Fact to Film: Kill Bin Laden

 

Welcome back for another edition of Fact to Film! This time around we will be taking a look at the cast of the White House drama, Kill Bin Laden. Darren Aronofsky is directing the project from a script by Alex Conn.

Now Showing: Kill Bin Laden

 

Kill Bin Laden

Genre: Drama/Thriller/Historical

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Writer: Alex Conn

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Liam Neeson, Jamey Sheridan, Annette Bening, Stanley Tucci, Adam Scott, Stephen Lang

Plot: The film begins with footage of 9/11 and the two twin towers going down and news of also the Pentagon and the United 93 crashing into a field in Pennsylvania after the passengers stormed the cockpit. Also news footage of Bin Laden taking responsibility for 9/11 and his threatening messages to America promising more attacks.

There is a text saying Osama Bin Laden is the most wanted international criminal around the world and he is on the loose. The CIA has been trying to find Osama since 9/11 and he has been a mystery for American officials and bad leads have led to officers losing lives like in the attack at Camp Chapman where a double agent brought a bomb and bombed Camp Chapman after he agreed to give information.. Footage from the Camp Chapman attack is shown.

It is April 2011 President Of The United States Barack Obama’s secretary says Leon Panetta (Liam Neeson) the CIA director is here to see him. Obama (Jamie Foxx) says send him in. He shakes hands with Barack Obama. They make small talk for a little bit. Panetta says to Obama we may have found Bin Laden. He shows Obama the drone footage of a man who’s 6 ft 5 exactly the same height as Bin Laden pacing through the garden every morning. He says that CIA analysts all call him The Pacer. The compound has high walls and a covered balcony which stood out. Obama asked what other intelligence did you have that Bin Laden is in the compound. Panetta says that the CIA tried to pose as polio vaccine doctors to get the blood confirmed but they weren’t allowed.

Obama asks how did you get the intelligence Panetta says our agents tracked down a man that we believe is the courier for Al Qaeda who brings the messages from Al Qaeda to the TV news channels by hand instead of electronically to avoid being found out. We know that his name is Abu Akmed. We have been tracking this guy since 2002 and from information we got from bugged phones and from tracking him we believe he’s led us to Bin Laden. Obama says so what’s the cost benefit analysis. Panetta says there are clear indicators that it could be Osama. The bad thing is it’s located right near the Pakistani military academy and unless you intend to inform the Pakistanis who might not be trustworthy.

Panetta also says that when we interrogated Khalid Sheikh Muhammad about a possible courier we bugged him warning other prisoners not to say anything about the courier.

Panetta when he leaves gives Obama the audiotape where the courier Abu Ahmed Al Kawait calling his friend saying he thinks he’s being recorded and the friend saying go with Allah. Panetta says this was recorded while we Abu Ahmed was dropping off something then coming back to the compound. Obama says it’s definitely interesting and I want you to keep on this lead.

Obama has a burger and he thinks of his 2008 promise to kill Bin Laden and to make that a priority.

Obama informs his war cabinet: Hillary Clinton (Annette Bening) Secretary Of State, Joe Biden (Jamey Sheridan) Vice President and John Brennan (Stanley Tucci) National Security Advisor. Obama presents the intelligence that was given to him the tape of Abu Ahmed being recorded and also the facts of being tracked down to this large compound in Abottabad Pakistan. He says it’s right near the Pakistan Military Academy known to the United States military as the Pakistani West Point.

Obama then goes around the room for people’s opinions. John Brennan says I think we should go forward I’ve been in national security a long time and this courier lead is nothing new. We have evidence that he may be in Pakistan. This is consistent with everything we know about Osama Bin Laden.

Joe Biden says i think it is too big a risk. If we tell the Pakistanis and he’s in there I think you’re right that the Pakistanis may move him. But if we do the raid and it’s a failure then we look like fools in an election year no less Biden says there were more evidence there were WMDs in Iraq. . Hillary then interrupts and says that this was a signature Obama campaign promise. Obama said this on the campaign trail if we kill Osama Bin Laden that’s going to be the biggest thing on your presidential resume and the biggest middle finger to your doubters. Hillary says we have the information.

