Don’t Go Near the Park 1979

Petranella's Curse Is Cast

In ancient times, Petranella curses the caveman siblings Tra and Gar. The curse binds them to pursue youth by devouring entrails, and immortality hinges on a 12,000-year cycle that ends only when one sibling conceives a child to perform a virgin sacrifice.

Siblings Haunt 1965 LA Park

Millennia later, Tra and Gar survive by stalking young people in a Los Angeles park and consuming their entrails to drink in life force. The hunt continues as the 12,000-year cycle runs its course toward an inevitable end. The park serves as their ongoing feeding ground.

Gar Takes the Alias Mark and Marries

Gar schemes to conceive a child to preserve the curse and uses the name Mark. He rents a room in Bondi's mother's home and soon marries her, solidifying a lineage that will bear Bondi. The plan quietly advances toward the eventual birth of Bondi.

Bondi Is Born and Raised

Mark, revealed to be Gar in disguise, fathers Bondi through his marriage to Bondi's mother. Bondi grows up under the shadow of the family’s dark history, unaware of the ancient pact that governs her fate. The household carries a secret rooted in Petranella's curse.

Bondi's 16th Birthday and the Amulet

On Bondi's 16th birthday, Mark gifts her an ancient amulet from his mother. During the celebratory moment, Bondi's mother leaves the house, abandoning the family for reasons not fully explained. The amulet becomes a pivotal link to the curse's power.

Bondi Flees and Survives a Brutal Attempt

Bondi runs away and hitches a ride with three adult male hippies who attempt to gang-rape her. The amulet glows, signaling a dangerous power; the van loses control and crashes into a rural bridge, bursting into flames. Bondi survives the crash and escapes.

Bondi Finds the Abandoned House

Bondi wanders into an abandoned house near the park, where Tra—who now calls herself Patty—lives in seclusion. Bondi remains unaware that Patty is her aunt and that the two are linked by a long, deadly family legacy. Patty disguises herself, maintaining a veneer of harmlessness.

Nick and Cowboy Enter Patty's World

Nick, an eight-year-old boy under Patty's care, perceives her as a grandmother figure. Cowboy, another runaway, also resides there. Bondi is frightened at first, but Nick and Cowboy reassure her that Patty is not a threat.

Taft Warns Nick About the Park

Taft, a local writer and historian, befriends Nick and reveals the dark history of the park and its centuries of deaths. He cautions Nick about venturing near the place where the danger lies. The warning plants a seed of fear in Nick's mind.

Patty's Nighttime Kill in the Park

Late at night, Nick sees Patty enter the park wearing a mask and witnesses her strangling, disemboweling, and cannibalizing a victim. When she removes the mask, her youthful appearance has supposedly returned. Spooked, Nick flees to inform Bondi and Cowboy, only to find their home empty.

Cave Ritual and Petranella Possession

Bondi is drugged and awakens in a cave with Cowboy. Her father Mark tries to force her into a ritual, but Patty intervenes. A fire erupts in the cave as Bondi swallows the amulet, allowing Petranella to possess her and reanimate the corpses of Patty and Mark's victims to kill them.

Escape with Taft's Help

Petranella's spirit leaves Bondi, and Bondi, Cowboy, and Nick escape through tunnels with Taft's guidance. They spend the night at Taft's home and return to Patty's house the next day, only to learn it is being demolished. The trio seeks safety away from the ruined lair of the curse.