Cruel World 2005

Catherine Anderson, Jaime Pressly, a former star of a reality show called Lover’s Lane, is now married and living with her husband Daniel Sam Page in the house where the show took place. The estate still hides secret rooms and passages, and cameras are perched everywhere, giving the place an unsettling, ever-watchful feel.

Philip Markham, Edward Furlong, a contestant from the show, comes to visit and is immediately off-putting with his odd, lingering reminiscences. He reveals he has sent out applications to colleges across the country for his own reality show, which would take place in Catherine’s house. In a brutal turn of events, Philip murders Catherine and Daniel, turning the home into a crime scene and a trap.

Later, the contestants—four men and five women—arrive and receive a chilling text: “Please Leave Your Cell Phones By The Door.” Philip explains, in a tone that hints at cruelty, that after the first night he will not feed them. They are subjected to a string of increasingly extreme challenges, from locking themselves inside coffins to hunting for a hidden key, each task designed to instill greater fear and strain, testing their nerves and limits.

Initially, the group votes some players off, but as the game spirals they realize something far more sinister is at play and they start trying to escape. If they fail to break free, they are killed either by Philip or his brother Claude—until only Jenny remains, and Claude develops a disturbing crush on her.

After Jenny wins, she is brought back to the house and kept under Claude’s guard. Knowing Claude’s fixation, she begins flirting, telling him she loves him and even kissing him. Claude lets her go, but Philip learns of the escape plan and captures Jenny before she can flee. Jenny’s attempted escape draws the attention of the police; Philip kills one officer and then vanishes, ordering Claude to stay behind. As Philip makes his escape, police flood the house and arrest Claude.

A year later, a reporter and her camera operator try to cover what happened inside the house. They receive the same ominous message, “Please Leave Your Cell Phones By The Door,” and rush to get away. Jenny, walking with a friend toward a monorail, sees a message appear on her phone showing Philip’s image. She looks around, trying to detect him, but a cold hand grips her shoulder as the monorail begins its descent down the mountain.