Guest in the House
Guest in the House is a 1944 American film noir directed by John Brahm starring Anne Baxter and Ralph Bellamy.
Lewis Milestone began directing the film in April 1944, but was stricken with appendicitis in May 1944 and collapsed on the set. John Brahm then stepped in to direct.
Plot
Martha Proctor believes something evil has come to her home. Her nephew Dr. Dan Proctor arrives with his betrothed, Evelyn Heath, who is a frail invalid. Evelyn is introduced to Aunt Martha as well as Dan's older brother, Douglas, an illustrator, along with Douglas's wife Ann and his model, Miriam.The women sympathize with Evelyn, knowing of the hard life she has had. Evelyn has bouts of hysteria, involving her fear of birds, and also keeps a secret diary in which she mocks Aunt Martha for her spinsterhood status, scorns her fiancé Dan, and expresses a desire for Douglas instead.
While plotting to seduce Douglas, and accusing Dan of jealousy to make him leave, Evelyn sets out to rid the house of Miriam, whom she sees as a rival. Her gossip succeeds in getting back to Ann, and turning everyone's suspicions to Miriam, who departs.
Douglas then quarrels with Ann, driven apart by Evelyn's diabolical schemes. Ann and her child leave to catch the train. Evelyn destroys the goodbye note Ann has written to him.
Evelyn believes she has finally secured Douglas's love, but when Douglas realizes he's been manipulated, he runs to stop Ann. They return to the house and confront Evelyn, telling her that if she ends her marriage plans with Dan, they will agree to send her to an asylum for care. Instead, Evelyn fools Dan into returning home to marry her right away.
As Ann and Douglas take Dan aside to try to persuade him from marrying Evelyn, Martha plays on Evelyn's terror of birds, and pushes her into an hysteria. Evelyn flees from the house, screaming, and plunges to her death over a cliff.