THE 7th GUEST
Storyline FAQ version 1.0
By Mansize, 2006
E-mail:
[email protected]
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Disclaimer
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* Don’t put this document up on another webpage without
permission. Currently, only Gamefaqs has my permission.
* This document is intended to help people and has
absolutely no commercial purposes.
* Please e-mail me to correct mistakes.
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Foreword
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Welcome to the “The 7th Guest” storyline FAQ. This is
not really a traditional FAQ, but rather a walkthrough
with explanations of the storyline elements. At the
end I will answer some actual frequently asked
questions about the storyline if you’re still wondering.
I created this FAQ because of the high complexion of
the storyline, and players, including myself, tend to
get confused by the non-linear nature of how the story
is revealed to you. Most things are confusing because
of the way the game unfolds, others are because many
parts of the original script were simply never filmed
or never put into the game.
Even though you can play non-linear through most part
of the game, this FAQ provides you with a certain
order, in which the story itself unfolds in a somewhat
logical, almost linear way. In addition, I will
sometimes explain things to you that were actually in
the script, but never filmed, to make more sense of
certain scenes. Also, I will try and help you
interpret ambiguous and unclear things surrounding the
storyline at certain points.
This FAQ will focus solely on where to go at what
points, and on the explanation of the story and cut-
scenes. It does NOT include solutions for the puzzles.
There is even one easy puzzle that you have to solve
twice in order for the game to make sense.
This FAQ is actually best fit for people who played
through the entire game at least one time. It will be
very confusing and spoiling to read if you never played
it before, but you can decide that for yourself, of
course. Without any further ado, let’s start the game.
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The Beginning
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The first question that arises after the start (or
completing the game once), is the question of exactly
who the player is. The only thing we know is that he
is dubbed “Ego” by the game makers. In the original
script, the storyteller begins by explaining that the
house has been abandoned for years, after the
disappearances of the seven guests. Ego begins his own
story decennia later (according to the script) in
front of the locked door, suffering from some form of
amnesia. He will state “How did I get here? I remember…
nothing…” Ego is able to witness snippets of that night
so long ago when Tad broke into the mansion while 6
guests were invited by Stauf, solving all of the puzzles
they did.
The very first ghost appearance Ego sees are the
entrances of the six guests that Stauf invited that
particular night in the past. According to the official
game book, Ego remembers all of them, even though he
doesn’t know how.
The first woman you see is Martine Burden. Harley is
where she was born, but she left to seek fame on the
stage in New York, trying to escape from the small
town that often seemed like a prison to her. Martine
met a wealthy man, and became his mistress. But
eventually, he left her, and Martine returned to her
home town. She said to the local press that she was
there because she received an invitation from Stauf
for a very exclusive party. The other ones invited
were not revealed to her. Martine heard stories about
Stauf and his toys, stories about black magic. When
the invitation came, she wasn’t afraid. She thought
Stauf could give her power.
The next two guests are the couple Edward and Elinor
Knox. They married young, and were never rich. Edward
has huge debts and Elinor is disappointed in her
life. Edward and Elinor thought the invitation was an
opportunity to get rich, but they both have their own
personal, darker desires.
Brian Dutton saw is the next guest to arrive. Brian
witnessed his brother drown while he could do nothing
to save him. He lives on with a feeling of guilt,
because he constantly questions if he could have saved
his brother if he had really wanted to. Brian also
learnt that a new way to solve problems. He wants
success and money, and because Stauf has both, he
eagerly accepted the invitation.
Julia Heine is the fifth guest. Julia has a drinking
problem, and lost her job because of it. Now a forgotten,
middle-aged lady, she harbours dark thoughts. When
she saw one of Stauf’s dolls, she new what she wanted:
to be young again, and to start anew. She received Stauf’s
invitation, and as the only one of the guests, she knew
exactly what it meant.
Hamilton Temple is the last to arrive. He once was a big
illusionist, but his fame declined as he got older.
Attracted by Stauf’s fame and mystery, he eagerly
accepted the invitation. As he enters, he turns around
abruptly, because in the original script the door slams
closed behind him.
There’s nothing else to be done here at this point.
Proceed to the Dining Room, which is the left door.
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The Dining Room
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All the guests are assembled here, and apparently they
found personally addressed envelopes next to there plates,
containing instructions for each of them. Their first
task is to solve the cake puzzle. Solve the cake puzzle
yourself.
