There are films that, despite their inability to explain things, are clear to the eyes. Then there are films that don’t make sense, either way, be it through the story or the visuals. “The Overnight” belongs to the latter section. From the beginning, there is not a single clear explanation of what’s happening but that there is the Devil involved. How? We do not know. It is as if the creators take a dig at our inability to understand the supernatural and give us a plot where nothing is clear or has a reason. And even if there is a reason, it is not revealed at all. So, if you do not understand the film, it’s okay because you are not meant to.
‘The Overnight’ Plot Summary
Jessie and David are on their way to a romantic date. David is an architect, while Jessie is a social media influencer. On the way, they stop at an antique store, where Jessie has an encounter with a creepy fan, and Jesse finds himself an equally creepy doll. Back on the way, their car runs over what seems to be the same creepy doll that leads to a flat tire. The car somehow drags itself to a hotel called Monroe Manor, where the couple decides to stay “overnight.”
Salim, the manager, welcomes them, shows them their room, and also warns them about a storm brewing. But, unbeknownst to the couple, the manor is home to “dark” occurrences. Salim sees his dead children (two sons), Eugene’s twin sister Emma kills her “caretaker,” Chef Linda is killed, and another occupant of the manor hangs himself. David and Jessie also begin experiencing odd things, like Jessie seeing the dead kids, and Jessie’s “black goo” bath. Clearly, something is wrong with the manor as well as its owners, Eugene and Salim.
Finally, it is revealed that the manor is home to a demon that has been called upon by Eugene so that he can have his sister’s soul back in return for Jessie’s. But Salim ruined his plan by bringing David inside as well. This is why the “loops are off.” Salim is apparently tasked with ensuring that all things are in the right place to maintain the circle of death inside the manor until Eugene gets the opportunity to perform the ritual. While Eugene grabs Jessie from her room, brings her to his hidden room, and ties her up, Salim is tasked with finding David, who is roaming the manor looking for help after he finds Linda dead in the kitchen. When Salim ultimately finds David, he points a gun at him and ends up shooting David. He is also brought to Eugene’s room.
Eugene begins the ritual, and a possessed Emma makes her entrance. However, Eugene is unable to get her sister back as Salim shoots and kills her in a fit of rage since Eugene lied to him regarding bringing his two sons back as well. Eugene slits Salim’s throat and is probably about to do the same with Jessie when she stabs him. David is in a lot of pain due to the gunshot wound but is alive. Jessie gets out of the manor to get help but comes across her creepy fan from the antique shop yet again. She runs back to the manor, followed by the fan. Upon entering, she finds David standing and looking good. It is clear from his eyes that he is the one possessed by the Devil now and kills the fan for misbehaving with Jessie. Jessie, who had gotten hold of Salim’s gun, shoots David out of fright when he tries to reach her. “The Overnight” ends with Jessie weeping by David’s corpse for a few minutes before coming out of the manor, getting inside the fan’s vehicle, and driving off. Her eyes are all green, proving that the demon is now inside her.
The Trading of the Soul
Nothing seems to make sense in “The Overnight” until the climax of the film, where Salim reveals that he “managed these dead souls” and re-lived their lives again and again. Furthermore, after Salim shoots Eugene’s sister Emma, Eugene yells how Salim “wasted 30 years.” This takes us to the very beginning of the film, where we see a young Eugene praying to Satan in his room, whereas upstairs, Emma is possessed by Satan and kills their parents. This is the very event that David sees (in the second half of the film). This means that for 30 years, Eugene has been looking for a woman whose soul he could trade for his sister’s. But this doesn’t make sense at all. It is not really possible for Eugene to not be able to find a single woman whose soul he can trade for his sister’s in the last 30 years. Also, the whole death loop that Salim has been maintaining for Eugene doesn’t seem to have any connection with Eugene’s soul-trading whatsoever.
The Loop of Death
Coming to the loop of death that Salim has been “managing” for years, “The Overnight” gives us only a bleak idea of it. The only proof of the loop is the man living in room 309, who is probably a writer and hangs himself out of frustration. We see him hang himself again and again when David follows him to his room to use the phone. Even if Salim’s sons are a part of the loop, we don’t know how. We have no idea how they died or who killed them. We also didn’t see who killed Lynda, although it seems like Emma. But there is no proof to justify that this has been going on and on for a long time, probably years (which is weird). But the main question is, why did they have to die? Clearly, they didn’t die by accident. Were the deaths planned by Eugene, or was it Emma who killed them? Eugene could not have killed at all because it would ruin the whole point of trading the soul (the Devil would need a soul to possess it and live in the body). Emma might have killed the children since she was probably mentally unstable, but then again, it would give rise to the question of how did Salim’s children end up in the Manor in the first place? Countless questions can be asked, and all of these could have been avoided had the creators paid a little more attention to detail rather than trying to confuse the audience in the name of the Devil.
The Overnight Ending: What is the Devil’s Role?
That’s the most important question that is left unanswered. When we don’t even know the ‘what’ of the whole plot, the ‘why’ also ceases to matter. The apparent connection between the trading of the soul and the loop of death is not at all established. If only the creators had been more considerate about the underlying themes rather than what they would be showing on the screen, the film would have made more sense.
The end of “The Overnight” shows a possessed Jessie driving away. From Emma, the Devil moved on to David and then finally to Jessie. If this is what was supposed to be, there was no point for Eugene to do everything that he had done for the last 30 years, trying to search for a soul to trade it for his sister’s because, at the end of it all, it was up to the Devil to decide whose soul it wanted. And after watching the Devil hop from one body to another, it is tough to digest the fact that it chose to remain in Emma for 30 years and wait for Eugene to offer a soul in exchange. One will feel irritated with confusion at the end of the movie, which is something one would rather avoid than experience.
“The Overnight” is a 2022 Drama Horror Film directed by Bobby Francavillo and Kevin Rhoades.
