Ma

As teenager Maggie Thompson settles into her new life in Ohio alongside her mother Erica, she finds solace in forming strong bonds with her classmates Haley, Darrell, Chaz, and Andy. The group's camaraderie is palpable as they navigate the complexities of high school together. However, their relationships take an unexpected turn when Sue Ann "Ma" Ellington, a charismatic veterinary technician, inserts herself into their lives. Initially, Ma's hospitality seems like a blessing in disguise, inviting the gang to parties at her house and showering them with attention. But beneath the surface, her actions are shrouded in an unsettling sense of desperation.

As the group begins to sense Ma's true intentions, they're shocked when she drugs Maggie after catching Andy and the teenager sharing a tender moment. The next morning, Maggie awakens to find herself battered and bruised, with no recollection of what transpired. Her horror is compounded by the realization that her earrings are missing. With Andy's support, Maggie makes it clear she doesn't want to return to Ma's house, nor does she wish for Andy to follow suit.

Ma, desperate to salvage their trust, concocts a deceitful tale about having pancreatic cancer. But Haley and the others aren't fooled, suspecting that Ma's erratic behavior stems from something more sinister. Their intuition is proven correct when they stumble upon Genie, Ma's seemingly wheelchair-bound daughter, who turns out to be fully capable-bodied. As the girls narrowly escape Ma's clutches, they're left wondering what other secrets lie beneath her façade.

Meanwhile, Ben, Andy's father, unwittingly stumbles into Ma's web of deceit when he arrives at her job to drop off his cat and invites her out for drinks after work. As Ma prepares to meet him at the bar, she's unaware that Ben has been monitoring her activities, thanks to a tracking device he's discovered on his son. The stage is set for a confrontation that will finally reveal the true nature of Ma's motives and the extent of her manipulation.

As the dark undercurrents of Sue Ann's psyche begin to boil over, a caustic warning from Ben (played by...) serves as a stark reminder of her past humiliation at his hands. The flashback that follows reveals the crux of Sue Ann's torment: a high school crush on Ben that was brutally exploited when she unwittingly performed fellatio on him in a closet, only to discover she had been mistaken for another boy. The entire school, including Mercedes and a young Erica (no relation to Sue Ann), bore witness to her devastating shame, leaving an indelible mark that would never fully heal.

As Sue Ann's grip on reality begins to slip, her actions become increasingly erratic. She runs over Mercedes with her truck, resulting in the woman's untimely demise. Her boss is next on the list, followed by a gruesome act of violence against Maggie's dog, Louie. Ben becomes her next target, lured to Sue Ann's house where she knocks him unconscious and subsequently pumps Louie's blood into his veins, before slashing his wrist and abandoning him to his fate.

Maggie, sensing something is amiss, confides in her mother about Sue Ann's true nature, earning herself a grounding. Meanwhile, Sue Ann sends Maggie a chilling photograph of herself with Andy at Chaz's birthday party, a gesture that cuts deep due to Andy's earlier promise not to return to her house. Her hurt and anger boil over as she sneaks out to confront him, only to find the group still lingering, their presence made possible by some unknown force.

As Sue Ann struggles to rouse Andy from his drug-induced stupor, Maggie attempts to seek help, ultimately stumbling upon Ben's lifeless body in a moment of horror. As she stands frozen in shock, Sue Ann seizes the opportunity to render her unconscious, plunging Maggie into a world of darkness and despair.

As the dimly lit basement comes into focus, Maggie finds herself shackled and helpless, a stark contrast to her friends' seemingly serene slumber. Meanwhile, Sue Ann exacts her twisted brand of revenge on Chaz, sewing Haley's lips shut and painting Darrell's face a ghostly white with industrial paint, convinced that there can only be one "black" soul in the group - hers alone. As Andy stirs to consciousness, he attempts to manipulate Sue Ann with false declarations of love, but she sees right through his charade and retaliates with brutal precision.

As Maggie screams for help, Sue Ann's cold calculation is revealed when she dispatches an unsuspecting officer, silencing their pleas for mercy. With a calculating gaze, Sue Ann then coerces her friends into posing for a gruesome tableau vivant, forcing Maggie to immortalize the moment in grainy photographs. Sue Ann's malevolent influence reaches its zenith as she abandons Maggie to a grisly fate, but Genie intervenes just in time to spare her life.

As reality sets in, the group awakens to find themselves bound and gagged, their worst nightmares realized. But before they can fully comprehend the extent of Sue Ann's depravity, the house erupts into flames, compelling them to scramble for escape. Erica seizes the initiative, rallying Stu, her co-worker, to rescue the teenagers, while Maggie exacts a measure of revenge by dispatching Sue Ann.

As the group flees the inferno, they're met with an eerie tableau: Andy, wounded but alive, lies beside Maggie, who's still reeling from her ordeal. Meanwhile, Sue Ann ascends to the upper floors, where she seeks solace in the charred remains of Ben's lifeless body, embracing his corpse with a grotesque tenderness as the house burns around them.