Obama says the other question we have is hypothetically we give the go ahead to the operation how do we do it. Do we do a bomb like some have suggested or we bring in Seal Team Six. Those are the two options he has been given. He has brought in Admiral McRaven (Stephen Lang) who basically says that bombs would not risk American lives but we do risk flattening the compound to the ground and even incinerating the body which could leave him unidentified. Potentially this will lead to having the wrong guy and not even knowing it. . . McRaven says the other option is bring in my guys. McRaven says it’s risky but we’ll know it’s him. The cabinet agrees that if the operation happens it should be the SEALS . Obama greenlights the trial runs and training for a hypothetical mission.

Joe Biden says to Obama in the rose garden you really want to risk your legacy on this? Obama says every intelligence official I’ve talked to has been behind this. Obviously it’s not greenlit yet but it’s looking good for it. Joe says Barack just thinks what if he’s not there and it’s someone with a gun and they shoot back and the SEALS die because of it. Barack says it’s the Navy SEALS we're talking about, not the 8th grade hall monitors. Joe Biden says to Obama just think of Desert One which was a well meaning mission to rescue hostages but failed miserably and very may well have cost Carter the election the point is this has happened before in American history. If this mission misses that’s your legacy you’re the politician who fucked around with American lives when we had more evidence that WMDs were in Iraq. If this thing goes like that that’s all Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are going to be talking about. All of our progress on Wall Street reform, the ACA all out the window because of a well meaning but flawed mission.

Obama asks Secret Service to buy him a pack of cigarettes. Secret Service officer says I thought you quit smoking Obama says these are extreme circumstances. I’m making a decision that could very well cost me my legacy, the election everything. The officer says yes sir Mr President. Barack then when he gets back goes out and has a cigarette.

Obama runs into his chief foreign policy speechwriter Ben Rhodes (Adam Scott) and informs him of the discussion to do the raid or not . Ben Rhodes asks Obama what way are you leaning on. Obama says he’s leaning towards going to the raid. The 9/11 families deserve justice and many intelligence officers are sure of this. Ben says I’ve known you since May 2007 when everyone was sure you had no chance but you trusted your gut and look what it got you. Point is I think you should trust your gut. I can tell your gut is with this and that same gut that won you the presidency then we should trust it. Ben Rhodes says that this will bring a lot of happiness to the victims of the Khost Camp Chapman attack. Obama has flashbacks to when Leon Panetta tells him excitedly about the possibilities of this former Al Qaeda member confessing and coming clean about Bin Laden’s whereabouts. Then the explosion at Camp Chapman when the suicide bomber who lied to the government.

Leon Panetta comes to the war room and gives even more intelligence. Panetta describes how we have tracked the courier’s car down several times now. He is dropping things off often at news agencies which is typical.

Biden questions Panetta’s logic he says news agencies you say then why haven’t we seen an Osama Message To America video in a whil couldn’t it be some for Pakistani Disneyland if there’s a Pakistani West Point they’re better be a Pakistani Disneyland. Panetta then says that this can be print as well and we do have Al qaeda news fairly often and there is no such thing as Pakistani disneyland. The rest of the team is smirking at Joe Biden.

Ben Rhodes has a cigarette with the president s. Obama says if I get this it will be like my moon landing. I promised the voters this in 08 and if I ok this mission it will be a uniting moment for the country. Ben says when Bin Laden gets killed who’s going to be the next villain that when they die will unite the country and give them a nice bit of dopamine. Ben Rhodes says I don’t think people are going to have that same happiness when Aynan Al Zawahiri is killed by the US government. Obama quips hopefully when.

