1970
At Redwood Summer Camp, two girls are kissing in a bunk. When Midge says that their supposed to be the responsible ones, Eddie emerges from beneath the covers and hands out condoms. Midge hears keys jingling and peers out briefly, and then Eddie pulls her back and kisses her.
A figure enters the cabin and moves past the sleeping campers. Meanwhile, Midge hears the keys jingling and wonders what it is. Eddie and the other girl, Helen, dismisses it as the wind chimes the campers made earlier. Eddie and Helen undress and continue kissing, and when Midge pulls her sweater over her head, the figure jams a knife through the Eddie and Helen's neck. Midge falls out of the bunk and crawls for the door, and the killer stabs her through the eye and then cuts her ear off along with those of Eddie and Helen. He kills all of the campers, takes their ears, and ho0bbles out.
At an aerobics studio, Xavier Plympton leads a Slimmercise class of exercisers, including Montana Duke, Chet Clancy, Brooke Thompson, and Ray Powell through their paces. Afterward in the shower room, Montana says hi to Brooke and says that she saw him eying Chet during class. Brooke denies it but Montana doesn't believe her and figures that she's a virgin. Out of the showers, Brooke introduces herself and Montana says that she'll be the greatest aerobics competitor of all time.
Montana joins Xavier, Chet, and Ry at the juice bar and hugs Chet. Chet says that there was a murder in Glassell Park a few days ago supposedly responsible for other unsolved murders in L.A. The cops are calling him "The Night Stalker". Brooke starts talking about serial killers, and Montana introduces her to the guys. Chet says that he's a "serious actor", and he's heading out of town to avoid the Night Stalker. He's working as a counsellor at Camp Redwood and suggests that they all come with him. Ray immediately agrees and Chet says that they leave the next day after class. Brooke and Chet agree, and Brooke suggests that Montana should come as well. The girl refuses, saying she's taking college classes, and Chet tells her that she doesn't want to be in summer during the chaos of the Olympics. Brooke tells Montana to call her if she changes her mind and writes her phone number on Montana's hand.
That night, Brooke drives home, eats alone, and then prepares for bed. She looks at a jewelry case full of earrings and rings, then goes to bed. Brooke wakes up in the middle of a night, and a robber grabs her and tells her to point out the jewelry. The robber takes a case from the shelf and asks if that's it, telling Brooke to swear on Satan that it is. He tells Brooke that she's doing to die at the hand of the Night Stalker, and Brooke grabs a pan and hits the Stalker over the head. A neighbor knocks on the door, and the Stalker tells Brooke that Satan will guide him to her later and flees.
The next day Brooke goes up to the camp with others. They offer her a drink and Brooke talks about how the Stalker said he'd come back for her. Montana assures her that he won't find her at Redwood, puts her hand on Brooke's knee, and assures Brooke that she's doing the right thing. Ray says that it'll be a nonstop party and he has enough blow and weed to last them through the summer. Chet complains and Montana explains that he was disqualified from the U.S. Olympic Team because of drug use. He takes off his shirt and shows off his body, and dares Ray to show off his chest. Chet isn't impressed, but takes some blow when Ray offers it. Brooke refuses to take it when Chet offers, and Brooke does.
Xavier pulls the van over at a gas station, and then checks his messages via the payphone. A man says that there's nowhere to run and he knows where Xavier is going. The gas station attendant, Roy, hears them say that they're heading to Redwood, and advises them to go back to the city. He says that they never should have opened it again, but the teens ignore his warning. As they prepare to pull out, Roy says that they're all going to die.
Montana soon realizes that Xavier hasn't been at Redwood before. He takes his eyes off the road and they hit a hiker. Xavier pulls over and they check on the hiker. He says that he can't remember his name and screams when he realizes that his leg is broken. Xavier points out dried blood on the cuts on the hiker's hands, and insists that they didn't hit him. The hiker grabs Brooke's hands and says that he tried, and then passes out.
The teens arrive at Redwood and the owner, Margaret Booth, greets them. She says that they're short-staffed and they're the only counsellors. They show Margaret the hiker and Xavier clams that they found him on the side of the road. The group takes him to the infirmary and the camp nurse, Rita, says that he's severely dehydrated. She figures that he got lost in the woods and panicked, and they're lucky they found him. Rita assures him that she's worked in an ER the rest of the year and the hiker won't die.
Margaret shows the new counsellors around the camp, saying that the lake is allegedly bottomless. She introduces them to Chef Bertie, a camp veteran. Bertie puts them work carrying good, smokes, and says that it's magic. She explains that she was the first to volunteer when she heard Margaret was reopening the camp.
As Margaret takes them around the camp, she makes it clear that that she doesn't want any sexual shenanigans. The owner insists that she's been fighting the Lord's fight against filth for years. After her husband Walter died, she took some of his money to make a camp where children could escape the country's decadence. Margaret tells them to follow the few rules she has.
