Outside (2024)
The Abel family—Francis, his wife Iris, and their sons Joshua and Lucas—are forced to flee a sudden zombie outbreak, seeking refuge in a seemingly safe place: the old family mansion on a remote sugarcane plantation. The vast, isolated estate, once an image of prestige and heritage, now stands as a grim reminder of decay and abandonment.
But upon their arrival, they find it’s far from the sanctuary they hoped for. Francis’ father has taken his own life along with a loyal servant, unable to bear the infection spreading through them, and Francis’ mother has succumbed fully to the disease, her lifeless body now reanimated. With a heavy heart, Francis ends her misery himself, knowing this act is only the beginning of the many sacrifices his family will have to make.
As the days pass, the Abels attempt to carve out a new existence within the mansion’s eerie walls, though Francis finds himself constantly haunted by memories of his abusive childhood. He recalls the many times his father locked him in the cold, dark basement as punishment, a torment that has left him scarred.
His inner demons resurface as he struggles with the state of his fractured marriage. He has recently discovered that Iris, his wife, had an affair with his charismatic elder brother, Diego. This betrayal cuts even deeper, as it reveals that Diego—not Francis—is likely Joshua’s biological father. The weight of betrayal and abandonment threatens to unravel him.
Desperate to escape the isolation and rising tension, Iris urges Francis to explore options for a safer haven. Reluctantly, he agrees, but their search quickly goes awry. The local roads are choked with the undead, and they’re forced to retreat to the mansion. Later, Francis retrieves fuel for the mansion’s generator, focusing on securing their immediate surroundings rather than chasing vague rumors of a safe zone broadcast on the radio.
One day, while teaching young Joshua to handle a gun, their actions inadvertently attract the attention of nearby zombies, culminating in a brutal siege on the mansion. In the chaos, Diego appears and, in a final act of brotherly loyalty, diverts the horde away, saving the family. He also leaves behind a map to the safe zone, offering them a path forward. However, Francis, resentful of his family’s favoritism toward Diego and his betrayal of Iris, refuses his brother’s help, feeling unable to forgive him.
As days wear on, Francis’ mental state deteriorates, plagued by paranoia and suspicion. Their hope is briefly restored when a wounded soldier named Corcuera stumbles onto the property, sharing news that the zombies may be weakening. This small glimmer of hope sparks optimism within the family, but Francis misinterprets this as a threat to his control. Succumbing to his paranoia, he isolates himself further, ultimately staging a fake attack on the mansion to instill fear and assert dominance. Tensions reach a breaking point when Joshua, weary of his father’s erratic behavior, leaves the mansion in defiance. In a frenzy, Francis kills Corcuera, seeing him as a threat, and locks Iris and Lucas in the basement—the same dark place that traumatized him in his youth.
However, Iris and Lucas manage to escape, attempting to flee the cursed mansion once and for all. In the ensuing chaos, they come face-to-face with Diego’s reanimated corpse. Lucas, still young and vulnerable, is bitten. Francis arrives and, in a twisted act of redemption, kills Diego, but the infection in Lucas is now inevitable. As Francis tries to retrieve their van to make an escape, tragedy strikes: in the frenzied darkness, Joshua, mistaking his father for a zombie, inadvertently shoots him. With his life slipping away, Francis finally accepts Joshua as his son, letting go of his bitterness. In a moment of fragile peace, he entrusts Joshua with the future of their family. As Francis takes his last breath, Joshua sets off to rescue Iris and Lucas, driving them toward whatever semblance of hope remains.
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