He also shows even more footage of a man who’s 6 ft 5 the exact same height as Osama Bin Laden everyday on the roof garden we know someone with the exact height and beard is in that house. We have tracked the courier from news agencies back to this Abottabad compound. I think this is some serious evidence not to mention the compound is built high security you think a civilian with nothing to hide is going to have a house like that.

Joe then questions if this house is close to Pakistani West Point or whatever why the Pakistanis haven’t found him and turned him in. Leon says we know some in the Pakistani government and you know this Joe are in the pocket of Al Queda that’s a fact. If you want to deny that I got a bridge to sell you. The table does a final vote and everyone except Biden supports the raid. Hillary adds that there is more of a danger if we let this go then if we go with it. We can’t let the Pakistani government move him or outside forces moving him. Obama says he’s going to sleep on the decision. Before he goes to bed he reflects on the entire search for Bin Laden from 9/11 to the 2009 Camp Chapman attack that cost 9 intelligence analysts’ lives and at the funerals the parents telling Obama don’t give up on the mission that cost our loved ones’ lives .

Obama is in his room and he has a Republican debate. They are all criticizing his foreign policy. Obama shuts the tv off. He goes to the balcony and he runs into Ben Rhodes and they both have cigarettes together.

Ben Rhodes wants to talk about the Bin Laden hunt as he’s been writing different versions of speeches. Barack says hold your horses man. Let’s see how this all works out.

Ben says to Obama so you don’t think that you’re going to do the raid. Obama says no no no I’m leaning towards it but you know if this goes south I’m fucked. Every news outlet will talk about how we sacrificed American lives meaninglessly on bad intel. Every Fox News talking head will talk about how I embarrassed America. Ben says I get that but think of the gain of being the President who’s middle name is Hussein being the one who got Bin Laden plus that drone video was pretty convincing to me.

The next morning when Obama wakes up and he showers and gets dressed and sends his daughters off to school with Michelle. After this he tells the team we’re going with the raid on May 2. Biden defeated tells Obama if you think this is good I guess I’ll support you. But if this fucks up just know Joe Biden warned you. Obama tells Admiral McRaven the mission is a go.

The Saturday before the raid is the White House Correspondents dinner and Obama attends and does his usual routine. Sees Leon Panetta also at the dinner and says we’re going to make history soon and drinks to that.

The next day Leon Panetta goes to church and is praying about the mission. The team all meets at the White House and discusses the mission.

That night Obama calls Admiral McRaven and wishes the SEALS good luck. They are given real time updates. Many of the White House officials order food. Barack Obama orders burgers for everyone as they wait for updates. Hillary says she’s been thinking about this motherfucker since 2001 and we’re finally on the verge of killing him. Joe says don’t get ahead of yourself. Hillary says give me a fucking break. Brennan says if we get this guy this is one of the biggest wins in the history of the Republic. Brennan brings out a bottle of vodka. Obama asks to take a break and goes to the White House gym and goes on the bike. Ben Rhodes and the rest of the team exchange 9/11 stories and stories of where they were when they saw the twin twin towers go down or some of them have cousins that were on some of the flights. Just as that happened it is reported that the helicopter crash landed. The team sends Ben to alert the president. Ben Rhodes rushes upstairs to say the Seal Team Six helicopter crash landed. The landing is on Twitter. Obama freezes and falls off the bike.

When Obama comes back he learns that the SEALS are back on it but the Pakistani military and people are seizing in. We cut to the compound where Navy SEALS are guarding the property from onlookers. One of the SEALS shoots Osama Bin Laden and confirms it is him and then shoots Khalid Bin Laden. The SEALS confirm they killed Bin Laden.

The Situation Room celebrates and Biden admits he was wrong. Ben Rhodes starts writing on his laptop the speech that Obama is going to give to the nation. In the Knick of time Rhodes gives Obama the speech. Panetta, Brennan and Obama reflect on the long search for Bin Laden and do a toast to the 9/11 victims and the victims of the Khost attack in Camp Chapman. Panetta tells Brennan and Obama that Osama’s body will be given Islamic funeral rites and buried at sea in the Indian Ocean. As Panetta is speaking this is happening on screen. There is an Imam on board the ship giving the last rites to Osama’s lifeless body and the body is lowered before it is dropped into the Indian Ocean.

