Death Screams 1982

Murder at the riverfront

In the riverfront area, Ted and Angie are brutally killed while having sex, and their bodies are later dumped into the water. The act of violence sets a chilling tone for the town and signals that a killer is at large.

Bob and Kathy return home and plan the carnival

Bob and Kathy, both young college students, come home for summer vacation and decide to attend the traveling carnival on its last night. The plan brings together the group who will converge on the carnival and set the film's social dynamics in motion. Their choice to join the carnival promises a night of danger and thrills.

Lily senses she’s being followed and goes to the carnival with Agnes

Lily, a local grocery clerk, feels she is being followed as she walks home. She and her grandmother Agnes then attend the carnival together, drawing Lily more deeply into the night's plans. The scene introduces Lily as a central figure in the ensuing events.

Neil makes romantic moves and Sara vandalizes his car

Neil Marshall, the town coach, makes overt romantic advances toward Lily at the carnival. His ex-girlfriend Sara witnesses this and responds by covering his car with shaving cream in a fit of anger. Her actions foreshadow a violent confrontation to come.

Sara is murdered at the carousel

Shortly after, Sara is shot with an arrow and stumbles toward an abandoned carousel. An assailant suffocates her with a plastic bag, leaving the killer's identity still unknown. The murder marks the first clear escalation of the killer's activity.

Lily drops Bob and Kathy home and plans to meet them at the river

At nightfall, Lily drops Bob and Kathy at their homes and agrees to meet them later at the river bonfire. The arrangement deepens the bond among the weekend group and sets up the night's central gathering. The river bonfire will be the scene of further peril.

Ramona and Avery confrontations and Casey’s disappearance rumor

Ramona goes to Neil's house to seek him out, but he rebuffs her advances. Sheriff Avery, meanwhile, faces tension at home when his wife calls to report that their son Casey has run away. The personal grief and town tensions foreshadow a volatile night.

Noises in the attic and the garage discovery

Neil prepares to leave for the bonfire but hears noises in the attic above his garage. Avery arrives and discovers the garage smeared in blood, then a corpse falls from the rafters. The killer is already inside the town and closing in on the living.

Bonfire by the river; Ted and Angie’s corpses drift toward Sandy

At the bonfire, Sandy swims and laughs with the others as Ramona and Tom kiss nearby. The corpses of Ted and Angie drift into Sandy’s path, and she is murdered when her throat is slashed by the killer. The crowd remains unaware of the killer's proximity.

The group visits the cemetery as rain approaches

Bob, Kathy, Lily, and Ramona decide to visit the local cemetery after the bonfire, with the forest path offering a terrifically tense backdrop. A sudden rainstorm breaks out, forcing them to seek shelter and heightening the sense of danger. The eerie mood deepens as they move deeper into the night.

Diddle's death and the abandoned house ominousness

Seeking shelter from the rain, the group breaks into a nearby abandoned house. Diddle ventures outside toward the outhouse and is found hanged, a gruesome discovery that foreshadows the killer's reach. The tension among the survivors swells as fear takes hold.

Walker is decapitated and Sheila killed; Tom finds severed heads

Walker dies violently as he returns to his truck, his head severed by the killer. Sheila follows and is slain shortly afterward. Tom discovers severed heads and is then made a target himself in the cemetery.

The killer is revealed to be Neil; Lily fights back

Neil is revealed as the killer and bursts into the attic to attack Lily. She fights him off and slashes his throat with a shard of broken glass, buying a momentary victory. Sheriff Avery arrives and shoots Neil, ending his threat for the moment.