A scene from The Inhabitants (Gravitas Ventures)

If you are a young couple and have a dream of opening your own bed and breakfast, it’s best not to buy one of the oldest houses in New England for the task. Usually something very bad happened there, or something very unpleasant lives there. That’s the lesson Jessica and Dan learn in the Rasmussen brothers’ smart, spooky The Inhabitants.

After moving in, everything seems hunky-dory and cozy. Jessica and Dan are sweet and definitively in love and ready to plan their lives together, though shadowy figures moving across the wall, self-rocking chairs, and really spooky music clue us in that The Bad Thing lies in wait. Soon Dan is off to a business trip, and Jessica is left alone in the house. When Dan returns, Jessica is…different.

The Rasmussen brothers (co-writers and co-directors Michael and Shawn) have created a tense ghost story and mystery that keeps you engaged throughout. They don’t tease you or use subterfuge. Working with a miniscule budget, they simply have created a solid plot and premise that they meticulously execute to its inevitable bloody conclusion. They add elements of other horror genres without ever letting them overshadow or overtake the slowly building ghost story they are creating.

The house itself becomes a third character. Full of nooks and crannies, secret entryways, and hidden rooms, it exudes a sinister charm that envelops the audience, and the Rasmussens take full advantage of the place. They explore every crevice as the camera stalks its main characters and a couple of extra, let’s say, folk that happen to reside there.

However, the acting is serviceable at best, and dialogue is not the movie’s strong point. A side plot involving some teen delinquents feels tossed off and detracts from the tight focus on the loving couple. Finally, it drags a tad in the middle but thankfully picks up steam in the last third and then barrels toward a satisfying climax.

In sum, the directors have created a neat little ghost (and then some) story that keeps you guessing and then awake at night.