By candlelight and echoing voices in the halls of a house impossible to forget, the story opens in 1888 with Reverend Harry Bull telling his family about a nun who broke her sacred vows and suffered the consequences. Despite insisting that ghosts are just stories, he stirs unease when, before his death, he entrusts his son with a mysterious box.
The narrative then jumps twelve years ahead: Henry Bull, now the head of the house, and his sisters begin seeing a figure dressed as a nun wandering the property, while their mother descends into hysteria.
When Reverend Shaw, a consulting priest, arrives to investigate, dark secrets from the past come to light. The box is revealed to contain evidence of illicit affairs, an illegitimate pregnancy, and revenge after a death—events whose repercussions linger in the present.
Tension mounts during a night of terror and ritual, as visions and shadows collide, and the family is forced to confront the truth all at once.
The true story behind the film
The film's events are inspired by a real house known as Borley Rectory Located in the village of Borley in Essex, England, Borley Rectory was built in 1862 as the residence of the parish rector. It became famous as 'the most haunted house in England' after being investigated by British paranormal researcher Harry Price.
According to stories, the first sightings occurred around 1900, when several Bull family daughters saw the ghost of a nun outside the house. This was followed by unexplained phenomena: bells ringing on their own, mysterious lights behind locked windows, and footsteps echoing through the corridors. In 1939, the house was severely damaged by fire, then demolished in 1944, but its legend continues.
The film draws on this background, reimagining it dramatically and heightening supernatural and psychological elements for cinematic effect—not as a literal retelling of each historical detail. For more about the investigations and the house's legendary history.
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