After solving the puzzle, we see how Martine tries to
talk Edward into playing Stauf’s game together. She
invites him to discuss it in her bedroom. Right.
There’s nothing else here, so leave.
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The Hallway
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Go over to the front door. Watch the scene with Dutton.
Stauf explains to Dutton that there is another guest,
and that it’s the puzzle to figure out what to do with
him. Apparently, this puzzle is Dutton’s to solve.
After you’ve solved it yourself, we see Tad trying to
open the door.
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The Library
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Continue to the library. The puzzle is inside of the
telescope. The doors have a short cut scene, in which
they deform. Originally, it was Temple who witnessed
this illusion. Presumably, the telescope puzzle was
his to solve. Stauf shows Temple his power.
Solve the puzzle. The sentence that is the solution to
the puzzle is a mystery, but it could be a clue for
Temple, that whatever he’s trying to do is not possible.
Stauf will be right in the end, of course.
After the puzzle is solved, you see a cut scene with
some information about Stauf, or rather, the folklore
that he or his spirit still resides in the house after
all these years. Leave the Library and head over to the
Kitchen.
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The Kitchen
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The first kitchen scene is Elinor reading the note. We
hear Stauf explaining the basic rules of his game to
her. The scene ends with a knocking on the other side of
the cellar door, and a muffled “help me”.
The next scene is Julia trying to solve the puzzle in
the kitchen. Solve it. You see Julia finishing the puzzle.
The sentence is an invitation, but not one Julia follows.
Turn around to watch a scene with Julia. The soup tells
her “Bring him to me”. This is a reference to the final
solution of the game.
Now, you need to enter the cellar briefly. The first
puzzle there is easy, the grating puzzle. Solve it. You’ll
automatically go into the maze. We don’t want to solve the
maze yet, because of the story (but it IS necessary to
solve the grating puzzle, mind you). So at the first turn,
turn left, and at the next, go straight ahead. You will come
to a dead end. Turn around, and go back. Leave through the
grating and back into the kitchen.
Now I know that was vague, but let me explain. The game was
originally designed to have a cut scene after the grating
puzzle. I don’t know why it was deleted. It would show Elinor
having a vision. She would stumble around in the maze,
following the voice she heard earlier. She discovers that
the walls were all covered in blood, and she cries and
falls to her knees. A sharp claw grabs at her head and
shoulders from the dark. She screams “No”, but Edward comes
in and asks her to stop, and what’s wrong with her. She opens
her eyes and sees that the blood now is but water. This scene
was storyline technical necessary to come in front of a future
scene. Even though the cellar scene was cut, you still need to
solve it before that other scene will show. However, you don’t
want to solve the maze right now, as it will lead you directly
to one of the scenes that was designed to be one of the
very last scenes.
Back in the kitchen, leave, and head for the stairs. Go up the
stairs, and turn left. You’ll witness Edward walking in the
hallway, and Martine leading him into her room. Follow them.
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Martine Burden’s Room
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Solve the puzzle. This was originally Martine’s to solve, but
maybe Stauf instructed her to invite Edward along. Anyway,
after that, we see how Martine’s seduces Edward. They form a
pact to solve the puzzles together. The sentence is probably
meant to be a clue for them as to what to do with the Seventh
Guest. Leave and go to the room right across Martine’s room.
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Edward & Elinor Knox’ Room
--------------------------------
We witness Elinor sitting on a bed, and seeing the maze on
the carpet. This carpet is actually a mape of the maze in the
cellar. It probably is no coincidence that it’s in Elinor’s
room, and that her instructions lead her to the cellar and the
grating puzzle. It’s not clear in which order these two
particular scenes were meant to be, but it’s possible that she
is first sent upstairs by Stauf’s instructions, and then to the
cellar. Either way, the puzzle on the floor is also Elinor’s.
Solve it. After it’s solved, there was supposed to be a scene in
which Elinor was seduced by a handsome young man. But he turns
into Stauf, telling her to do something for him.
When you click on the mirror, you will see another part of
Elinor’s wish, to be a wealthy lady. Leave, turn left and head
towards the very end of this hallway and enter the door. On your
way, you will encounter Ted, chased by Temple. This scene is out
of it’s chronological order.
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The Games Room
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Upon entering, you’ll see Temple, wondering if Stauf can show
him real magic.
