“The Willowbrook” is the latest flick directed and authored by Zach Koepp and has been rated a whopping eight on IMDB. The movie stars the likes of Jessica Bishop, Erin Day, Lawrence G Hughes, Mar Sudac, and more. The movie follows Jacey, who’s a sinister healer who misuses her healing techniques to influence her followers and then feeds off their sanity. People from all walks of life arrive at the institution hoping for a fresh start but are met with something else.
Spoilers Ahead
‘The Willowbrook’ Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Film?
The movie begins, and we see Brandi (played by Jay White) running hastily and barefoot on ice. Brandi’s facial expression signals the frustration and fear she is experiencing, and she appears to be running from something or someone, but who? A moment later, her foot slips on some ice, and the sweat falling down her face hints that the mysterious man has finally caught up to her. The scene shifts, and the movie introduces us to Lacey (played by Jessica Bishop), who is an online influencer who diagnoses and helps people suffering from anxiety and depression and advocates for complete transformation. Lacey is the kind of person who abhors noise and adores silence. From what we’ve seen so far, it appears that Lacey is good at what she does and uses her self-developed techniques to help people who’re a prisoner of their past and have attempted suicide to break away from their sorrows and issues. Lacey Willowbrook, who solely owns and controls the “Willowbrook” manor, extends an invitation to Jordan (Erin Day) and her brother Ace (Lawrence J. Hughes). Ace can’t seem to control his excitement and is entirely oblivious to the upcoming danger. Ace has heard a lot about Lacey and believes that only she can heal his drug-addicted sister, Jordan. As the movie progresses, we’re introduced to Lacey’s brothers, Syd and Adam. It appears that Lacey controls everyone who works or lives in her manor. She often keeps tabs on her patients and employees and seemingly comes off as a dictator who wants to bend everyone to her will. Lacey decides to keep Jordan away from her brother, fearing she will convince him to leave the spooky manor.
The Search For Truth
“The Willowbrook” introduces a fresh character, Dakota (played by Chris Boudreaux), who also happens to be Lacey Willowbrook’s boyfriend. Dakota is also a drug addict like Jordan and takes care of the patients who try to escape Willowbrook Manor. We learn that Dakota is the one chasing Brandi at the beginning of the movie. Dakota gives off a villainous vibe, but it seems that he’s also being controlled by Lacey, who employs him to take care of her problems and, in return, rewards him with drugs. Dakota sometimes hates her and the way she treats others, but he still chooses to side with her.
The middle of the screenplay focuses on Jordan and Ace and the duo’s desperate attempts to escape the creepy institution after they learn the real intentions of Lacey Willowbrook. Like Jordan and Ace, there are scores of other patients who’re trapped within the manor’s walls. Dakota takes care of every male and drugs them, while Lacey decides the fate of women who come to her for assistance. She injects her patients with drugs, ties them to their beds, and watches them as they succumb to their suffering. For the first few days, Lacey hid her real intentions by helping Jordan through meditation. Jordan felt better, too, but then she overheard Lacey chatting with Kyle’s brother, who had come looking for him. Kyle’s brother accused Lacey of kidnapping, and the latter responded by threatening to call the cops for trespassing. Jordan was eavesdropping on the entire confrontation and realized the truth is much more than meets the eye. Syd, one of Lacey’s employees, desperately wishes to help everyone but can’t because of the constant threats by Lacey, who threatens to kill him.
In one of the scenes, we see Syd and Adam jamming with Jordan, who encourages Adam to show off his drumming skills. This scene brilliantly exposes Lacey’s real facet, the one who’s a sadist and despises joy around her. The drumsticks clashing against the drums angered Lacey, and she took it all out on Adam, badly scolding him. Jordan has never seen Lacey lose control like this and decides to investigate further to unearth her real intentions. Jordan knows that Syd is hiding the truth and decides to confront him but later changes her mind. Jordan’s investigation brings her to a room where Dakota had been hiding Brandi, the woman we believed to be dead. Jordan frees Brandi, who, in turn, reveals everything. She reveals that Lacey is insane and psychotic and asks Jordan to check every room in the manor. During her investigation, Jordan comes across several dead corpses tied to their beds. Fearing she and her brother will suffer the same fate, Jordan decides to bail.
‘The Willowbrook’ Recap & Ending Explained – Was Jordan Able To Escape The Willowbrook Manor?
Jordan knows she needs to leave the manor ASAP but realizes that she can’t do it alone, so she tries to enlist Syd and Adam, who also badly want to break free of Lacey’s shackles. Dakota also decides to leave Lacey’s side when he learns that Lacey has torn out Kyle’s tongue because he had seen her torturing one of his patients. Lacey tries to persuade Dakota, but the latter has already chosen sides. Jordan frees everyone and encourages them to make a final stand. She asks Syd to play as loud as he can to get Lacey’s attention. The noise helped everyone overcome Lacey’s fear, and the group joined forces to make a final stand. Everyone surrounds Lacey, ready to punish her for her deeds. Lacey has finally been beaten at her own game and is trapped, just as those who had come to her looking for help had been. Dakota walks up to Lacey and knocks her unconscious, and everyone prepares to leave the manor once and for all. However, towards the conclusion, the movie takes a time leap, and we see Lacey waking up and addressing her online audience, implying that the loop has begun. The hordes of followers outside the manor also suggest the same.
“The Willowbrook” was a headache, completely devoid of mindful conversations and dialogues. Both Syd and Adam have been convinced that there’s something wrong with their minds. Lacey has trapped them like she has trapped all the others and likewise stolen their dreams. Syd loves to play the drums and wants to become a superstar, whereas his brother Adam wishes to travel and see the world, one country at a time, but is forced to stay within the manor walls. Lacey is sick and finds pleasure in others’ suffering; she’s a woman without principles and is prepared to cross any line to achieve her mental satisfaction. She also murdered all her family members without any remorse, except for her brothers. Lacey enjoyed a huge social media following, which helped her lure more clients. Lacey believed that the only cure to end or settle all suffering was death and thought of herself as a “reliever.” She gives her patients medications under the guise of rehabilitation and reawakening and watches them suffer and pass away. Jordan, on the other hand, is a brave woman battling her addiction who visits Willowbrook for a fresh start. But after escaping the Willowbrook manor, she learns the value of life and decides to quit drugs.
“The Willowbrook” is a 2022 mystery thriller film directed by Zach Koepp.
