Dr. David Marrow invites three distinct individuals to the eerie and isolated Hill House to be subjects for a sleep disorder study. The unfortunate guests discover that Marrow is far more interested in the sinister mansion itself — and they soon see the true nature of its horror.

A writer rents an old beach house, which had belonged to a sea captain in the 19th century. The sailor's fiancée comes back to haunt the writer and his wife.