plot
Ever since he was a mere boy, Floridan teenager Jacob "Jake" Portman (Asa Butterfield) had been hearing stories from his grandfather, Abraham "Abe" Abe Portman (Terrence Stamp), about a young Abe battling gruesome monsters and attending a school for unique children headed by the elusive Miss Peregrine. The adolescent resident...more
Ever since he was a mere boy, Floridan teenager Jacob "Jake" Portman (Asa Butterfield) had been hearing stories from his grandfather, Abraham "Abe" Abe Portman (Terrence Stamp), about a young Abe battling gruesome monsters and attending a school for unique children headed by the elusive Miss Peregrine. The adolescent residents of the home, along with their headmistress, each possessed a unique ability known as a peculiarity.
In the present day, Jake works at a local drugstore. A coworker of his, Shelly, agrees to drive him home when Jake's father alerts him that Abe, now believed to be suffering from dementia, is in need of attention. En route, Jake gets a call from his grandfather telling him to avoid coming to his home due to an imminent danger. When they arrive, they discover the house to be completely trashed. Calling his grandfather's name, In the backyard, he finds a flashlight at the foot of a destroyed fence. He ventures beyond the fence, entering a forest where stumbles upon his dying grandfather, without eyes, frantically telling Jake to find "the bird, the loop and September 3, 1943." Shelly follows Jake, and as Jake looks up at her, he sees a gigantic monstrous creature creeping behind Shelly. Shouting, he alerts Shelly, who turns around and begins shooting her pocket pistol into thin air.
After the traumatic encounter, Jake begins visiting a psychiatrist by the name of Dr. Golan (Allison Janney). Jake explains everything that happened that night, and Dr. Golan professes that it is not unnatural for Jake to hallucinate about the horrific creatures from his grandfather's stories as a result of his grief. Jake arrives home, finding a surprise birthday party awaiting them. Conflicted between the joy of his family's cheerfulness and the lamentation of his deceased grandfather, Jake seeks solace in his room. His aunt comes in and hands him a gift, telling him she found it in Abe's home. As she exits, Jake removes the wrapping to find a book. Inside the book, Jake discovers a letter addressing a young Abe. The letter is signed by one by the name of Alma Peregrine.
Believing his grandfather's stories to be real, and having gathered sufficient evidence of the fabled children's school's existence, Jake and his father, Franklin (Chris O'Dowd), travel to the Welsh island of Cairnholm, where the children's home is said to be located. They rent a room in the only hotel on the island, and soon after, Jake asks his father if he can go explore. His father suggests someone go with him, and pays two teenagers to take Jack to the children's home. Jake finds the house totally abandoned and in ruins due to a Nazi bomb. As he explores the building, he stumbles upon the peculiar children from Abe's stories, which lead him into a cave. As Jake exits the cave, he decides to return to his father and heads towards the hotel, where he finds people dressed in oddly outdated clothing. The people in the hotel's pub accuse Jake of being a Nazi spy and attempt to restrain him, only to be interrupted by flying plates and mugs. Jake is rescued by the peculiar bunch he ran into earlier, and he travels with them to Miss Peregrine's home. As they arrive, they are greeted by Miss Peregrine (Eva Green), who explains that they live in a remote home within a time loop. Jake learns that there was another child who lived at the home until he was killed by a monstrous creature known as a Hollowgast, or "Hollow." The Hollows are led by a man named Mr. Barron. Barron, a Wight, is trying to recuperate his controversial experiments again by kidnapping the guardians of peculiar children, Ymbrynes such as Miss Peregrine, from their time loops and consuming the eyes of their children to regain human appearances. At the end of the day, Emma walks Jake to the cave from whence he came just as another Ymbryne, Miss Avocet (Judi Dench), flies into them. Emma, noticing, Miss Avocet's injuries, takes her to the children's home to be nursed back to health.
The following day, Jake returns to the cave only to be followed by a bird watcher (Rupert Everett). The birdwatcher transforms into Jake's psychiatrist, Dr. Golan, and then reveals its true identity to be Mr. Barron. Barron escorts Jake to the children's home, demanding that Miss Peregrine come silently with him. Fearing for the safety of her children, she does as she is ordered, leaving Miss Avocet behind to care for Jake and the peculiar children. The children learn that Hollows will be upon them soon, as Jake had unintentionally compromised the location of the time loop to Mr. Barron, and begin barricading the home. As they arm themselves, Miss Avocet is abducted by an invading Hollow. It is revealed that Hollows are invisible to most folks, but Jake, like his grandfather, has the ability to see them. Emma guides the children to a sunken cruise liner, where they remain and formulate a plan to rescue Miss Peregrine from the clutches of Mr. Barron and his company of Wights. Emma, having drained the shipwreck of its water, raises it to the surface and the children set sail for the nearest time loop—a seaside carnival in Blackpool, England—where Barron is said to be located. As the children enter the loop, they use their respective peculiarities to subdue Barron's numerous Wights and Hollows, while Jake sets out to find and vanquish Barron.
Emma and Enoch find Jake and Barron, who used his acquired abilities to shapeshift into Jake in an attempt to fool the children into killing the real Jake. Barron is ambushed by a hollow,who believes him to be an average child and leaves him dead. As the children finish off the remaining henchmen of Barron, the Ymbrynes and Miss Peregrine are freed. The children bid goodbye to Jake, who promises to find them once again after returning home. As Jake returns to Florida in the present world, he discovers his grandfather alive and well, having reversed the killings of the Hollows by defeating Barron. Jake tells Abe the entire story of his adventure with the peculiar children, and Abe gives Jake the same book gifted to him earlier. Inside, Jake discovers currency and maps from all over the world, of which his grandfather, instructs him to travel through as many international loops as he needs to in order to locate the children and be with them once again. less
