April Fool’s Day

On April 1, 2007, Desiree Cartier hosts a star-studded party at her mansion with a circle of friends, including her brother Blaine, Peter Welling, Barbie Reynolds, Torrance Caldwell, Ryan the videographer, and Milan Hastings. Desiree stages an April Fool’s prank by hoping Blaine will seduce Milan upstairs and be videotaped using Ryan's camera. The plan hints at a playful scheme but foreshadows potentially fatal consequences.

During the prank, Milan suffers a seizure and falls from the balcony to her death. The party erupts in shock as the group scrambles to explain what happened and cover the incident. The affair is later treated as a fatal prank, igniting legal scrutiny and a court case.

The group faces a court appearance over Milan's death. Blaine loses control of the family fortune, which shifts to Desiree, but the group is ultimately found innocent of any murder, with Milan's death deemed a prank rather than a crime.

On April 1, 2008, Desiree, Blaine, Peter, Barbie, Torrance, and Ryan receive anonymous invitations to meet at Milan's grave at noon, with a cryptic note promising proof. The sextet reunites under a cloud of suspicion and old rivalries. The countdown to a new confrontation begins as they return to the site of Milan's death.

A messenger arrives at the grave, delivering a box containing a letter and a laptop. The letter claims that one of the six murdered Milan and warns that everyone will die by midnight unless someone confesses. The laptop contains footage of Charles drowning in his pool, deepening the threat.

The sextet moves from the grave to Charles's pool to corroborate the chilling clue. The evidence raises the stakes as the clock seems to tick toward midnight. Tension mounts as each member contemplates their possible role in Milan's murder.

Barbie is electrocuted in a beauty pageant dressing room, a staged murder that shocks the group and tightens the sense that the killer is among them. The public exposure of the crime heightens fear and paranoia. The line between performance and real danger blurs further.

Peter's campaign truck suddenly accelerates and runs him down in a parking garage. The brutal act seems to be an escalation of the killer's plan. The survivors realize no one is safe and the countdown to midnight intensifies.

Ryan is found with his throat slit in his apartment, a savage escalation that confirms the killer's reach. The group shrinks further into paranoia as more suspects surface. The ticking clock amplifies the fear of impending doom.

Returning home, Desiree and Blaine discover their long-time butler Wilford butchered in the kitchen. The brutal discovery reinforces that this is no ordinary game. The group senses a curse of retribution sweeping through their lives.

Desiree finds Blaine tied to a chair, and Torrance appears with a gun, holding Desiree captive in close proximity. The standoff tightens the noose around the survivors and heightens the sense of a staged conspiracy unraveling. The group watches the drama unfold with escalating dread.

Torrance fatally shoots Blaine in the chest, forcing Desiree to admit she spiked Milan's drink to cover up the actual murder. The confession reframes the supposed killer and lays bare the manipulation under the pretense of revenge. The group adapts to a new, dangerous reality.

The 2008 ‘victims’ surround a still-tied Desiree, revealing they have conspired to prove her cruelty. They admit their plan involved fake deaths, squibs, and disguises to expose her, not to avenge Milan. The revelation collapses the illusion and turns on Desiree as the real target of the scheme.

To illustrate the end of the charade, Torrance pulls the trigger again and this time a real bullet is fired, blowing off the top of Desiree's head. The room falls into shocked silence as the reality sinks in. An inquest is soon set in motion to determine responsibility.

An inquest-probate judge absolves Torrance of guilt in Desiree's death and confirms Blaine as the sole heir to the estate. In the final scene, Blaine drives off in Desiree's red Mercedes with a slow, knowing smirk. The film closes on the implication that Blaine has sealed his victory through manipulation.