Character Relationship Map: Macabre

Characters

• Jane Baker (played by Bernice Stegers) — protagonist

  Central protagonist who maintains a secret affair with Fred and later obsessively keeps his severed head in her apartment's freezer. After a fatal car crash kills Fred, she moves into a boardinghouse,...

• Robert Duval (played by Stanko Molnar) — protagonist

  Blind son of the boardinghouse owner who manages the building after his mother's death. He becomes suspicious of Jane Baker, discovers her macabre secret involving Fred's severed head, and ultimately...

• Lucy Baker (played by Veronica Zinny) — supporting

  Jane's suspicious teenage daughter who drowns her younger brother Michael in a bathtub. She later visits her mother, inadvertently consumes part of Fred's severed head in soup, and is strangled to dea...

• Fred Kellerman (played by Roberto Posse) — supporting

  Jane's lover who is brutally killed in a car accident. His severed head is preserved by Jane in a freezer, serving as the focal point of her psychological deterioration and the catalyst for the film's...

• Leslie Baker (played by Fernando Pannullo) — supporting

  Jane's estranged husband and father to Lucy and Michael. He visits Jane with Lucy, but dismisses Robert's disturbing revelations about her behavior as mere fantasy.

• Mrs. Duval (played by Elisa Kadigia Bove) — supporting

  The original owner of the boardinghouse where Jane moves. She dies within the first year of the story, leaving the property under Robert's management.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Jane Baker → Mrs. Duval (Professional Landlady And Tenant) — Mrs. Duval owns the boardinghouse where Jane rents an apartment for her trysts with Fred; Jane later moves into the building permanently.

  Jane meets Fred in an apartment she rents in the boardinghouse owned by Mrs. Duval.

• Robert Duval → Mrs. Duval (Family Mother And Son) — After his mother's death, Robert takes over management of her boardinghouse.

  Robert is described as Mrs. Duval's blind adult son, and the boardinghouse is managed by him after she dies.

• Leslie Baker → Lucy Baker (Family Father And Daughter) — Leslie and Lucy visit Jane together; later, Leslie speaks with Robert by phone about Jane, but dismisses Robert's claims.

  Leslie is identified as Lucy's father and arrives with her to visit Jane.

• Jane Baker → Lucy Baker (Family Mother And Daughter) — Their relationship shifts from an awkward reunion to a violent confrontation after Lucy admits to killing Michael.

  Lucy is Jane's adolescent daughter, visits her at the boardinghouse, and later confesses that she murdered Michael. Jane strangles Lucy and submerges...

• Jane Baker → Leslie Baker (Family Estranged Spouses) — Their marriage is strained by Jane's affair and separation; Leslie later visits her with Lucy and dismisses Robert's warning about Jane.

  Leslie is identified as Jane's husband, and a year after the accident Jane has separated from him.

• Jane Baker → Fred Kellerman (Romantic Lovers) — Their secret affair continues until Fred dies in a car crash; Jane later preserves his severed head and remains obsessively attached to him.

  Jane carries on an affair with Fred and meets him for sex in a rented apartment.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Lucy Baker → Fred Kellerman (Conflict Uses His Remains) — Lucy uses part of Fred's remains in the soup served at dinner, provoking Jane's horrified recognition.

  Lucy prepares soup containing an earlobe from Fred's severed head, which Jane finds in her bowl.

• Robert Duval → Lucy Baker (Alliance Protective Intervenor) — Robert becomes involved in Lucy's visits to Jane and tries to protect her during the final confrontation, but Jane pushes him down the stairs.

  Robert lets Lucy into Jane's apartment once, later turns her away, and attempts to run to her defense during Jane's attack.

• Jane Baker → Robert Duval (Conflict Suspicious Neighbor And Adversary) — Robert's suspicion of Jane grows into a struggle for survival after he discovers her secret and she attacks him.

  Robert investigates Jane's apartment, discovers Fred's severed head, and tries to alert Leslie and later the police. Jane attacks him, and he kills he...

Story Analysis

Jane's concealed affair and the deaths surrounding it lead to an escalating crisis in which Robert uncovers her secret and the family tragedy culminates in violence.

Plot Progression

1. An Affair and a Death — Jane secretly meets Fred while Lucy suspects her mother's infidelity. Lucy drowns Michael, and Fred dies in the crash while driving Jane home.
2. The Boardinghouse Secret — A year later, Jane moves into the Duval boardinghouse and keeps an unexplained secret in her apartment. Robert notices her behavior, while Leslie and Lucy make an awkward visit.
3. The Investigation Deepens — Robert investigates Jane's past and searches her apartment, finding clues that intensify his suspicions. On the anniversary of Michael's death, he discovers Fred's severed head.
4. A Family Dinner Turns Violent — Robert's warning to Leslie is dismissed, and Lucy discovers the severed head but denies Robert's account. At dinner, Jane finds part of the head in her soup and Lucy confesses to killing Michael.
5. The Final Struggle — Jane kills Lucy and attacks Robert after pushing him down the stairs. Robert kills Jane, but Fred's severed head attacks him in the final moment.