Seed 2006

Seed's troubled childhood in Sufferton

Max Seed grows up as a reclusive, antisocial resident of Sufferton, bearing a severe disfigurement from a school bus crash. The incident leaves him isolated and scarred by violence. This childhood trauma foreshadows his later horrific crimes.

First murders and basement imprisonment begin

In 1973, Seed begins torturing and murdering people, filming some victims starving to death in his locked basement. The macabre recordings, and the basement confinement, mark the start of his long killing spree. By the end of this period his tally would creep toward 666.

Siege and arrest

In 1979, Detective Matt Bishop leads a siege that ends with Seed's arrest. The operation costs the lives of five of Bishop's fellow officers, highlighting the danger Seed represents.

Death sentence and island prison

Seed is sentenced to death by electric chair and incarcerated on an island prison. He remains a model inmate until he lashes out by killing three guards who attempt to rape him.

Execution attempt and burial alive

On his execution date, the chair fails after two shocks and Seed survives. To avoid release under a state law, prison staff bury him alive in the cemetery.

Escape and return to the prison

Seed digs out of his grave hours later and returns to the prison. He dispatches the executioner, a doctor, and a warden, then swims back to the mainland.

Discovery of the empty cemetery plot

The following day, Bishop discovers Seed's cemetery plot is empty, confirming that Seed has survived and escaped. The discovery triggers a renewed manhunt and suspicion that Seed is still at large.

Months of killing continue

Over several months Seed continues killing dozens of victims in ways that broaden his reach. A long shot shows him beating a bound woman with a lumberjack's axe for five straight minutes, underscoring his relentless brutality.

Vicious videotape foreshadows attack on Bishop

A videotape showing Bishop's house is mailed to the detective's office, signaling Seed's intent to strike at his family and forcing Bishop to race home. The taunting message confirms Seed's willingness to target loved ones.

Family disappearance and massacre at the home

Bishop arrives to find his wife Sandy and daughter Emily missing. The bathroom holds the dismembered bodies of four officers guarding the house, showing Seed's reach and the danger to Bishop's family.

Confrontation in Seed's old residence basement

Bishop drives to Seed's old residence and is lured into a basement room containing a TV and a video camera; Seed locks him inside, turning the space into a trap. The screen plays footage of Seed taunting him with Sandy and Emily.

The taunting tape and the demand to shoot himself

Emily explains that Seed wants Bishop to shoot himself, while Sandy urges him not to—claiming Seed will kill them anyway. Bishop wrestles with a deadly choice as the pair confront him through the video.

Sandy is killed; Bishop shoots himself

Seed does not relent and kills Sandy with a nail gun. Believing that a self-inflicted shot will force Seed to release Emily, Bishop shoots himself in the head.

Emily's captivity with her father's corpse

Seed takes Emily to the room containing her father's corpse and locks her inside, leaving her to die as the two bodies lie nearby. The tragic moment marks the culmination of Seed's escape and the start of a new chapter in his spree.