The film stars Michael Ealy and Meagan Good as a couple who buy a house in the country, only to realize its previous owner (Dennis Quaid) refuses to let it go.

Scott (Michael Ealy) and Annie Howard (Meagan Good) purchase a Napa Valley house called "Foxglove" from its previous owner, Charlie Peck (Dennis Quaid).

Charlie explains his wife, Ellen, passed away from cancer two years earlier and he will soon be moving to Florida to live with his daughter, Cassidy.

The following morning, when Mike and his wife are leaving, he notices a cigarette burn on the seat of his luxury car that wasn't there previously.

Mike uncovers that Charlie had gone into debt and faced legal trouble and therefore was forced to sell the house to Scott and Annie.

Annie then goes upstairs and finds a hidden door behind the linen closet, leading to Charlie's underground cellar, where he has been living the whole time ever since he sold the house.

Meanwhile, Scott is driving home and receives a call back from Cassidy who explains her father, Charlie is a pathological liar and a psychopath who murdered her mother when she threatened a divorce.

[3] It was then announced that the worldwide distribution rights had been acquired by Screen Gems at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, after production had been completed under the title Motivated Seller.

[2] In the United States and Canada, The Intruder was released alongside Long Shot and UglyDolls, and was projected to gross $9–16 million from 2,222 theaters in its opening weekend.

The website's critical consensus reads, "The Intruder might appeal to fans of shout-at-the-screen cinema, but this thriller's ludicrous plot robs it of suspense – and undermines Dennis Quaid's suitably over-the-top performance.