Netflix’s horror slasher film, There’s Someone Inside Your House, follows a serial killer on the loose. The menacing slayer hunts down high school students with dark secrets. He kills them and eventually reveals their secrets to the masses. However, no matter how deprived Netflix’s horror films are of a thick plot, they do, from time to time, introduce interesting “diversified” characters that need special mention. Let’s acknowledge the characters of ‘There’s Someone Inside Your House‘ and explain their secrets revealed in the film.
Major Spoilers Ahead
Jackson Pace
There’s Someone Inside Your House began with Jackson Pace’s house situated in the small town of Osborne, Nebraska. Jackson was a star footballer who played for his high school team, Wampus Cats.
Jackson returned home after college to take some much-needed rest before the big game in the evening. He set the alarm for 4 pm, but someone in the house took away his cellphone. Jackson woke up late in the evening and ran downstairs only to find that his car was missing. He walked back into the house and found his pictures with fellow footballer Caleb Greeley posted throughout the house.
The photographs framed a story that Jackson probably bullied and thrashed Caleb because he was gay. Maybe, a prank that went too far. However, other students didn’t know about this episode except for Jackson’s football buddies. Hence, the masked killer wearing a mask of Jackson’s face not only killed him to become a vigilante but also publicized the video in which Jackson was brutally hitting Caleb.
Katie Koons
Katie was a student council president and studied with Jackson at Osborne High School. Certain characters hide behind masks in real life, and Katie was evidently one of them. She hid her extremist beliefs in white supremacism under her sweet, caring persona, but the killer knew it all.
On the day of Jackson’s funeral, the masked killer hunted down Katie at the empty church. Before murdering Katie, the assailant played her anonymous podcast on white supremacy, titled “Your Daily Ethnic Cleanse.” Katie seemed like a follower of the Ku Klux Klan and made offensive hate speech in her podcast. It was her secret. Hence, the killer wearing the mask of Katie’s face brutally stabbed her and hung her from the Church’s roof.
Rodrigo
There was an outcast group of misfit teenagers at school composed of Makani Young, Alexandra “Alex” Crisp, Darby, and Zach Sanford. Rodrigo was a part of this close-knit group of friends who stayed together through thick and thin.
Rodrigo had a crush on a fellow mate, Alex, but he was too afraid to talk to her about it. Instead, he shared his feelings with Makani, who recently moved to Nebraska from Hawaii. As per a small conversation, the film established that Rodrigo had troubles with his parents. Probably, a case of abusive or violent parents. To keep a check on his anxiety, Rodrigo relied on over-the-counter opioid pills (Fentanyl) to numb his senses.
No one knew that Rodrigo was a medicine addict. The killings in the town took a toll on Rodrigo’s mental health, and he started overusing the medicines. At the “secret” party at Sanford Mansion, Rodrigo confessed his infatuation with Alex and, in a way, revealed his first secret. But he didn’t tell anyone that he took pills for anxiety. The killer revealed Rodrigo’s secret and killed him afterward near the fountain.
Oliver “Ollie” Larsson
Oliver was the high school’s reserved castaway. His brother, Chris, was a deputy at the town’s sheriff’s office, and Ollie had his own share of secrets. Many students believed that the masked serial killer was none other than Ollie. The reason being, the killer used a Taser gun that cops probably use. Ollie’s parents died in his childhood, and the high schoolers presumed that he was a disturbed kid because of the tragedy.
But not Makani. She dated Ollie during their summer off. But as soon as school started, Makani started ignoring Ollie to spend time with her group. However, even though Makani trusted Ollie, she didn’t know his secret, “what happened to his parents.” At one point, Ollie took Makani out for a ride and revealed to her that his parents died in a car crash. They were drunks and crashed the car into a tree. His father died on the spot, while his mother died the next day in the hospital.
Everyone in the town presumed it was a dramatic double-suicide case. Because of this fact, even Ollie was labeled as a disturbed kid with behavioral issues. But it wasn’t the case.
Makani Young
Makani (Sydney Park) was the film’s central character, as a significant portion of the film revolved around her and her buried past. Her real name was Makani Sun-Woo, and lived in Hawaii with her Korean father and African-American mother. In her previous high school, Makani was a part of the Varsity team and represented her college in swimming. When Makani was in her first year, the seniors kidnapped the juniors and bullied them near the beach. In defense, Makani tried to run away and pushed a friend named Jasmine into a beach bonfire accidentally.
Later, Makani was charged with beach burning and went into the trial. Jasmine survived, but there were severe burns on her body. Even after Makani was acquitted, she still got threats. Her parents broke up, and she blamed herself for the tragedy. Makani moved to Osborne to live with her grandmother to start a new life. She took her mother’s maiden name, “Young,” and tried to become a different person until the masked killer revealed her secret.
Zachariah “Zach” Sanford
Zach was the wealthy and privileged kid of the town. His father, Skipper, was the land baron of Osborne. Skipper bought farms from the weary families at dirt-cheap rates and made them a part of his legacy, Sanford Family Farms.
But for all good reasons, Zach hated his old man, and high schoolers hated Zach because he was a Sanford. A complete circle. Zach’s father was a classic case of a capitalistic hoarder who may have cherished the Nazi philosophy. Zach flaunted his father’s Nazi collective trophies at the mansion that Zach modified and converted into bongs.
To control the town, Skipper was trying to replace the cops with private security in the name of public safety. With all the brutal killings in town and a serial on the loose, he seemed to be succeeding in the pursuit. Amid the chaos, Skipper organized the Fall Harvest Festival to flaunt his private security services. However, the masked killer turned up at the festival and burnt down everything.
In the end, There’s Someone Inside Your House revealed that the serial killer was none other than Zach Sanford. He unleashed his blade and killed his father before chanting his naïve reasons for the mass murders.
Zach Sanford – The Masked Serial Killer
Zach was a sociopath. He hated his father for being over-authoritative and giving him all the richness and privilege he never asked for. He lived a life in denial, hating his family legacy. For a moment, he was ashamed, or people made him feel ashamed because he was born with privileges. But then, Zach said it wasn’t his fault that he was born white, wealthy, and privileged. He understood that everyone hid behind a mask, and they shouldn’t have the audacity to judge someone like Zach, who lived a “real life,” revealing his “real self.” Zach couldn’t change his last name or change who he was, hence, he decided to threaten everybody else to come out and reveal their real self.
Zach gave his message loud, clear, and bloodier and killed the hypocrites who made fun of him. One by one, Zach killed everyone with secrets and made their secrets public. However, he could have just killed his father in the name of justice instead of going for a killing spree, and that would have solved everything too. But okay.
In Conclusion
Zach targeted Caleb because he was gay, and he chose to hide his sexual orientation from the general public. However, after Jackosn’s video was revealed, Caleb made it clear, yet Zach held him responsible and tried to kill him. I guess even Zach didn’t know what he was trying to do. He wasn’t a serious serial killer, just like the film, There’s Someone Inside Your House.
There’s Someone Inside Your House is a 2021 slasher horror film directed by Patrick Brice. It is based on the 2017 novel written by Stephanie Perkins. The film is streaming on Netflix.