The film ends with Obama announcing to the American people that “The United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama Bin Laden” . Ben Rhodes says to Joe Biden jokingly it wasn’t Desert One.. Biden has an annoyed grin. Ben Rhodes tells Obama that apparently one of the SEALS found weed growing in the garden. Obama says shut the fuck up Ben. Obama says” just kidding Ben it’s the morning Ben do you want to have some coffee with me to celebrate this incredible accomplishment”. Ben says it would be my honor. They walk off screen. 

Interview: Alex Conn

 

Welcome back for another edition of Interview! This time around Last Resort Films president Phil Dolan sits down with writer Alex Conn to discuss his latest film, Kill Bin Laden, and the failure of Diary of a Wimpy Kid....

PD: Your Diary of a Wimpy Kid adaptation didn't seem to connect with audiences or critics. What do you think went wrong?

AC: That was not a shock. I try to write stuff sometimes that’s unconventional or weird and sometimes you get successful with something like The Vegan Movie. Sometimes you get Diary Of A Wimpy Kid. I was not shocked by the critical reception there. 

PD: You've tackled political stories before with mixed results. What lessons - both creatively and from audience reaction - did you learn from those and use when crafting Kill Bin Laden?

AC: I don’t view kill Bin Laden as a political story at all. I view it as a human story about a group of people debating one of the most consequential decades of the last few decades. I was 10 when Bin Laden was assassinated. I still remember that day and feeling a sort of catharsis that is so rare in life which there’s parts of the film that allude to that feeling. I watched the documentary American Manhunt on Bin Laden. And the last episode was basically what we see dramatized on screen. I found the idea of a debate about whether to go after this lead or not to be a fascinating plot for a movie and as for other political stories I think Mises was me being too overconfident.

PD: After the commercial disappointment of Watchmen, do you see yourself taking another shot at a comic book film someday, or did that experience cool your interest in the genre/format?

AC: Probably not. There’s really no other comic book I'm ever passionate about. 

PD: You’ve bounced between political drama, comedy, horror, romance, thrillers — just about everything. Which genre do you find yourself enjoying most as a writer, and why?

AC: Probably I enjoy political dramas especially like I’ve when I was a kid canvassed and worked on local campaigns. But I enjoy working in other genres.

PD: What's next for you?

AC: I have a film that’s based on the 96 Everest disaster. Then I have a film adaptation of the app hay day I also have a film of the Stanford prison experiment. There’s a lot of new stuff revealed since the 2015 film about manipulation of the experiment by Dr Phillip Zimbardo.

From the Desk of Alfie Ellison, VP of International Development: Miske

 

Last Resort Films Studio is proud to announce the development of Miske, a powerful and deeply human sports drama centered on one of boxing’s most quietly extraordinary true stories.

Set against the unforgiving backdrop of early 20th-century American boxing, the film will chronicle the final chapter in the life of Billy Miske, a top-ranked heavyweight known for his resilience, humility, and relentless work ethic. Unlike traditional sports films that chart a meteoric rise, Miske is conceived as an intimate portrait of a man at the end of his road - one who chooses to step back into the ring not for glory, but for the survival of those he loves.

Acclaimed filmmaker Derek Cianfrance is attached to direct, bringing his signature raw naturalism and deeply character-driven storytelling to the project. Known for his ability to capture fractured lives and emotional restraint, Cianfrance’s involvement signals a grounded, immersive approach - one that prioritizes authenticity over spectacle and leans into the quiet devastation at the heart of Miske’s story.

Leading the film is Jack O’Connell, one of the most physically committed and emotionally intense actors of his generation. O’Connell is expected to undergo a significant transformation for the role, embodying Miske’s rugged durability while capturing the internal erosion of a man fighting both his opponents and his own failing body. Early conversations indicate a performance rooted in subtlety and endurance rather than overt dramatics.

