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Timeline

Hoax (2018) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2018 · 83 mins · Indonesian
Echo score 56
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Directed by
Ifa Isfansyah
Starring
Tara Basro, Aulia Sarah, Vino G. Bastian, Jajang C. Noer, Permata Sari Harahap, Landung Simatupang

Following a Ramadan dinner, this provocative film explores the secrets and lies within a seemingly traditional family. It focuses on three siblings—Ragil, Ade, and Raga—as their night unfolds with shocking revelations. Ragil cares for his aging father while hiding a secret relationship. Ade endures a distressing experience while traveling home, and Raga confronts a pregnancy scare complicated by the unexpected arrival of a former girlfriend. The film delves into themes of infidelity, hidden desires, and the fragility of family bonds, questioning conventional values.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (15)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Hoax
  6. 6 Every angle
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15 events in order · contains spoilers

Hoax Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Hoax (2018) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Massacre at the wilderness camp

    Five college students are killed and one, Alex Barnes, goes missing during a brutal attack in the wilderness. The assailant is unknown, and police speculate a bear, but the incident earns the name Mountaineering Massacre. The mystery surrounding the attack haunts the survivors and becomes the catalyst for later plans.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Wilderness camp
  2. Rick Paxton pitches a Bigfoot spin

    Struggling film producer Rick Paxton visits his former employer Roger Brannan to propose turning the Massacre into a Bigfoot based show. Brannan agrees only if Paxton can provide solid proof first. The deal hinges on finding credible evidence of a real creature in the woods.

    When
    Day
    Where
    Roger Brannan's office
  3. Team assembled for the expedition

    Paxton gathers a diverse team to search the woods for evidence, including Danny, Justin, Brigette, Dr. Ellen, Jonesy, Ike, Peter, John Singer, and Cooper, Alex Barnes's father. They move from planning to action with the goal of capturing something definitive. The mood is hopeful but tense as they prepare to enter the forest.

    When
    Day
    Where
    Forest staging area
  4. Trail cam and pheromone lure deployed

    The team sets up a trail camera with bait and adds pheromones to attract animals to the area. They expect anything filmed to be decisive proof of Bigfoot. The atmosphere tightens as the forest seems to hold its breath.

    When
    Day
    Where
    Forest trail
  5. Peter is killed; cave omen appears

    Peter volunteers to check the camera but is killed by an unseen creature. The group discovers a cave with intestines hanging from the ceiling and sees a hairy shape on the camera feed, hinting at a ferocious predator. The encounter escalates the danger the team faces.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Forest cave
  6. Pheromones on Brigette; attack and injury

    Growing irritated by the lack of progress, Paxton secretly adds pheromones to Brigette's coat. She is attacked by the creature and breaks her ankle in the process. The decision to inject more risk into the experiment divides the team and heightens the peril.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Camp
  7. Attack at the helicopter pad

    Jonesy and Ike are ambushed at the helicopter pad. Ike is torn open, and Jonesy is bludgeoned to death, confirming the creature is real and vicious. The loss jolts the team and shows that no one is safe.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Helicopter pad
  8. Evidence mounts: prints and paw marks

    Back at camp, the crew discovers a large footprint that could belong to Bigfoot, along with a bloody paw print left on Brigette during the attack. The physical signs corroborate what the team fears. The forest feels more dangerous than ever.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Camp
  9. SAT Phone destroyed and Jonesy found

    Danny heads to the landing site to recover the SAT Phone, only to find it destroyed and Jonesy dead. He glimpses the creature, panics, and crashes his ATV on the way back to camp. The rescue plan collapses as the team loses another link to the outside world.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Landing site
  10. Tension and a plan to leave

    Danny is injured and treated by Ellen, while Singer asserts they will leave the next day if they can survive the night. Fear and fatigue grip the camp as the night stretches on without clear escape. The group realizes they may have to abandon the expedition to stay alive.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Camp
  11. A deadly escalation and warned return

    That same night, Cooper, Singer and Justin are lured away from the camp while tracking the creature. Singer is killed, and Cooper and Justin rush back to warn the others about the danger they now face. The group is quickly scattered and peril increases.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Woods/Camp
  12. Paxton kills, then flees

    With ammo exhausted, Paxton panics and shoots Brigette when she confronts him, and he wounds Cooper when the latter intervenes. He then flees into the woods, leaving the others to confront whatever remains of the terror. The human threat compounds the supernatural menace.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Camp
  13. Captured in the cabin; the monster reveal

