We Used to Live Here

“A pull-string for the attic’s trapdoor staircase. He blew on it, a swift puff, like putting out a birthday cake candle. It swung back and forth like a metronome.”

This description of the attic door uses two similes, creating sensory imagery to help engage readers. Thomas’s confidence in navigating the house indicates his long history with it, though the exact nature of this history is yet unknown. At this point, his stated motivation seems plausible even if his blatantly interrupting the house’s residents on a Friday evening is insensitive.

“There was a damp dullness in the silence, as if the shadows had swallowed his words before they even made it halfway.”

Alliteration emphasizes the mystery and isolation of the house’s basement, as though it is a separate structure containing its own secrets. Shadows often come to life and have a strong presence in both the basement and Eve’s mind, calling into question whether Eve is perceiving reality or a simple trick of the light.

“East? Charlie and Eve shared another brief look. It sounded like an answer an old cowboy might give, gazing out over a sun-dappled horizon.”

Early hints to the fact that Thomas is lying about his family and their intentions are scattered throughout the novel’s first chapters. The poetic imagery of the sun-dappled horizon juxtaposes the sarcasm and irony of the moment, as though the way Thomas presents himself can’t possibly align with the truth.

“His hands were clenched over his mouth, as if trying to keep unspeakable horrors from writhing out. And his eyes, bloodshot, wide, were filled with terror. The kind of dread that spread like fire. Contagion.”

In the first truly horrific moment of the novel, Eve and Charlie find Thomas outside in the middle of the night in a state of sheer panic and despair. The novel never clarifies or explains this moment or others like it, but they’re likely the result of all the pain Thomas has caused, which now haunts him everywhere he goes.

“Suddenly, as if in reaction to Eve’s realization, the figure rose up to standing. It wasn’t child-sized after all—it had only been hunched down. It rose to its full height—over six feet tall. Slender. Gaunt.”

Eve’s interpretation of what she sees isn’t always immediately accurate, which lends doubt to her credibility. When she first encounters Alison’s ghost, the novel suddenly shifts from pure psychological thriller to supernatural horror, and it’s the first of many encounters that confirm Eve’s suspicions about Thomas.

“A thin ray of sunlight crept up the walls, across the bed, and beamed into Eve’s left eye.”

Details like this help engage readers who follow conspiratorial background and lore. Because the story was originally a Reddit series, it’s heavily inspired by online conspiracy theories like the Illuminati and the all-seeing eye. When the left eye is illuminated, it symbolizes knowledge and wisdom, and in this case, it signifies that Eve’s perceptions are entirely correct. Thematically, this moment relates to Perception, Reality, and the Intersecting Lines Between Them, as well as Knowing and Staying True to Oneself.

“She’s probably locked up in the basement. Mo stirred awake. Eve could almost see his crazy eyes, snapping open, like a vampire in a coffin, bloodthirsty at the chance to raise paranoia. You’ll be next.”

Mo’s voice often creeps into Eve’s mind, usually suggesting the worst possible outcome to any situation. The advice at this point appears panicked and exaggerated, but it foreshadows what happens to Eve. Alison was initially replaced, and when she insisted that she had been, she was sent to a psychiatric hospital; the same thing happens to Eve.

“Wasn’t it 3708? She peered over her shoulder, down the long stretch of road. The pines bowed inward, tunnellike, obscuring the view. I probably skipped a property...”

Thematically, The Precarious Nature of Memories becomes a difficult hurdle for Eve: She’s never entirely sure if she’s remembering things correctly, particularly details like her neighbor’s address. Nevertheless, her core memories, like those of Charlie and Shylo, later assure her memories of her previous life are accurate.

“Somehow, that didn’t surprise Eve. When she’d first laid eyes on the house, it had almost seemed ancient. An absurd thought to be sure, but somehow it felt older than the surrounding trees—many of which, according to Mr. Dayton, had been there for nearly three hundred years.”

Old House is a complex representation of a common horror trope: the haunted house. Old House is almost like its own character: It has its own complex history of generations of life living within its walls. The fact that the house is so old implies that Thomas himself is much older than he appears.

“She turned the toy over, scrutinizing it—as if it were a mysterious artifact from another world.”

Eve isn’t yet entirely sure what’s happening to her or her reality; all she knows is that something is terribly wrong. Upon seeing the chimp toy that resembles Mo but seems like a strange secondary imitation, Eve is certain that it signifies some sort of danger that she must avoid. Mo was just part of her memories but has now materialized, though in a form she doesn’t fully recognize.

