1985년, 영화 검열관 이니드는 이상하게 익숙한 저예산 공포영화를 본 뒤, 실종된 여동생과 관련된 과거의 미스터리를 해결하는 일에 착수한다. 이는 곧 현실과 허구의 경계를 허물기 시작한다.

Film censor Enid takes pride in her meticulous work, guarding unsuspecting audiences from the deleterious effects of watching the gore-filled decapitations and eye gougings she pores over. Her sense of duty to protect is amplified by guilt over her inability to recall details of the long-ago disappearance of her sister, recently declared dead in absentia. When Enid is assigned to review a disturbing film from the archive that echoes her hazy childhood memories, she begins to unravel how this eerie work might be tied to her past.