    Ellen and Cooper search for safety and stumble upon a cabin where Charlotte and her two sons hold them prisoner. Luc drags Justin into a shed and clubs him to death. Gage dances with a long-dead corpse that Cooper recognizes as his missing daughter Alex, exposing the cannibal family behind the masks.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Cabin
  14. Ellen escapes and the body count rises

    Ellen manages to break free by scalding Charlotte and knocking her unconscious with a frying pan. She then uses the pan to kill Gage and escapes in a car, running down Luc and triggering a 911 call. Charlotte attacks the car through the window as Ellen fights to escape.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Cabin / Car outside
  15. The real Bigfoot finally appears

    In the woods, Paxton finally comes face to face with the genuine Bigfoot after exhausting his ammunition. The encounter is brutal and unresolved, hinting that the true terror of the forest may far outlast human schemes. The fate of Paxton and the others remains open to the haunting possibility of survival or doom.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Woods

Last updated: October 09, 2025 at 15:55

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Timeline questions answered

Hoax Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Hoax (2018): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Rick Paxton want to turn the Mountaineering Massacre into a Bigfoot TV show?

Rick Paxton is a struggling film producer who sees an opportunity to make money from the mysterious massacre. He pitches the idea to his former employer Roger Brannan, proposing to reframe the attack as a Bigfoot incident rather than a bear attack, believing a monster story would attract more viewers and ratings. Brannan agrees only if Paxton can first produce solid proof that Bigfoot actually exists.

Foreshadowing: The initial pitch establishes that Paxton's motivation is profit over truth, foreshadowing his later moral collapse.

  • rick paxton
  • bigfoot
  • tv show
  • massare
  • roger brannan
  • film producer
Q2

Why does Paxton secretly put pheromones on Brigette's coat?

Growing frustrated with the team's lack of progress in capturing evidence of Bigfoot, Paxton makes a desperate decision to speed things up. He secretly applies additional pheromones to Brigette's coat, hoping the scent will attract the creature directly to her so they can finally get definitive proof. This reckless decision directly leads to Brigette being attacked and injuring her ankle.

Foreshadowing: Paxton's willingness to use his team members as bait shows his escalating desperation and moral compromise.

  • pheromones
  • brigette
  • rick paxton
  • attraction
  • bait
Q3

Who are Charlotte, Luc, and Gage at the cabin?

Charlotte and her two sons Luc and Gage are a family of cannibals who use the cabin as a trap. They masquerade as monster storytellers to misdirect suspicion and lure victims. When Ellen and Cooper stumble upon the cabin seeking safety, they discover the family's true nature, Luc kills Justin in a shed, while Gage reveals he plans to make Ellen his wife. The family killed Alex Barnes earlier, and Gage dances with her corpse.

Foreshadowing: The cabin appears as a safe haven but becomes the film's darkest twist, revealing human evil is more immediate than the creature.

  • charlotte
  • luc
  • gage
  • cannibal
  • cabin
  • family
  • alex barnes
Q4

What happened to Alex Barnes during the original massacre?

Alex Barnes was one of the six college students attacked at the wilderness camp. While five students were killed, Alex went missing and was never found. Her father Cooper joins the expedition specifically to search for her. The film reveals she was captured by Charlotte's cannibal family and held at their cabin, Gage is later seen dancing with her corpse, confirming she died years earlier.

Foreshadowing: Cooper's personal motivation for joining the expedition creates emotional stakes that pay off in the devastating cabin revelation.

  • alex barnes
  • missing
  • cooper
  • father
  • corpse
  • cabin
Q5

Why does Paxton shoot Brigette when she confronts him?

After the creature devastates the camp and Paxton runs out of ammunition, he descends into paranoia. When Brigette confronts him about his reckless decisions that put the team in danger, Paxton panics and shoots her. When Cooper tries to intervene, Paxton shoots him too before fleeing into the woods. This moment marks Paxton's complete moral collapse from ambitious producer to desperate killer.

Foreshadowing: This violent outburst demonstrates how the wilderness and pursuit of profit have corrupted Paxton completely.

  • paxton
  • brigette
  • shoots
  • cooper
  • panic
  • ammunition
Q6

Is the creature that attacks the team actually Bigfoot?

Yes, the creature in the woods is a real Bigfoot. After the team suffers numerous attacks and finds large footprints, Paxton finally comes face to face with the genuine Bigfoot in the woods during the finale. However, the film also reveals that human evil, the cannibal family, poses an equal or greater threat. The creature is real but remains largely mysterious throughout.

Foreshadowing: The early evidence of footprints and hairy shapes builds toward the confirmed but ambiguous final encounter.