The film will explore Miske’s career during the height of boxing’s most unforgiving era, including his encounters with elite fighters such as Jack Dempsey, while maintaining a tight focus on the personal cost of a sport that offered little protection and even less security for its athletes.

Development materials position Miske as a character-driven drama with a strong emotional core, built around themes of sacrifice, masculinity, and legacy. The narrative centers on Miske’s decision to conceal his terminal diagnosis in order to take one final fight - a choice that transforms the film into a ticking-clock story, where every round carries weight far beyond the ring.

The project is already generating strong momentum internally, with particular attention being given to casting the role of Miske’s wife - an emotional anchor within the story - as well as key supporting roles including his trainer and corner team. The grounded scale of the film, combined with its emotionally devastating true story, has positioned it as a priority prestige project for the studio.

Last Resort Films views Miske as a major awards contender, offering a raw and unflinching alternative to conventional sports narratives. With Derek Cianfrance directing and Jack O’Connell attached to star, the project is expected to move quickly into its next phase of development.

Last Resort Films looks forward to bringing this haunting and deeply human story to audiences worldwide.

For any inquiries please contact LRF Vice President of International Development Alfie Ellison

Project Details

Miske

Based on the life of Billy Miske
Genre: Sports / Drama / Biographical
Attached Talent
Director Derek Cianfrance
Star Jack O'Connell
Logline: Diagnosed with a terminal illness and given only months to live, heavyweight boxer Billy Miske hides his condition from the world as he prepares for one final fight

Release: An Unholy Union

 

An Unholy Union

Genre: Horror/Thriller/Supernatural

Director: Joanna Hogg

Writer: Rachel Hallett Hardcastle

Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Aubrey Plaza

Budget: $18,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $20,745,053

Foreign Box Office: $16,604,959

Total Profit: $790,000

Reaction: An Unholy Union managed to just barely sneak by at the box office with the smallest (positive) profits of the season so far.

"A masterclass in atmospheric dread, An Unholy Union is a hauntingly beautiful descent that breathes fresh life into the gothic horror genre. Anchored by the magnetic and deeply felt performances of Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen, the film skillfully uses its sentient mansion setting as a metaphor for the suffocating nature of possessive love and inherited trauma. While it hits familiar beats of the "house with a secret," the film’s strength lies in its psychological precision; the slow-burn erosion of the couple's memories is far more terrifying than any jump scare. It is a stylish, heartbreaking, and genuinely eerie exploration of how the past can swallow the present, culminating in a finale that lingers long after the credits roll." - J. Jonah Johnson, Variety

"Where An Unholy Union is strongest is the overall atmosphere and strong performances by the two leads. The mansion is effectively realized as a jealous, sentient presence, and the slow erosion of memory and intimacy gives the story a tragic adult weight that works better than most haunted house movies. They only thing keeping it from being an instant classic is the reliance on familiar beats that come off as a horror checklist. Still the relationship between the leads is strong enough to carry a film worth watching." - Dexter Quinn, Cinematic Observer Newsletter 

"While An Unholy Union has a compelling premise, it often feels too restrained for its own good. The film leans heavily on mood and repetition, with long stretches where the story barely progresses beyond subtle tension and visual unease. The central metaphor—love as possession—is clear early on, leaving the back half feeling predictable. Olsen and Plaza give strong performances, but the film’s refusal to escalate in a meaningful way makes it feel more stagnant than suspenseful." - Cooper Wilson, The Earl Hays Press

Rated R for disturbing images, some violence, language, and thematic material.

IN DEVELOPMENT

 

Ilvermorny: The Hidden School: Alexa Demie (El Dorado, Batman Beyond) and Bob Odenkirk (Test of Time, Broadway Joe) are set to fill out the supporting cast of the second effort from LRF's new Wizarding World universe of films, set in the famed franchise created by JK Rowling. Francis Lawrence is directing this US-set entry from a script by Dawson Edwards.

