Handsome young artist Quentin Collins arrives at his newly-inherited estate of Collinwood with his beautiful wife Tracy. They meet the housekeeper, Carlotta Drake, and the caretaker, Gerard Stiles. The Collins’ friends, Alex and Claire Jenkins, who are both novelists, move into a cottage on the estate.
Quentin soon begins to be troubled by startling visions and haunting dreams about one of his ancestors, Charles Collins, and his ancestor’s mistress Angelique, who had been hanged as a witch in a past century. Carlotta eventually reveals to Quentin that she is the reincarnation of Sarah Castle, a little girl who had lived at Collinwood over 150 years ago, and that Quentin himself is the reincarnation of Charles Collins. Charles had had an affair with Angelique, wife of his brother Gabriel, resulting in her being hanged and Charles being sealed alive in the family crypt with Angelique’s corpse.
On a trip to New York, the Jenkins discover a painting of Charles Collins, which bears an uncanny resemblance to Quentin. Convinced that their friends are in grave danger, the couple hurry home to Collinwood. They are attacked by the ghost of Angelique.
Meanwhile, Quentin has become possessed by the spirit of Charles Collins and attempts to drown Tracy in a disused swimming pool on the estate. Alex and Claire arrive in time to revive her, but Quentin, having no memory of his actions, refuses to believe their wild tale.
Carlotta and Gerard conspire to eliminate Quentin’s loved ones. Quentin, seeing the scratches on his wrist where Tracy had tried to fend him off, realizes the truth of Alex’s warning and rushes to rescue his friends. Gerard has managed to take Tracy prisoner (despite his having been shot in the face by Claire), and Quentin fights with him high atop a train trestle. Quentin defeats Gerard, who plunges to his death.
The group rush to confront Carlotta, but she jumps from the top of Collinwood when the ghostly Angelique beckons her from below.
In the end, Quentin and Tracy are about to leave Collinwood when Quentin goes back inside the house. Tracy follows to find him now completely possessed by Charles Collins, and Angelique reborn in the flesh. The camera freezes on Quentin’s face as he advances menacingly toward Tracy.
A newspaper caption at the end reveals that Alex and Claire Jenkins have been killed in a car accident.