Solve the puzzle. This one’s is Temple’s, and as soon as he
solved it, he realises what Stauf wants: he wants Tad. The eight
queens were supposed to turn into Tad, but somehow, this was cut.
You’ll next see Temple absorbed in the puzzle, with Tad in the
room. Temple labels Tad the Seventh Guest as soon as he sees him.
Tad is freaked out by Temple’s behaviour, and runs. Temple yells
for him to come back. You’ve seen Tad’s escape scenes in the wrong
order, it’s supposed to be this scene first, then the one in the
upstairs hallway where he’s chased by Temple, and last the scene at
the front door. The scene how Tad enters the mansion is shown at
another point.
Leave this room, and turn right. Enter the door.
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Julia Heine’s Room
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We see Julia in her room. When you click on the mirror, you’ll
discover that Julia wants to be young again. She has a vision in
which she turns into a baby. This probably is a clue Stauf provides
her on how to solve the game. Solve her puzzle on the carpet.
The next scenes in this room are very confusing, and mostly at a
wrong point. We see how Temple tries to convince Tad to leave. Ego
is confused, and talks in himself "Trust him…don’t trust him”. Next
we see how Julia tries to kill Temple. I think Julia actually murders
him in the script, but it’s supposed to be one of the last scenes.
Leave and go back to the library.
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The Library and the Kitchen, Part II
-------------------------------------
If you’ve solved all the puzzles I mentioned, including the
grating puzzle in the cellar, you’ll see an automatic cut scene
upon entering the library. It is a meeting of the guests, possibly
instructed by Stauf to do so. Dutton and Elinor express their
fears of the house, Elinor mentioning the blood she saw on the
walls in the deleted scene. While Julia, Martine and Edward seem
more sure of the game, they haven’t actually figured out who the
“him” and the “me” are in the lines of the soup. Edward and Julia
all think they should have soup. Edward probably also had the same
encounter as Julia with the soup, since he had to pass through the
kitchen before he saved Elinor in the deleted scene, they just don’t
know who the Seventh Guest is, and that they have to bring him to
Stauf. Temple knows, but he wisely keeps his mouth shut, suggesting
they should work together, and stick together. The others don’t
think much of this plan, obviously.
Go to the kitchen. You’ll see a vision of how Tad got into the
house. You can hear the guests talking from the scene in the Dining
Room, so you know Tad got into at the start of the evening. Oddly
enough, this is the earliest time at which you can see this scene.
If you don’t see this scene now, you’ll see it later on in the game.
Leave after the cut scene, and go up the stairs.
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The Upstairs Hallway
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Turn left for the most important scene in the hallway. It’s Temple,
accompanying Elinor to her room. Elinor is still afraid, but Temple
apparently still thinks that everything is just illusions created
by Stauf. Elinor asks if he will be in his room, and Temple says yes.
They talk about their wishes. Turn around after the scene, and head
for the room across Heine’s Room.
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Hamilton Temple’s Room
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Solve the puzzle for another cut scene.
This scene shows Temple and Dutton. Why Dutton is in Temple’s room
is unexplained, but the puzzle in this room is two-fold, so maybe
they were supposed to solve it together. Temple finds a hat, and w
onders out loud if it is part of Stauf’s secret. A girl appears on
the bed, but Dutton starts yelling at Temple to stop. The girl turns
into a skeleton, and Dutton screams. Leave, and enter the door next
to Elinor and Edward’s room.
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The Bathroom
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Solve the puzzle on the floor.
There’s a cut scene with Martine bathing, and then she disappears
under water and we hear her scream. What this scene means is vague.
The original script says that she was supposed to come up from under
the water with a green skin a snake tongue. Leave, turn right, take
one step and turn left. Enter the door.
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Brian Dutton’s Room
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Solve the puzzle.
We see Brian solving the puzzle, and opening the suitcase. He finds
money. But as he touches it, he has a vision in which he turns green
and turns into a green blob. When you click on the door, you see him
entering the closet. Follow him.
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The Chapel
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Solve the puzzle.
We see Brian approaching Stauf. Stauf is wearing a ritual robe, and
a child lies on the altar. Stauf hands Dutton the sword for the final
sacrifice. This is a clue regarding sacrificing Tad to Stauf again.
Enter the confesion booth.
