Tension is brewing in Walford once again, as fear, paranoia, and betrayal grip the Slater household in one of the most chilling EastEnders storylines in recent memory. When Zoe returns to the Square, what begins as a family reunion quickly spirals into a psychological nightmare. Strange things start happening, and Zoe becomes convinced that someone is deliberately trying to frighten her. But is she truly being targeted — or is something far darker happening inside her mind?

The chaos begins when Zoe wakes up to a horrifying sight — a broken photograph of her and Kat, smeared with what looks like blood, left on her bed. To her, it’s a clear warning: someone wants her gone. But Kat, ever the fiery matriarch, dismisses the claim. She accuses Zoe of staging the scene herself to manipulate the family into sympathy. “You smashed that photo yourself,” Kat snaps. “And the fake blood — that was a real touch.” But Zoe, shaken to the core, insists she’s telling the truth. “Why would I do that?” she cries. “Someone tried to scare me last night!”

Tensions escalate, and the Slater household descends into chaos. Alfie, trying to keep the peace, attempts to laugh off the incident, suggesting maybe it’s just a Halloween prank gone wrong. But the eerie coincidences don’t stop. A power cut plunges their home into darkness, and in the cold, flickering shadows, suspicion and fear begin to fester.

As morning comes, Alfie rummages through the old storage room, uncovering dusty boxes from the family’s past. Among them, he finds a VHS tape labeled Slaters’ Halloween, 1988. What seems like an innocent relic turns into the key that unravels everything. When Alfie and Kat play the tape, laughter fills the room — until an old, haunting figure appears on the screen. It’s Uncle Harry — Kat’s abuser, and Zoe’s biological father. The mood shifts instantly. Zoe screams for them to turn it off. Panic surges through her as buried trauma resurfaces. “Get it off! Get it off!” she cries. Kat rushes to stop the tape, but the damage is done.

For Zoe, this isn’t coincidence — it’s proof. “I told you someone is out to get me!” she insists, her voice trembling. She’s certain someone deliberately planted that tape to torment her. But the rest of the family isn’t so sure. Kat, torn between guilt and frustration, doesn’t know whether to believe her daughter or fear for her mental state. Alfie tries to calm things down, but the atmosphere is electric with tension.

Meanwhile, Jean and Stacey’s emotional confrontation only adds to the family’s disarray. Stacey’s separation from her eldest and granddaughter has left her raw, and Jean’s words cut deep. “You protect your family, Kat,” Jean says bitterly, “excuse me while I protect mine.” With every harsh exchange, the Slater family fractures a little more.

Outside the chaos, Anthony — Zoe’s old flame — reappears, trying to offer comfort. He’s rational, calm, the voice of reason amid the madness. But his attempt to help only adds another layer of confusion. When he asks if he might be the father of Zoe’s son, she cuts him down with icy certainty. “You ain’t the father of my son, Anthony,” she says flatly. “I was on the pill back then — the dates don’t match.” The awkward conversation ends abruptly, leaving Anthony feeling humiliated and Zoe even more isolated.

But despite her sharp words, Zoe’s fear is real. “I ain’t imagining this,” she says. “This is cruel and nasty. Why would anyone do this to me?” Her desperation grows, and even Anthony starts to wonder if something truly sinister is happening — or if Zoe’s trauma has begun to distort her perception of reality.

Later, Kat and Alfie’s discovery of the Halloween tape becomes the turning point. Kat’s past, long buried, collides with the present as Zoe’s paranoia intensifies. Every creak in the house feels like a threat. Every shadow seems to whisper her name. Is someone really targeting Zoe — or is her mind playing tricks, twisting her deepest fears into terrifying illusions?

Anthony, still trying to help, warns Kat that Zoe might be in the midst of a mental health crisis. “Paranoia, wild accusations, heightened behavior,” he explains. “These are the warning signs of a psychotic break.” Kat refuses to believe it at first. To her, Zoe’s anger is just pain resurfacing — pain from a past neither of them has ever truly healed from. But deep down, she can’t ignore what she’s seeing.

The once-lively Slater home now feels haunted, not by ghosts, but by memories — of betrayal, abuse, and silence. Kat and Zoe’s fragile bond, already strained, teeters on the edge of collapse. When Zoe lashes out, accusing everyone of plotting against her, it becomes clear that something — or someone — is pushing her toward breaking point.

And yet, beneath the paranoia, there’s something hauntingly real. The smashed photo. The fake blood. The tape appearing at the exact wrong moment. Too many coincidences to ignore. Is Zoe right — is someone deliberately tormenting her? Or has the weight of her past finally pushed her too far?

As night falls again over Albert Square, the line between reality and delusion blurs. Zoe’s words echo through the Slater house like a chilling prophecy: “I told you — someone is out to get me.”

But who?

Is it an unseen enemy from the shadows? A ghost from Kat’s past seeking vengeance? Or is the true enemy within — the trauma that’s never been faced, festering until it consumes them all?

Next week on EastEnders, the truth behind Zoe’s breakdown begins to unfold. And when the final piece of the puzzle is revealed, Walford will never be the same again.

Because in the Slater family — secrets don’t stay buried. They rise, clawing their way back into the light, until the whole house comes crashing down.

Prepare for a week of paranoia, heartbreak, and shocking revelations — because in Walford, no one is safe when the past comes knocking.