions you may have after watching the movie.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In ‘The Inhabitant’ Film?
“The Inhabitant” begins with an explanation message about Lizzie Boden and how she ruthlessly murdered her mother and father. This could be considered parricide, which is known as the deliberate murder of one’s own father and mother. However, the film implies that all the violent history in the Boden family is due to a generational curse.
The movie explores the horrific deaths that occur in October in the region (Fall River) where the film takes place. The present scene of the movie is set in October; Tara’s house is decorated with pumpkins, and a fabric ghost is visible hanging on the porch of the house, as though Halloween is approaching.
From the onset of the film, it is clear that Tara, the main protagonist, is a teenage girl whose life has just become somewhat chaotic. She feels her boyfriend is moving away from her because he decided to attend Stanford rather than Brown College. Tara also has a 9-year-old brother who rarely listens to her. Tara’s connection with her father can be compared to that of an ordinary teenage girl who typically keeps secrets. Emily, Tara’s mother, is a cautious one who frequently keeps a watchful eye on her daughter. This may be due to her concern that Tara may have acquired the same condition as her sister (Aunt Diane), who killed her baby and was sent to North State Psychiatric Hospital because of it.
Tara can be seen hallucinating throughout the movie, in which she hears the voice of Lizzie Boden. Since the curse ran in the family, Emily was aware that all these activities begin to show at the age of 16. She also knew that Tara had begun to experience its initial effects. That’s why Emily was reluctant to send her to a therapist, which Tara refused. Tara is obstinate in her belief that she is okay, as she attempts to convince Emily that she is just tired because she was unable to sleep well at night because of her sewing. This obstinacy is also evident when Lizzie Boden pays her first visit to Tara and asks her to bring down the axe on her brother’s head, following which Tara accidentally wounds her leg with the axe and is seen rushing to the bathroom when Emily asks whether she is okay.
The More Tara Seeks, The More The Spirit Follows
As the film progresses, it emphasizes the depth of each individual. It begins with displaying Suzy’s affection for Tara, who owns old-timey dresses made by Tara. Suzy has never told Tara about this and often seems to harm herself. Not only does Suzy own an old dress that resembles the dress that the mysterious killer was wearing, but her obsession with Tara also makes her feel like a suspect in all the murders that are occurring. As the film progresses, we get a pretty accurate portrayal of Tara’s genuine character, which is of a person who can go to any extent to seek answers, which justifies her craziness, for which her mother is concerned. Tara was spotted visiting a therapist, who does not diagnose Tara as schizophrenic but prescribes medication to keep the fits and hallucinations away. She was also questioned by police about Gina’s murder. People are also killed following this scene, with Karen being the first victim and Mikhail being the second. This may also be stated as a significant reason why the mysterious killer is killing people. The cursed spirit killer may perceive this as a punishment for those who have done something wrong to Tara, which leads us to suspect Tara as the killer, who may have been possessed by the cursed spirit by now. Tara visits Aunt Diane at the North State Psychiatric Hospital, where Aunt Diane confesses that her mother, when she was her age, had encountered this curse. Diane also claimed that Tara had seen Lizzie Borden since the women in their family normally did so when they attained a certain age.
Tara felt a lot crazier about herself after this meeting since she thought she was seeing all these nightmares and hallucinations, which could lead to something worse happening to her family. Tara was also seen questioning her mother about why she had lied about what Aunt Diane had done to her son and the fact that Emily had experienced the same thing when she was her age.
‘The Inhabitant’ Ending Explained: Was Tara The Actual Killer? Was She Possessed By A Demon Spirit?
Tara appears intrigued by Lizzie Borden and wants to spend the night with her boyfriend at Lizzie’s house, where Lizzie had murdered her parents. The home serves as a museum and is managed by Gail Olin. Gail Olin also informed her that Lizzie was an excellent seamstress. Tara was also portrayed in the film as an excellent seamstress, which led her to believe that the outfits she had created might act as a trigger. Tara asked Suzy to get the clothes from her basement. When Suzy arrived at Tara’s house to get clothes, she immediately sensed something was off. As soon as Suzy discovers a dress covered in blood, she is attacked with an axe by someone dressed in a white dress.
On the other hand, Tara is seen being forced out of Lizzie’s house because she is tried to kill Gail Olin and is believed to be possessed by Lizzie’s spirit. But Tara manages to control herself and avoid hurting anyone. When Tara couldn’t reach Suzy, she seemed worried and headed home to figure out what was happening. Later, she hears Suzy’s phone ring in the basement and sees her car parked in front. Tara immediately rushes into the house with Carl, where she discovers her brothers, Caleb and Jacob, in the attic, who tell her everything that has happened. Caleb also called his dad to inform him of the issue at home after Tara requested him to call the police.
As Tara and Carl were looking for Suzy, Emily suddenly attacked Carl’s hand with an axe. Emily’s sister, who had escaped from the hospital, was also murdered by Emily. Emily is completely out of her mind and appears to be enjoying herself after killing so many people. She’d been on meds for years, but she could be seen saying she’d had enough of hiding behind those meds. Emily also confessed that she murdered Diane’s son, which Diane was incapable of accomplishing, and framed her.
She claimed that an incest kid was unwanted by everyone. Emily believed Tara and her father were having a secret relationship, which led Emily to want to punish them by killing the infant. Lizzie must have felt terrible when she killed her mother, whom she believed to be unfaithful to her husband; Emily is also seen in the same situation. That means she was possessed by the spirit of Lizzie. Emily was going to kill Tara when she was shot from behind by the cops. One thing is evident toward the end of the movie, as Caleb is shown talking to Lizzie Borden’s spirit, that the Borden family curse still lives on.
Is ‘The Inhabitant’ Based On Real-Life Events? What Was The Curse About?
Kevin Bachar, known for his documentary work, wrote the script for the film. He got the inspiration for the movie from the true story of Lizzie Borden, who murdered her parents and died of pneumonia at age 66, only days before the death of her older sister, Emma. The trial of Lizzie Borden was widely covered in the American media. Her story has also been incorporated into several movies, plays, books, and folk songs. In the film, Kevin Bachar uses an old saying regarding their family’s generational curse.
The generational curse in the family plays the most significant part on which the script is based and moves along with the movie. We believe that this family curse is connected to Onryo, a wicked spirit that frequently returns to the living world. They are typically female and enjoy tormenting their family members greatly.
“The Inhabitant” is a 2022 horror thriller movie directed by Jerren Lauder.