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The Laboratory
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This is a mysterious room. There is a cut scene with Temple you can
watch here. He now thinks that Stauf’s magic is actually some sort of
science. He is disappointed. He looks inside a notebook, but then his
skin turns grey. He then dissolves into nothing. Presumably, this is
only an illusion Temple experiences, because in the script he runs out
of the laboratory. He is killed by Julia after all. Solve the puzzle
inside the microscope. This is where Stauf developed the virus to kill
the children with.
After you solved it, leave through the door of iron rods, which will
take you to the library. Leave to hall, and go to the front door. Turn
around facing the stairs, and click on the floor. You will be taken to
the Gallery.
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The Gallery
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Upon entering this room we see Martine and Edward. Martine is surprised
that she thinks she’s been in the Gallery before, even though it is the
first time she’s there.
Solve the puzzle. Tad will say the following during this puzzle: “This
reminds me of the coffins”, but if you followed this FAQ, you will not
have seen that puzzle yet. Next, turn right, and leave through the
painting to the music room.
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The Music Room
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Solve the puzzle.
Ego here witnesses a scene in which Dutton has gotten hold of Tad.
Dutton draws a knife, but Edward and Martine overpower him. Edward
stabs Dutton in the chest, while Tad runs off
again.
Leave, go upstairs and turn left. Walk all the way to the end, and
enter the door.
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The Doll Room
-----------------
You’ll hear children crying. Solve the puzzle.
Temple and Elinor seem to be working together now. They realise that
Stauf has been taking children’s souls, and that Tad is the last one.
They agree to help Tad get out, instead of feeding him to Stauf.
Click on the dollhouse, and enter the door. This leads to the nursery.
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The Nursery
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Solve the puzzle. The sentence explicitly states Stauf’s desires.
You’ll witness a scene of a child being choked by a doll.
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The Cellar
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Return to the kitchen and enter the cellar door. Solve the grating
puzzle again. I’ll spoil the maze for you, because it’s so silly.
The map is in the room of the Knoxes on the floor. Skip this part
if you want to find it yourself.
Take the fifth path right. Then choose respectively: Straight ahead
until the T-split, turn right, take the first one right, another
right, directly left, right, straight ahead, right and then left.
Stauf will say something silly here, but don’t mind him.
This will take you to the crypt. Solve the puzzle. Edward and Martine
have gotten hold of Tad again. However, Temple come to his rescue,
and knocks out Edward. Martine turns into a snakelike monster. Temple
still thinks everything is an illusion. Tad runs again. Enter the
coffin to return to the kitchen. Leave there and go upstairs.
Note that this is where the scene Julia strangles Hamilton comes in.
The script actually states “After solving the labyrinth puzzle” for
that scene. What is meant by this is vague. The puzzle in Julia’s
room could be seen as a labyrinth, but according to the script, the
carpet should be “a map of the labyrinth”. Sounds like the carpet in
the Knox room was actually intended to be here. I think the scenes
are accidentally messed up because of these inconsistencies in script
and game, but who can say for sure? Anyway you’ve seen it way
earlier, keep in mind that Julia probably killed Temple after he
finds Tad in Julia’s room. Go to the door across from Dutton’s room.
Solve the puzzle on the door, and enter the attic-door.
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The Attic
----------
Go up the stairs. Solve the puzzle. It is the final clue as to where
to bring Tad. You’ll witness a scene of Elinor’s spirit trapped inside
a doll, while Julia takes Tad to the final room. In front of the
mirror we see Ego, turning into Tad. It’s very confusing, but Ego
says that it’s all happening right now.
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Room at the Top
------------------
Stauf betrays Julia and kills her, and then tries to kill Tad. Ego
thinks he now actually is Tad, encourages Tad to fight Stauf. Stauf
turns into a skeleton and is drawn into a pool of fire. Tad thanks
Ego for “saving” him.
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End FAQ
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* Who exactly is Stauf?
Stauf is a man who apparently becomes possessed by demonic forces.
He sees visions that eventually make him a rich man, but the demons
want something in return. Stauf starts taking the children’s souls
for the demons. The final vision of Stauf is a house, that must be
made alive. It probably serves as some sort of piece of hell on
earth, or maybe a portal to hell. It's clear that it's something
Satanic or demonic. Stauf’s name is an anagram of Faust, a man made
a pact with the devil.
* Why did Stauf need Tad?
Tad is the final soul needed to make the house live. After he kills
Tad, Stauf has enough souls to awaken the house.
* Why did Stauf use the guests to capture Tad?