  • bigfoot
  • creature
  • real
  • woods
  • attack
  • evidence
  • footprints
Q7

How does Ellen escape from the cannibal family?

Ellen fights back against Charlotte by pouring scalding water on her and knocking her unconscious with a frying pan. She then uses the same pan to kill Gage when he attacks. Ellen escapes in a nearby car, running over Luc as she flees. The car crashes into a tree, activating a 911 system, but Charlotte reappears and attacks through the car window in a final confrontation.

Foreshadowing: Ellen, as the primate specialist, uses her knowledge and courage to survive when others fail.

  • ellen
  • escape
  • cabin
  • charlotte
  • gage
  • luc
  • car
  • frying pan
Q8

What happens to Peter at the cave and what do they find?

Peter volunteers to check the trail camera alone and is killed by an unseen creature attack. When the team investigates, they discover a cave filled with intestines hanging from the ceiling and catch a glimpse of a hairy shape on the camera footage. This confirms a large predator exists in the woods but leaves them with more questions than answers about what they're facing.

Foreshadowing: The cave establishes the creature is predatory and organized, raising stakes before the full assault begins.

  • peter
  • cave
  • killed
  • camera
  • intestines
  • creature
Q9

What happens to Cooper at the cabin?

Cooper is captured along with Ellen at the cabin. While Justin is killed in the shed, Cooper is held hostage by Charlotte and Gage. He witnesses Gage dancing with his daughter's corpse, devastating him emotionally. Ellen eventually breaks free and helps Cooper escape during her violent breakout, though his ultimate fate remains unclear amid the chaos.

Foreshadowing: Cooper's personal tragedy reaches its peak when he discovers what happened to his missing daughter.

  • cooper
  • cabin
  • captured
  • alex
  • daughter
  • corpse
  • gage
Q10

What does Paxton encounter in the woods at the end?

After abandoning his team and shooting his own colleagues, Paxton runs into the woods with no ammunition left. He comes face to face with the genuine Bigfoot, a towering creature that represents the true terror of the wilderness. The encounter is brutal and leaves his fate uncertain, the film ends with this confrontation, suggesting he likely dies but leaving it ambiguously resolved.

Foreshadowing: Paxton finally faces the reality he was chasing, with fatal consequences.

  • paxton
  • bigfoot
  • woods
  • final
  • confrontation
  • creature
  • ending

Movie threads

More Movies Like Hoax, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Hoax tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Family dramas with shocking revelations like Hoax

A single night unravels the hidden lies and tensions within a seemingly normal family. If you liked Hoax, explore other movies that delve into the dark underbelly of family life. These dramatic stories feature tense gatherings, explosive confrontations, and the unraveling of carefully constructed facades, revealing the hidden desires and deceptions that threaten to tear families apart.

  • anxious
  • oppressive
  • confrontational
  • desperate
  • unraveling
  • tense
  • Tone: dark, anxious, confrontational
  • Pacing: fast, tense, dialogue-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative typically centers on a family gathering or reunion that serves as a catalyst for conflict. Through a series of revelations, the characters' true natures and hidden struggles—such as infidelity, financial woes, or secret identities—are exposed. The linear progression builds towards a dramatic climax where the family's bonds are tested to their breaking point, often resulting in a bleak or bittersweet new reality.

Why they belong together: Movies in this thread are grouped by their intense focus on domestic drama, their use of confined settings to amplify tension, and their exploration of themes like hypocrisy, duty versus desire, and the fragility of social appearances. They share a heavy emotional weight and a dark, anxious tone.

Thrillers of deception and primal survival like Hoax

A search for truth becomes a brutal fight for survival against hidden monsters. Find movies similar to Hoax that take you on a harrowing journey from a simple goal to a brutal fight for survival. These films are characterized by high tension, graphic violence, and a dark twist where the antagonists are revealed to be monstrous humans, often exploiting the protagonists' vulnerability.

  • harrowing
  • brutal
  • sinister
  • desperate
  • primal fear
  • tense
  • Tone: dark, harrowing, sinister
  • Pacing: fast, relentless, panic-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The journey begins with a straightforward, often misguided objective that leads the characters into a dangerous situation. A major twist recontextualizes the threat, shifting it from an external or mythical danger to a deeply human evil. The plot then accelerates into a fast-paced survival horror, with graphic violence and psychological torment, culminating in a bleak ending where hope is extinguished.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their high intensity, fast pacing, and consistently dark tone. They share a narrative structure of a devastating reveal and a descent into chaos, focusing on themes of betrayal, primal fear, and the cruelty humans are capable of inflicting upon one another.

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Movies Like Hoax

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Every angle

Hoax (2018) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

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