The villagers rush into the house and vandalize it. Constance and Merricat hide downstairs as the fire is extinguished. The fire department arrives, along with the villagers, who call to let the house burn. Charles beats her until he discovers that his room is on fire. When Charles threatens to punish her, Merricat throws everything on his desk, including his lit pipe, into a wastebasket. Merricat retaliates by casting magical spells on Charles, vandalizing his room and belongings, and speaking to him only in descriptions of poisonous plants. However, Charles behaves condescendingly to Julian and taunts Merricat with the idea of stealing her sister.

Constance is charmed and subservient toward him. Over the next few days, Charles attempts to lure Constance away with the promise of seeing the world while setting his sights on the family fortune, locked in a safe. Before she can warn her sister, she is introduced to their estranged cousin, Charles. When she returns, she finds all her wards have been unearthed.

Merricat is distressed at the thought of going into town on the wrong day and has no time to check her magical safeguards. On Thursday, Constance sends Merricat on an errand to town. This enrages and terrifies Merricat, who creates magic to prevent Constance from leaving. Helen tries to convince Constance that she should rejoin the outside world. It's unclear whether this power is real or imaginary.Ĭonstance sees only a single family friend, Helen Clarke, who comes to tea every week. Merricat practices her own brand of protective magic by burying articles of power in the ground to keep evil forces at bay and protect Constance. Every Tuesday, Merricat goes to the village to shop while the villagers harass her. Constance has not left the house in the six years since she was tried and acquitted of the death of her parents by poisoning. It was released on by Brainstorm Media.ġ8-year-old Mary Katherine 'Merricat' Blackwood lives on the family estate with her older sister Constance and their ailing uncle Julian. It premiered at the LA Film Festival on September 22, 2018, to generally favorable reviews. It was based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a 2018 American mystery thriller film directed by Stacie Passon, written by Mark Kruger, and starring Taissa Farmiga, Alexandra Daddario, Crispin Glover, and Sebastian Stan.

We have always have lived in the castle