Tales from the Crypt: The horror anthology film Tales from the Crypt is also finalizing its large ensemble cast with the additions of Christopher Meloni (Resident Evil 5, Supercrooks), Anna Akana (Hooking Up, Blade of the 47 Ronin), Emilia Clarke (Heartstone, The Devil in the White City), Christoph Waltz (The Molander Case, The Past Before), and Asher Angel (Power Rangers, Test of Time). Michael Dougherty, Bryan Bertino, Ti West, and Andy Muschietti are splitting directorial duties on the four segments, which have all been written by Joshua Collins.

The Chain: Fleetwood Mac biopic The Chain has continued filling out its cast as well, adding Saoirse Ronan (Atlantis: Bloodline, Resident Evil 5), Harry Lloyd (The Lost King, "Brave New World"), Jonah Hauer-King (The Threesome, A House of Dynamite), and Tom Payne ("Prodigal Son", Imaginary). Lloyd will play the "Mac" of the band, founding bass player John McVie. Ronan will play McVie's wife Christine, who played keyboards and sang with the band. Payne will play the band's original lead singer and guitarist Peter Green. Hauer-King, meanwhile, will not play a bandmember, but rather their tour lighting designer Curry Grant. Charlotte Wells directs the film from a script by Diane Esposito.

Pokemon: The Season 37-opening blockbuster, Pokemon, has added several characters from its original animated series to the adaptation with David Hyde Pierce (The Exorcism, Mouse) cast as Professor Oak, Molly Parker (The Final Will, Batman Beyond) cast as Ash Ketchum's mother, Hana Mae Lee (Habit, Phobias) and Tom Felton (Lucifer, Dracula Lives) as Team Rocket members Jessie and James, and Ashley Johnson ("Blindspot", Punching Henry) as Officer Jenny. The Duffer Brothers are directing from a script by Diane Esposito.

The Passageway: Also coming in early Season 37 will be The Passageway, based on a graphic novel that is part of Image Comics' Bone Orchard Mythos series. Rami Malek (Radisson, Blackbird) will headline the adaptation as a geolist investigating a mysterious sinkhole on a remote island. Frances McDormand (Superman: Doomsaday, The Driftwood Populace) will also star in the project as a cryptic island caretaker. Sam Esmail (Leave the World Behind, "Homecoming") is directing the comic adaptation based on a script by rookie writer D.K. Moon. HG Hansen is producing the film through his new company, Unspoken Words Productions.

Deadline: Not seen since Season 27's Particle, George Clooney (Particle, Misfit) is back in fron of LRF cameras, headlining the new political thriller Deadline. The film will depict what happens when two competing newsrooms pursue allegations that link the White House with the murder of a powerful Washington bookie. Clooney will play a legendary newspaper editor. Rebecca Hall (Splendour, Open Hearts) and Cailee Spaeny (Love Is Embarrassing, Alien: Romulus) will be joining Clooney in the project. Hall will play an ambitious investigative editor, while Spaeny will play a fearless young reporter. Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, The Bourne Legacy) directs the project from a script by Jimmy Ellis (The Song of Roland, Rubicon Lies) and Chad Taylor (Fletch, Starlight).

Now Showing: An Unholy Union

 

An Unholy Union

Genre: Horror/Thriller/Supernatural

Director: Joanna Hogg

Writer: Rachel Hallett Hardcastle

Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Aubrey Plaza

Plot: A home video footage montage of a wedding flashes in and out. Maddie (Aubrey Plaza) and Lily (Elizabeth Olsen) are newly engaged, deeply in love, and excited for a fresh start together. We see them dancing, the speeches, and the final dance of the night together.

Maddie, a free-spirited artist with a flair for dark whimsy, is eager for creative inspiration, while Lily, a meticulous and quietly intense writer, craves stability and belonging. When Lily inherits a remote mansion on the coast from her estranged family, it feels like fate—a place where they can escape the world and build the life they’ve dreamed of.

