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.

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.