Famous Last Words

Hearing footsteps, Willa follows a supernatural stream of water to Jonathan’s office, where “GET OUT” is scrawled everywhere and rose petals lead to an open window. She finds the phone line cut and escapes via a trellis. Trapped on the property, she follows more petals to the guest cottage. Inside a closet, she discovers a hidden door leading to a secret basement studio belonging to Diana Del Mar.

An editing machine turns on by itself, playing a scene from Diana’s film The Final Honeymoon. Playing the role of Charice, Diana speaks the line, “This is the kind of dream you don’t wake up from, Henry” (255). Willa recognizes the line from her visions and realizes that the film’s working title, The Dinner Party, is one that Reed has listed among his favorites, even though the film was never produced. She understands that Reed could only have seen the film if he had been in this secret room, meaning that Reed, not Jonathan, is the killer.

Willa remembers that her father’s old laptop is in her bedroom and sneaks back into the main house. After grabbing it, she locks herself in the bathroom to email for help, but Reed cuts the power, killing the Wi-Fi. He threatens to break down the door. As he enters, Willa hits him with a metal towel bar and flees. She finds the front door locked and the key missing. She runs for the backyard, but Reed intercepts her in the garden. He overpowers her, pressing a chemical-soaked rag to her face until she loses consciousness.

Willa awakens taped to a chair, her appearance transformed with a wig and makeup. Reed, dressed in a tuxedo, calls her his “leading lady” and complains that the previous victim, Paige Pollan, “messed things up” (267). He forces Willa to change into a red dress belonging to Marnie and then zip-ties her wrists. He drags her and the chair into the dining room, which he has meticulously set up to replicate the romantic dinner scene from Diana Del Mar’s film.

Reed removes the tape from Willa’s mouth and hands her a script, instructing her to play the role of “Charice” opposite his “Henry.” As they rehearse, Willa spots knives in a sideboard and formulates a plan. She questions Reed about Paige, and he confesses to drowning her in the pool for being uncooperative. He reveals that Marnie is alive but captive. Terrified by his detailed threats, Willa promises to cooperate.

Reed forces Willa to swallow two sedative pills. He places a rose necklace on her, calling it a souvenir, just as Jonathan returns home unexpectedly. Reed attacks Jonathan with a figurine and drags him to a bathroom to be drowned in the tub. A rose petal appears, a sign from Paige, spurring Willa to action. She frees herself, grabs a knife from the sideboard, and loosely re-tapes her hands and feet, preparing to ambush Reed.

When Reed returns, she stabs him. Her legs fail from the drugs as she tries to flee. He drags her upstairs, where Paige’s ghost appears. The ghost distracts Reed, who slips on a wet footprint and falls down the stairs.

As Paige’s ghost vanishes, Willa finds Jonathan submerged in the bathtub and revives him. Together, they bind the unconscious Reed with tape. They find Marnie locked in the chauffeur’s quarters, and Jonathan goes to free her. Willa stumbles outside and flags down a passing car for help before collapsing.

She awakens in Jonathan’s arms as police and ambulance sirens wail. He reassures her that she saved them.

Joanna arrives at the hospital, where Willa is treated for a concussion. She learns that Reed is alive, paralyzed, and in custody. Wyatt visits, expressing his concern. After her discharge, the family stays in a hotel while the police process the house, which Jonathan plans to sell. Willa gives the police a statement, omitting the supernatural events, while her mother handles the media attention. Willa reflects on Reed’s dual nature and braces herself for the future trial.

Two weeks later, Willa returns to school, where a traumatized Marnie is distant. Before movers clear the house, Willa has Wyatt drive her there one last time. She retrieves a pink shoe box containing Diana Del Mar’s mementos. In the backyard, she and Wyatt bury the box, giving her a sense of closure, as if finally putting Paige to rest.

By the pool, Wyatt confesses that he loves her, and Willa reciprocates his feelings. She reflects on her newfound confidence and embraces her new reality.