On the drive there, they share plans for their future. Maddie imagines an art studio with an ocean view; Lily envisions a study with a grand window for her writing. They talk of quiet mornings, shared dinners, and nights by the fire, but as they approach, the mansion looms before them—a dark, towering structure with ivy-covered walls and windows that seem to stare back at them. Maddie, charmed by the gothic atmosphere, jokes that it’s “like something from a haunted fairy tale.” Lily, however, feels a sinking dread. Her mother’s cryptic warnings about the mansion echo in her mind, stories of tragedy and loss that she’d once dismissed but now seem to take on a new, foreboding weight.

Maddie is enchanted by the mansion’s eerie beauty. Its fogged mirrors, creaking floors, and flickering lights inspire her, sparking ideas for new artwork. But for Lily, every sound and shadow is unnerving, and memories of her mother’s warnings surface in flashes. As a child, she had overheard her mother speaking of an ancestor who “sacrificed her love to the mansion,” and of others who vanished or suffered strange fates. “The house takes what it cannot have,” her mother used to say—a phrase that haunts her now, filling her with a sense of inevitability.

Subtle lapses in memory begin to unsettle them both. Maddie finds herself forgetting small details about their relationship—like the name of the café where they met. Lily sometimes struggles to recall their plans or conversations. They brush off these lapses as stress from the move, but the discomfort lingers, adding tension to their once-intimate connection.

The mansion itself seems to amplify their discord. After each argument, the air feels colder, the shadows longer, and the walls seem to press in. Hallways narrow, doors grow heavier, and mirrors scattered throughout the mansion reflect strange, distorted images—Maddie’s face frozen in a forced smile, or Lily’s eyes vacant and unfamiliar, as if someone else were watching through her.

As the days pass, Maddie’s fascination with the mansion deepens. She spends hours sketching its shadowed halls, feeling a dark inspiration that excites her. Meanwhile, Lily feels a strange pull from the mansion, as though it’s demanding something from her. She finds herself muttering lines she doesn’t remember learning—“Love eternal… beauty preserved.” At night, Maddie wakes to hear Lily murmuring these words in her sleep, her voice echoing eerily through the house.

Their arguments grow sharper, each accusation more heated than the last. Maddie accuses Lily of being too fearful, too rigid, while Lily accuses Maddie of letting the mansion cloud her judgment. Their voices echo strangely, as if the mansion itself is absorbing their anger. The air becomes thick with tension, and it feels as though the walls are closing in, trapping them in an endless maze of darkened hallways.

One night, after a particularly bitter argument, Lily feels an irresistible pull toward the basement. She descends a narrow, creaking staircase and finds an old family portrait, its faces faded and scratched out, with only one woman’s face visible—a woman who looks hauntingly like her. In a flash, Lily remembers her mother’s hushed warnings about their ancestor who “sacrificed her love,” and how her family’s history was full of tragic, mysterious losses.

Other unsettling clues soon follow. She finds cryptic carvings on the cellar walls, strange symbols that stir memories of her mother’s stories. Maddie, exploring a forgotten desk, discovers letters referencing lovers who “never returned” and a curse meant to “preserve love in darkness.” Together, they uncover an ancient journal belonging to one of Lily’s ancestors, a woman who lured her lovers to the mansion, only for them to disappear. The journal hints at rituals that bind love eternally, of “hearts preserved in shadow” and “love that ends is love wasted.”

They realize that the mansion is no mere house—it is a sentient, possessive force that traps lovers, feeding on the beauty and tragedy of their love. The mansion’s twisted intent is clear: it wants them, and it will not let them leave.

The mansion’s hold over Lily intensifies. She begins repeating lines from the journal unconsciously, her voice distant and hollow. When she catches her reflection in a mirror, her face seems foreign, her expression cold, as if another presence is watching through her eyes. Maddie, terrified, feels like she’s losing Lily, the woman she loves slipping further away with each passing day.