That night, the counsellors and Rita gather around the campfire. Rita asks if any of them have been camp counselors before, and talks about the murders. Brooke talks about the Night Stalker, and Montana insists that he doesn't know where she is. Rita says that 14 years ago something bad happened that closed the camp. She explains that she's never been a nurse at a camp before and they've never been counselors, and figures that because anyone who knows about Redwood doesn't want to be there. Rita talks about the summer camp massacre in 1970 committed by Benjamin Richter, aka "Mr. Jingles". He found his calling during the Vietnam War, taking ears. Jingles cut off ears from his enemies and strung them around his neck, and the Army gave him a dishonorable discharge. The only job he could get was at Redwood, and one night he snapped and killed ten people.
Margaret steps out of the shadows and says that only nine died, not ten. She reveals her missing ear beneath her hair and tells the group that she was asleep when she heard the sound of Jingles' keys jingling.
1970
Jingles stabs the young Margaret, but she wakes woke up among the bodies. She drifts out of her body to Jesus, and remains motionless when Jingles cuts off her ears.
1984
Margaret testified against Jingles at her trial, but couldn't escape him. She bought the camp to turn all of the dark memories bright. Margaret tells them not to talk about the massacre again and leaves.
The hiker wakes up in the infirmary, gasping. He staggers over to the mirror and looks at the spot where his ear once was beneath his hair.
Later that night, Brooke goes to the infirmary and turns on the light. The bulb blows out, and the hiker steps out and tells Brooke that she shouldn't be there. Brooke tells him that he doesn't look so good and takes him back to bed, and he says that the phone lines are down. When Brooke says that they reopened the camp, the hiker asks where they are. He grabs her arms and says that something terrible is going to happen and they have to get out.
Brooke quickly leaves and goes back to the counselors' cabin. She tells them what happened and how he kept saying something bad would happen. A man, Trevor Kirchner, comes in and jokingly tells them that co-ed fraternizing isn't allowed. He says that he's bet himself that he'll bang Margaret before the end of summer, and says that he's a minor actor. Montana recognizes him from the original Jane Fonda workout video, and Trevor drinks a beer as someone watches from outside. Trevor explains that he was distracting from Fonda because of his loose genitalia, and Montana says that he's a legend.
Later, Trevor goes to the lake when he hears splashing. He walks out on the pier and finds Montana's underwear on the planks. Montana is skinny-dipping, and Trevor undresses and jumps in. He swims to Montana and she talks about how excited watching him in the video was. Trevor submerges and does oral sex on her, and a truck engine starts up on shore. The driver shuts off the headlights, and when Trevor comes up for air Montana says that they should head for shore because a storm is coming.
As the rain starts, Dr. Hopple pulls up at an asylum. Patients are wandering the grounds, and the direct5or Art comes over. He tells Hopple that one of the patients--Jingles--broke out, hitting the master release on the way out. Art assures Hopple that Jingles won't get far.
Three Hours Earlier
An orderly checks on Jingles and finds him hanging by the neck in his cell. Jingles faked his hanging and snaps the orderly's neck, then removes the noose, takes the orderly's keys, and walks out. He pulls the master release opening all of the cell doors and escapes in the confusion.
Now
Hopple enters Jingles' cell and finds a newspaper article about Redwood reopening tucked into the mattress.
At the gas station, Roy is working in the garage when he hears keys jingle. A cat runs by Roy, startling him, and he goes back to work under a car. He hears the jingling again and calls out, and footsteps approach. Jingles knocks the jacks out and the car drops on the attendant, pinning him in place. The killer takes his keys and stomps in Roy's skull.
At their cabin, the counsellors watch the Olympics opening ceremony on the TV. Chet is disappointed that he isn't there, and snaps at Brooke. When Ray objects, Chet throws a beer can at him. Ray asks Rita for help, and Rita tells him that she's off the clock and Ray can find the bandages on his own. Brooke goes after him.
Jingles pulls up to Redwood in Roy's truck. He parks, gets out, and looks at the camp.
Ray is washing the blood off of his palm. Brooke comes up and tries to apologize for Chet, but Ray doesn't believe it. She bandages the wound with a handkerchief and goes to look for some medical supplies. Brooke enters the infirmary cabin and looks for the supplies. When she turns around, she finds the hiker dead, nailed to the door. Brooke sees Jingles outside and runs out, and Jingles chases after her. She runs through the darkness, screaming, and falls in the mud and rain.
Brooke runs into the cabins and tells the others that Jingles is out there. Xavier figures that it's a joke, but Brooke insists that it's real. The men go outside and Trevor shines a flashlight around, but there's nobody out there. They go the infirmary and discover that the hiker's body isn't there. Rita figures that Brooke is tripping, and Xavier figures that he wandered off. Brooke insists that she didn't imagine it, but the others dismiss her as having a contact high. Margaret comes in, startling Brooke, and they say that the hiker was well enough to leave. They go back to their cabin except Brooke, and Margaret tells her to clean herself up.
The rain stops and in her cabin, Brooke hears the pay phone ringing. She wakes up Montana, who jerks awake holding a knife. Montana doesn't care that the phone is ringing and goes back to bed. Montana goes to the pay phone and picks up the receiver. The sound of keys jingling comes over the receiver, and the Stalker watches from the shadows.
Written by Gadfly on Sep 19, 2019