A young man’s paranoia spirals when he becomes convinced that someone is sneaking into his house every night. A film by Jack Brame, starring David Gow, Steve McNair, Monica Bell, Nora Hahn, and Cody Robinson.

On a stormy night, Michael (David Gow) is awakened by strange noises coming from the living room. He gets out of bed and slowly makes his way to investigate, where he finds a hooded figure standing in the darkness. As the figure turns around, Michael recoils in terror.

The next morning, he’s roused by knocking at his front door, only to find himself mysteriously lying on the floor with no memory of what happened after his encounter with the hooded figure. Was someone actually in his house, or was it all just a dream?

Michael answers the door to find his neighbor Joe (Steve McNair), who lives two doors down. Joe says he came to welcome Michael to the neighborhood and check if everything was alright after last night’s storm, explaining that he knocked on the door after spotting Michael lying on the floor through the window. Joe mentions that he and his wife were close friends with the previous resident, an elderly lady who lived there before Michael.

Michael appears uncomfortable when Joe asks to come inside and see what he’s done with the place. Though hesitant at first, Michael allows Joe to look around. When Joe inquires about his occupation, Michael explains that he works in software development but is currently taking time off to settle into his new home. Joe shares that he recently retired from his career in sales. During their conversation, Michael becomes distracted by the mysteriously unlocked door leading to the backyard. Before leaving, Joe invites Michael to dinner with him and his wife. Still preoccupied with thoughts about the unlocked door, Michael accepts the invitation without much consideration.

During dinner with Joe and his wife Olivia (Nora Hahn), Michael is surprised to learn about break-ins that occurred in the neighborhood a few years ago, having believed the area was safe. Joe cautions that “you can’t trust anybody these days” and strongly suggests that Michael install a security system and change all the locks. As they talk, Joe mentions that their relationship with the previous resident, Nancy, had fallen apart in recent years because she stopped visiting their house. Michael then shares that his parents were the original owners of the house and had rented it out before eventually selling it to him.

That night, Michael is startled by strange noises – a creaking door followed by footsteps. The next morning, he’s terrified to discover his front door unlocked. Joe stops by to hand him a parking ticket, explaining that overnight street parking isn’t allowed. Michael confides in Joe about the previous night’s incident, but when he mentions the unlocked door and that nothing was stolen, Joe suggests Michael might be sleepwalking and dreaming about break-ins.

Joe recommends changing all the locks and installing security cameras as soon as possible. He also tells Michael about a sleep monitoring app that could track his sleep cycles and record any abnormal activity, which might help determine whether he’s actually sleepwalking.

Later, Michael encounters a mysterious hooded figure in his house again. As the figure approaches, Michael becomes petrified, unable to move or make a sound. He suddenly wakes up to realize it was just a nightmare. However, the dream feels so vivid that he can’t shake the unsettling feeling that someone had broken into his house while he slept.

The next day, Michael asks Joe for Nancy’s contact information, hoping to ask her about the break-ins and whether she might have given house keys to someone else. Joe mentions that Nancy now lives in Tennessee but seems reluctant to share her phone number. Instead, he provides her email address, suggesting that Michael should email her first and let Nancy decide if she’s comfortable talking with him.

After sending an email explaining his situation, Michael receives a frantic call from Nancy. She warns him to leave the house immediately, claiming there’s a spiritual entity residing there and that she had seen demons inside. Michael dismisses her story as nothing more than dreams or nightmares. Just as he’s about to ask Nancy the crucial question about whether she had given anyone keys to the house, he’s interrupted by a delivery and hangs up before she can answer.

After installing the security camera he ordered, Michael begins to experience increasingly strange and inexplicable occurrences that grow darker. That night, a sudden drop in temperature jolts him from his sleep, followed by a loud bang on his front door. A hooded figure stands outside, pleading with Michael to open the door, claiming it’s too cold to stay outside. Terrified, Michael tells the stranger to go away, explaining that it’s just as cold inside as it is outside. Suddenly, more hooded figures appear around his house, banging on the doors and windows. In that moment, I realize this scenario can’t be real; none of the doors or windows are broken, even though most of them are made of glass.

The next morning, Michael wakes up on the floor, confused. He later discovers that there was a power outage the night before, which caused the security camera to stop recording. To make matters worse, his front door camera had fallen off when he slammed the door shut. However, in the footage recorded before the power outage, Michael spots an unusual light flickering in the hallway. He also notices multiple wet footprints near the front door, suggesting that he might not have been entirely imagining things — someone could have actually broken into his house.

Written, directed, produced, shot, and edited by American filmmaker Jack Brame, THE INTRUDER is a psychological thriller film centered around a young man who suspects someone is breaking into his house every night. The film is an expanded version of the 2017 short film by Brame and Zeb Lunz, supposedly serving as a feature-length exploration of the original concept.

The film creates a compelling sense of psychological tension by skillfully maintaining ambiguity about the protagonist’s experiences. The narrative keeps viewers engaged as they try to discern whether the protagonist is experiencing hallucinations, facing actual intruders, or confronting a potentially supernatural threat.

Landon Trimble’s chilling soundtrack significantly enhances the film’s suspense and psychological tension. Notably, the filmmaker’s ability to craft a feature film on a budget under $10,000 is perhaps the most impressive aspect of the production.

The film’s script suffers from significant weaknesses that compromise its potential. The dialogue often feels repetitive and unnatural, lacking the nuance needed to maintain narrative momentum. The protagonist’s behavior appears inconsistent and irrational, particularly in his inexplicable reluctance to involve law enforcement despite believing his home has been repeatedly invaded. This lack of character motivation or backstory creates a credibility gap for the audience.

Furthermore, the film is marred by seemingly unnecessary scenes that feel more like filler content than meaningful narrative progression. Repetitive shots of the protagonist walking home or opening mundane packages do little to advance the story or build tension, instead breaking the film’s potential psychological intensity.

The film presents an aesthetically pleasing visual experience but follows a predictable trajectory. Despite its excruciatingly slow pacing, I did hope for an unexpected narrative twist — a possibility the film ultimately fails to deliver. A promising concept is weakened by insufficient development and a need for more rigorous screenplay refinement.

THE INTRUDER premiered at Wellborne Cinema in Texas on 10 February 2024. The film had a limited theatrical release in the United States on 1 1 November.