Bloody Minded

The story starts at a summer camp in 1985, where Michelle, a camp counselor, is attacked by The Man, a harpoon wielding maniac. She barely survives. We next see Michelle in hospital. She’s despondent, reeling from the traumatic event. She’s only able to relax once a doctor hooks her up to the Cerex 2.0 and the memory of the attack is extracted. In the present day, Zoe is confronted by class president Amy after sabotaging a school dance. Amy asks her, ‘Why do you want everyone to hate you?’ During their argument, Zoe is attacked by a cloaked Figure wielding a knife. The two girls manage to escape, but Amy is injured in the process. In the days that follow, Zoe is haunted by terrifying flashbacks. The most disturbing part is that she can’t see the Figure’s face, even after the school Janitor is arrested for the attack. Martha, the school 'weirdo', shows Zoe the Cerex 2.0, a machine created in the 80s to help victims of trauma. Martha tells Zoe she can extract the memory of the attack. Zoe undergoes the procedure, and, while reliving the attack in the 3rd person, she discovers the Figure isn’t the Janitor. In an attempt to prevent the extraction, Zoe saves Amy before she’s injured. As a result, she unwittingly breaks the memory. Zoe and Amy find themselves stranded in Zoe’s memories, being pursued by the Figure. They form an unlikely alliance, working together to discover the Figure’s identity, which they hope will fix the damaged memory and complete the extraction. This is where Amy’s knowledge of all things Kindle High really comes into play. Their investigation forces Zoe to confront her awful behaviour, as well as her past. After her sister died, Zoe pushed people away because she didn’t want anyone replacing her best friend. She made everyone hate her in order to hold on to the past. Zoe is able to escape her memories after discovering Martha is the Figure. But once she wakes up, she has no recollection of what transpired and is once again attacked, this time by… Amy. It’s revealed that Amy is the daughter of a junkie and was raised in poverty. Martha is her childhood friend, and bought the Cerex 2.0 in order to help Amy forget her troubled past. But Amy used the machine so much that she forgot her entire history, including Martha. The procedures also turned her violent and irrational, and, on the night of the dance, Martha was actually trying to save Zoe from Amy. In the dramatic climax, Martha attempts to reverse the process and reinstall Amy’s memories. Worried for Amy’s life, Zoe tries to stop Martha. But The Machine explodes and all the memories trapped inside are set free. They find a new home inside Zoe’s head. The experience changes Zoe; she’s able to move on from the past and make new friends. However, it’s not a happy ending as, in the final scene, Zoe relives Michelle's traumatic encounter with The Man.