| Director | James Wan |
|---|---|
| Genre | LGBT-related film, ghost film, horror film, thriller film |
| Runtime | 105 min |
| Country | Canada, United States |
| Budget | $5 million |
| Box office | $161.9 million |
In 1986, Lorraine Lambert summons demonologist Elise Rainier to help her son Josh, who is being haunted by the spirit of an old woman in a black bridal gown. While searching for paranormal phenomena in their home, Elise's arm is slashed by an unseen force. She insists that they must suppress Josh's astral projection abilities for his own safety and plant altered memories in his brain.
24 years later, Josh's wife, Renai Lambert, is questioned by a detective about the death of Elise. She, Josh, and their children – Dalton, Foster, and Kali – temporarily relocate to Lorraine's house, where the paranormal events continue. Dalton tells his mother that he has been having nightmares about a woman in a white dress and hears Josh talking to an unseen figure. Renai receives a call from the police stating that the forensic evidence does not prove that Josh murdered Elise before being attacked by a ghostly woman in a white dress. Josh hears a voice urging him to kill his family.
Specs and Tucker, Elise's former associates, show Lorraine a videotape of the 1986 investigation; the enhanced footage reveals an adult Josh standing behind his younger self. They contact Elise's former colleague, Carl, who attempts to contact Elise's spirit. They are instructed to find answers at an abandoned hospital, where Lorraine used to work as a physician. Lorraine recounts the story of a patient named Parker Crane who, twenty-four years ago, had assaulted a then-young Josh. She saw Parker out of bed some days later and was informed by a nurse that he had jumped to his death the day before. The group then goes to the Crane family home, where Lorraine is attacked by the spirit of Parker's mother, Michelle, who calls herself "Mother Mortis"; she is the spirit Carl had summoned and mistakenly believed to be Elise. The group finds a secret room containing numerous corpses, a black wedding gown, and newspaper clippings, leading them to discover that Parker had been a serial killer known as "The Bride in Black", who abducted and murdered fifteen women while dressed as a woman himself at the behest of his mother's spirit.
Renai and Lorraine realize Josh is possessed as his body begins to slowly deteriorate. Carl, Specs, and Tucker arrive to drug him, but he incapacitates them after a struggle. Carl awakens in the spirit realm of "The Further", where he meets the spirits of the real Josh and Elise. Time moves non-chronologically in The Further, allowing Josh to communicate with his younger self to locate Parker's house.
Meanwhile, in the physical world, the possessed Josh attacks his family, locking Lorraine in a closet and attempting to kill Renai, Dalton, and Foster, who flee to the basement. Dalton voluntarily enters The Further to help his father. There, Josh and the others find Parker's house, where they witness Michelle abusing him and forcing him to act like a girl. Elise appears to destroy Michelle's spirit, which stops the possessed Josh from murdering his family in the real world. Dalton leads Josh and Carl back to the living world, allowing Josh to finally regain control of his body. After the ordeal, Josh and Dalton once again have their memories suppressed by Carl.
Some time after, Specs and Tucker arrive at the house of a family whose daughter, Allison, is in an inexplicable coma. Elise's spirit, whom only Allison's younger sister can see, passes between them and enters Allison's room. There, Elise encounters an unseen figure behind Allison as a creaking sound is heard. The film ends with Elise gasping and saying, "Oh my god".