Director Rob Savage changed the character Sawyer from a planned boy to a girl purely for practical audition reasons and to emphasize a sisters dynamic between Sadie and Sawyer, creating original female protagonists without altering any established source characters. The narrative follows therapist Will Harper and his daughters as they process grief and trauma, ultimately defeating the creature through light, fire, and family unity in line with traditional horror tropes. Plot and themes stay tightly focused on personal loss, emotional unavailability, and collective resilience with no dialogue or subplots touching systemic oppression, identity politics, or critiques of traditional norms.

One incidental scene features a therapist briefly discussing a young lesbian patient's girlfriend as minor background detail that does not drive the story or monster encounters. This approach keeps the film as straightforward entertainment without injecting activist framing or altering core material for contemporary messaging.