“You need to be careful. Get them to leave. Whatever means necessary…”

The warning Eve receives from the elderly man in the cabin is accurate but too late: The family has already settled and is taking over the home. It’s a foreboding moment and somewhat cliché in the way that it uses a mysterious elderly figure to warn someone in danger. Additionally, Eve finds herself in an abandoned cabin, which is another common trope in horror fiction.

“The longer someone is trapped in Old House the more dangerous they become—to themseLves and others. Some claim that symptoms akin to radiation sickness and psychosis can occur.”

One of the documents discusses the nature of Old House and what many believe it actually is. The use of a symptom list and a technical writing style make the document appear credible and realistic. Additionally, the author uses a common technique to embed a message, capitalizing select letters that together form a message about ancient gods.

“Standing between an old coatrack and a glass cabinet—a figure. Tall, slender, draped in darkness. Pin-straight posture. Motionless. As still as a storefront mannequin.”

The novel’s tendency to extend and double down on descriptions extends the moment and conveys Eve’s perception as she witnesses supernatural horrors. The text refers to the ghost only as a “figure” because Eve hasn’t yet confirmed that it’s the ghost of Alison.

“A swell of worry rose in Eve’s gut, egged on by Mo: Thomas is feeding Charlie a skewed version of events. He’s going to make you sound unstable, unhinged. Then you’re never gonna be able to convince her to sell this place and you’ll be stuck here forever and—”

The novel vividly describes Eve’s inner psychological processes with each new revelation. Her “conversations” with Mo make him almost like another character. Ironically, Mo is still only worried about being trapped in the house; he doesn’t yet realize the full extent of the danger.

“Some say it’s a sanctuary for some kind of ancient entity. Some say it is a sprawling labyrinth that spreads across space and time and traps unsuspecting civilians in a maze of never-ending terror. Some say it’s simply a metaphor—a mirror into humanity’s fascination with long-abandoned structures.”

One document details the nature of Old House and its history. The description indicates conflicting views about the house’s purpose and origin, which lends uncertainty to its being supernatural at all. In reality, all these theories are true.

“This isn’t your Charlie.”

This short, bursting sentence occurs within Eve’s mind and is the moment she realizes that her reality has changed beyond the superficial. While initially only addresses and people’s versions of past events were being replaced, now Eve’s partner and the only person she cares about has been replaced. The realization prompts Eve to act, bringing about the story’s dramatic climax.

“Notably, the intensity of pareidolia has been directly linked to a subject’s level of anxiety.”

The clinical tone of the document describing pareidolia implies that the research took many sorts of evidence and factors into account, including conspiracy theories and psychological theories. The result is a mystery that plays on the theme of Perception, Reality, and the Intersecting Lines Between Them. It raises the question of whether Eve is perceiving something that isn’t real.

“No, this was real. Madness didn’t feel like this. There were too many external markers. Too many connected threads.”

Eve constantly battles back and forth with her own psyche and the presentation of new information and other changes in her reality. Although the novel originally introduced her as someone with anxiety and paranoia, Eve trusts her instincts, demonstrating the theme of Knowing and Staying True to Oneself.

“The cold air was quiet, the kind of silence that got under your skin like an itch.”

Horror fiction often engages all the senses to entangle readers in an experience of suspense and constant tension. This passage describes the feeling of the air by drawing a comparison to both touch and sound, creating visceral imagery.

“It’s like quicksand; the more you fight the charade, the worse it gets.”

In Alison’s note to herself, instructions explain how to “defeat” Thomas and escape his manipulated world. Eve takes this advice and uses it to infiltrate Thomas’s plans and his family, nearly succeeding in killing him.

“Then, on a bright summer day, a strange boy wandering out of the woods, a lost child. Young Thomas. From that moment on, Alison’s world began its terrible transformation.”

The contrast between the bright sunny day and the person or entity that came out of the woods creates irony and a tone of uncertainty. To replace Alison, Thomas essentially swapped their lives and histories so that Alison was the one who “wandered out of the woods” and invaded Thomas’s life.

“Still on his knees, Thomas stared up at her in disbelief, the hammer still stuck in his face, Eve still grasping its handle. He hadn’t thought she was capable of this—neither had she.”

The story is primarily a psychological horror and doesn’t rely heavily on gore or shock value, but the climax makes an exception in the moment when Eve strikes Thomas with the hammer. For someone who began the story so timid and unsure of herself, Eve becomes completely self-assured, strong, and fierce in an effort to defend her life.

“Eve. My name is Eve.”

Even after being arrested and told that nothing she reported about her life is true, Eve is certain of the truth. The primary element through which she remains connected to her true life is her name, which she repeatedly insists is Eve. Her effort to hold onto her name and the character traits that contribute to her ability to do so help develop the theme of Knowing and Staying True to Oneself.