The Visitor 2022

Robert and his wife Maia have recently inherited her father’s sprawling estate, and they are excited to settle in. However, their new home quickly reveals secrets, particularly when Maia discovers a hidden compartment in the floor containing a rather eerie doll. Venturing out to the local bar, they encounter Judy, the bartender, who and the townsfolk warmly welcome Maia back, showering them with drinks. Sadly, Robert overindulges and ends up passed out.

In the dead of night, Robert is stirred by the sound of crying emanating from the attic. There, he meets a frail, blind woman who eerily greets him with “You’re home,” before her demeanor shifts to a terrifying roar—only to discover it was merely a nightmare. The couple later discusses the emotional toll of losing their baby to miscarriage, with Maia fearing that Robert might hold her responsible.

While rummaging through the attic, Robert finds a striking painting that bears an uncanny resemblance to him, although Maia sees little similarity. Titled The Visitor Accepts, she is puzzled as to how her father came by such an old painting. This discovery coincides with Robert’s ongoing struggle with anxiety and his reliance on medication.

His day takes a strange turn when he visits a local hardware store and the clerk cryptically tells him, “We need to talk, Robert,” before discreetly slipping him a note reading, “Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth.” The note leads them to Delacroix Art & Antiques. While attending her father’s memorial service, Robert is struck by the pastor’s words about the profound loss, and he can’t shake off the overly-pleasant demeanor the townsfolk exhibit towards him.

Curiosity propels him to the antique shop mentioned by the clerk, where he once again encounters a painting featuring his likeness, titled The Visitor Watches it Burn. The owner reveals it had been there when she purchased the shop. When she suggests that Robert might be better off leaving town, he brushes off the warning. Upon returning home, he becomes increasingly unnerved when Maia hangs the first painting in their living room as a joke, leading him to believe that stress may be taking its toll.

The following day brings another twist; Maia announces she is pregnant, and as months roll by, a local pastor converses with Robert about faith—something he is skeptical of. The pastor insists, “You will be,” suggesting that Robert’s conviction will change when the truth reveals itself. Strangely, they return home to find their living room occupied by a horde of frogs.

A mysterious call from Maxwell Braun, another art dealer, adds another layer of intrigue. Maxwell discusses his research on the Visitor paintings, mentioning Robert’s likeness appearing at significant moments in history. He presents Robert with an enticing envelope filled with cash, advising him that if he stays, he risks becoming the Visitor.

An argument ensues when Robert mentions a desire to return to London, provoking a furious reaction from Maia. When Robert receives a call from Maxwell to meet in the woods, he arrives to find Maxwell tied to a tree, dead. Desperate to locate Maia, he finds yet another portrait of himself, but Maia claims this one is of her father—and shockingly, it also connects to Robert’s own lineage; he had been kidnapped as a child in an elaborate plot by Maxwell and his cohorts.

In a dramatic turn of events, Maia reveals a chilling truth: Robert has been the perpetrator of recent murders, becoming a vessel for a powerful entity tied to a dark history dating back to the 1700s. Even their miscarriage was no accident, as it was a girl, and to sustain the “Roberts” line, they need a boy. As Robert’s consciousness fades, Maia fears now he is finally ready to embrace his destined role.

The narrative flashes back to when Robert and Maia first met in London, juxtaposing her childbirth with the town’s eerie rituals. Surrounded by townspeople clad in robes and masks, Robert is crowned the Visitor once again, culminating in a triumphant drive through the town as they celebrate his return, with Maia’s fate mirroring her mother’s blindness. The web of fate tightens around them as dark family legacies unfold.