We Used to Live Here

Eve watches as Thomas opens the closet and hangs up his family’s jackets, and notices Paige’s expression as she stares at the dilapidated property. Eve thinks about how she was reluctant to move in, but the house was a great deal, and she and Charlie planned to flip it for profit. Thomas introduces his children, Kai and Newton, who often fight, and Jenny, who carries a notebook and questions everything. Thomas shows his family around, asking Eve about changes like the missing chandelier. Jenny notices Eve’s dog, Shylo, watching them (Shylo was a rescue dog), and Thomas mentions having a chocolate lab growing up. He points out carvings of horses on the wall that his mother made and a symbol of a circle with lines through it that his sister, Alison, drew on the wall to prevent bad luck. Mo’s voice tells Eve that it’s a symbol for a cult, but she tries to ignore it.

Eve starts to enjoy Thomas’s descriptions of how the house used to be. In the study is a stained glass window with a strange-looking apple tree on it. The family passes by the attic and Thomas stops at the wall where the dumbwaiter hides behind wallpaper, pointing out that it’s likely still there. Eve decides that the family seems normal and goes downstairs to continue a project. Suddenly, Shylo starts staring at the basement door, but Eve realizes that she’s only barking at an ant. Eve never goes down there, fearing basements and the unknown evil that she always felt lurking there. When the family comes downstairs and wants to see the basement, Eve declines, implying they should go. Thomas takes the hint and gathers his family. He stops in the middle of asking Eve whether she’s noticed anything odd since moving in, noticing that Jenny is missing. Eve looks out the window and sees a light in the distant woods, and wonders if it could be Jenny. After yelling for her and hearing no answer, Thomas finds the wallpaper covering the dumbwaiter gone and thinks Jenny went down to the basement.

A document shows an ad for a “free chocolate lab” named Buckley that was given away after an incident with the family’s son (29).

Eve reluctantly follows Thomas to the basement to look for Jenny. Immediately, she smells the musty dampness and is nervous when Thomas suggests they split up. He tells Eve to grab Jenny if she finds her lest Jenny just keep running and hiding. Eve explores the basement’s narrow corridors and dark rooms, and when a can falls off a shelf, she tells herself it must have been the uneven floorboards. A trail of ants leads toward a white door, and she enters a room to find a wardrobe. The ants disappear under it, and Eve shines her light inside. She thinks she sees eyes and has found Jenny, but it’s just an old picture frame. Still, Eve thinks she saw the eyes blink. She also finds an old painting of a chocolate lab looking nervously toward the woods and wonders if Thomas’s mother painted it.

In the hall, Eve sees Thomas standing perfectly still and shining his flashlight at the floor. She calls his name several times, but he doesn’t respond until she’s almost right behind him. He then lies and says he didn’t hear her. Suddenly, Thomas seems to know exactly where Jenny is, pointing to a small crawl space that an adult likely couldn’t fit through. He tells Eve that they should wait for Jenny to come out because if someone does try to go in after her, she’s likely to bite. Given what he said earlier, Eve is confused, but she lets go of her doubts because she’s just glad to leave the basement.

A document shows an advertisement for a heavy metal cover group called “Ring of Eyes” in the town of Yale (41).

Upstairs, Thomas and Paige argue over what to do about Jenny, and Paige isn’t happy about the family moving to Minnesota. Thomas finally agrees to try to get Jenny out one last time. To Eve’s great relief, Charlie walks in, an hour late and complaining about the snow on the roads. She introduces herself to the family, surprised to see so many people at the house, notes that she saw their moving truck down the street, and invites the family to stay for dinner. When Charlie mentions the possibility of tearing the house down, Thomas seems almost glad to hear it. Eve tries to tell Charlie that she suspects the family is up to something sinister, but the evidence she has gathered seems meaningless upon reflection.

Dinner is awkward. Thomas is downstairs trying to coax Jenny out. Eve notices that Paige seems angry. Thomas reappears without Jenny, and Paige insists on praying before the meal. He reacts to this with humor, but Paige is serious and says a long, thoughtful prayer. Charlie asks about the family’s move, and Thomas reveals that he received an offer for a photography professor position at a college in Minnesota. Paige asks Eve and Charlie about their relationship and religious practices. Eve admits she grew up religious but no longer practices (though she still has nightmares about hell). When Eve notices a faded circle tattoo on Paige’s neck, Paige says she tried to have it removed, but the process is imperfect and left a scar. Eve wonders if it’s related to the circle symbol Thomas pointed out.

Charlie’s phone alerts her to the hazardous driving conditions due to the storm, but Thomas insists they’ll be okay. When Jenny finally emerges, she apologizes, and her parents lecture her for doing something dangerous. After supper, the family gets their coats on and leaves, but Eve still senses something isn’t right. Another alert on her phone notes that the only bridge out of the area is closed due to the weather, which means that the family is stuck for the night. Eve thinks about how Thomas started to ask about strange happenings in the house and seemed hesitant to reveal what he knew. Eve’s Uncle Benji loved telling a story of a time he saw a flying demon, but his eagerness almost gave it away as a farce. Charlie pointed out that Uncle Benji’s photo was just an overexposed photo of an owl. Eve feels differently about Thomas because of his hesitation.

A document reveals that laser tattoo removal is a lengthy and painful process that is never guaranteed to produce full results.