Desperate to escape, they decide to attempt the ritual described in the journal, hoping it will sever the mansion’s hold. As they begin, there’s a brief moment of hope—a shared look, a feeling that they might finally break free. But as they perform the ritual, the room grows colder, the temperature plummeting until their breath forms clouds in the air. Shadows creep across the floor, seeming to stretch toward them, encircling them as if alive.

The air becomes suffocating, filled with ghostly whispers that grow louder, rising to an almost mocking crescendo. Maddie and Lily exchange a terrified glance, realizing too late that the ritual isn’t freeing them—it’s binding them more tightly to the mansion’s curse. The sense of betrayal hits them like a blow, and their brief hope is replaced by despair as they feel the mansion’s intent pressing down on them, its dark satisfaction wrapping around them like a shroud.

Afterward, the house falls silent. They stumble outside, numb and horrified, reaching their car and driving away in desperate relief. But as they drive, the landscape shifts, each turn bringing them back to the mansion. An overwhelming dread fills them as they realize they’re trapped in an endless loop, bound to return no matter how far they go.

Lily’s demeanor shifts completely. Her face becomes vacant, her voice hollow as she repeats phrases from the journal she should not know. Maddie watches, horrified, as Lily’s gaze grows cold, her movements stiff and unnatural, as if she is being controlled by something else.

As Maddie tries to steer them away, she notices Lily’s knuckles whitening on the wheel, her grip tightening. For a fleeting moment, their eyes meet, and Maddie sees a twisted expression of sorrow, anger, and desperation flicker across Lily’s face, as if she’s struggling against the mansion’s grip. But the look fades, replaced by a blank, lifeless stare, her hands locking onto the wheel with a strength that isn’t her own.

The car veers off the road, plunging into a ditch. In the final, chaotic moments, Maddie glimpses Lily’s face, contorted into a mask of fury and sorrow—a tragic final image of the woman she loves, lost to the mansion’s influence.

Maddie awakens to fragments of memory—the day she met Lily, the dreams they had, the love that once felt like a lifeline. But as she opens her eyes, she finds herself hanging upside down in the car, her body bloodied and aching.

She crawls out, calling Lily’s name in desperation. She finds her lying motionless in the ditch, her face pale and still. Maddie cradles Lily’s body in her arms, her grief echoing into the empty night, her heart breaking with the realization that Lily is gone. Maddie's howling fills the air.

Dazed and hollow, Maddie begins to walk back toward the mansion, drawn by an unseen force. Her memories start to blur, each step erasing fragments of her love for Lily, replacing them with a numb, hollow acceptance. She reaches the door, her hand rising to knock without her own volition. It swings open slowly, revealing the dark, empty foyer within.

Stepping inside, Maddie freezes. Before her stands her own reflection, twisted and ghostly, with hollow eyes and a haunting smile. The figure moves with a fluid, unnatural grace, each movement a disturbing imitation of her own. Maddie feels a chill seeping into her bones, her body growing colder, as though the life were draining out of her.

Her memories slip away entirely, her love for Lily fading into the shadows. Her reflection mouths silent words, words Maddie somehow understands: “To love is to possess… love eternal, beauty preserved.”

Then, faint and broken, she hears Lily’s voice, a whisper that chills her to the core. “I’m still here… Don't worry darling… I'm still here…” It’s a final echo, a fragment of the woman she loved, lost within the mansion’s curse. The whisper fades, but the hollow ache it leaves feels endless.

Her reflection raises a bloodied hand, brushing Maddie’s cheek. The touch is cold, sticky, as though marked with something dark and binding, sealing her fate. Maddie’s vision blurs, her body going numb as she feels herself merging with the mansion, her identity dissolving into its shadows.

Outside, the mansion stands silent and still, dark against the night sky. Faint shadows flicker in its windows, and whispers drift through its empty halls—echo