Probably because he couldn’t capture Tad himself. Maybe Stauf was
already too far in the process of becoming a demon himself, which
made him unable to aid the awakening of the house any further. He
needed to corrupt humans, willing to sacrifice an innocent child
for their own personal gain. He predicted the coming of the innocent
Tad to his house, and tricked the guests into thinking that if they
delivered Tad, they would be granted a wish.
* How does Ego relate to Tad?
After the Seven Guests are all dead, their spirits apparently become
trapped in some sort of time paradox, reliving the same night over
and over again. Remember how Martine expresses herself in the gallery?
She says she’s been there before, even though the scene supposedly took
place when she was there the first time. In front of the mirror in the
attic, Ego also realises that he’s “been here before”, “seen all this”,
“over and over again”. In front of Stauf and Tad he realises that he
actually is Tad. Ego is the wandering spirit of Tad, and the scenes
he’s been watching are reconstructions from his own memory and from the
memories of the other six guests. Tad’s soul is probably more free in
this loop because of his innocence. The original script involved the
ending scene two times. The first time it showed, it was supposed to
have Tad and Stauf disappear in the shadows. Ego would run down the
stairs as the house becomes alive, you’ll hear heart beats, see veins
and tentacles and all that sort of things. Many scenes of the ghosts
start replaying and mixing up. Tad and Ego are both heard saying “help
me”. Then the screen turns black and Tad is in front of the mirror
again. The next scene is the ending scene as we know it. The first
ending is the ending of the original night, in which all the guests,
including Tad, were killed.
* So what exactly happens in the 7th Guest with Ego and Tad?
The 7th Guest is the account of the night that Ego (Tad’s spirit)
somehow intervenes the original killing, probably because he finally
solved all the puzzles, and thereby beating Stauf. This probably ends
the time loop the spirits have been in. Ego trained himself in the
puzzlesevery night, and though not consciously remembering the
solutions, he got better in solving them every night.
* What happened to Martine Burden?
There is no death scene for Martine, save for the drowning scene in
the bathroom. It could be that she died there, or according to the
original script, turned into a demonic creature there. Even after the
loop, we know Martine’s spirit is still trapped inside of the house
afterwards, since Carl Denning has an encounter with her in 1993.
Martine’s spirit appears in a very confused and desperate state in
her room. She tries to seduce him for a role in his play, and asks
him to take her out of there.
* What happened to Edward Knox?
Edward Knox is killed by Temple in the crypt scene. In 1993, Carl
Denning encounters Edward in his room. Edward seems less confused
than Martine He states that “they all know” what he’s doing there.
His head then explodes.
* What happened to Brian Dutton?
Brian is killed by Edward in the music room. In 1993, Carl Denning
encounters Brian’s ghost in the library, reading a book by the
fireplace.
* What happened to Julia Heine
Julia is killed by Stauf in the room at the top. In 1993, Carl
Denning witnesses Julia murdering Chuck Lynch in the kitchen,
somebody who fed the house with bodies for some time. Stauf also
appears in this scene, and Julia seems to know exactly what she’s
doing. Apparently, she became Stauf’s right hand.
* What happened to Elinor Knox?
Elinor has no actual death scene in the Seventh Guest, but she is
seen trapped inside a doll. She was never seen after the night.
She doesn’t appear at all in the 11th Hour in 1993. It could be
that her spirit is set free after the loop is broken, because
Elinor wasn’t corrupted by Stauf, but tried to help Tad. It could
also be that she was trapped along with the others.
* What happened to Hamilton Temple?
Temple is killed by Julia Heine. He is not seen in the 11th Hour
in 1993. Just like Elinor, he wasn’t corrupted by Stauf in the end,
but tried to help Tad. Perhaps this set his soul free, but he may
just have been trapped along with the others until the destruction
of the house.
* What becomes of Stauf and his mansion?
Stauf probably became a full demon when the house became alive.
His spirit wasn’t stuck in the loop, since he continued verbally
teasing Ego, the wandering spirit of Tad. After Ego / Tad broke
the loop, Stauf continued to dwell in his piece of hell on earth.
In 1993, he appeared to a few people entering the house. The mansion
is destroyed when a man named Carl Denning enters the house and makes
the right choice in the end. If he resists his most wanted desires in
the end, Stauf's mansion ceases to exist. Up to the destruction, the
house still seems to store events in timeloops, even if the actors
didn't die in the house. In contrast, the spirits that are trapped
there seem to have more freedom than actors in time loops.
