Moonstalker

Moonstalker

Year: 1989

Runtime: 92 mins

Language: English

Director: Michael S. O’Rourke

HorrorThriller

During a frigid winter, a family on a remote camping trip and a team of camp counselors conducting training in the same forest are stalked by a deranged killer. As night falls, members of both groups are murdered one by one, turning the once‑peaceful woods into a nightmare of survival and terror.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline – Moonstalker (1989)

Trace every key event in Moonstalker (1989) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Pop Bromley joins the family camping trip

Harry and Vera invite Denton Pop Bromley to stay the night at their wintry hillside campsite near Reno. Pop arrives with a trailer and the family greets him warmly. What begins as a friendly country night foreshadows a deadly turn.

Evening Rural mountainous campsite outside Reno, Nevada
2

Pop reveals Bernie's troubled past

Pop shares a long, cautionary tale about his son Bernie and the cabin nearby. He claims Bernie fled into the forest and later died in an institution, but the truth is far darker. The story plants a seed of dread that will soon sprout.

Night Pop's trailer by the family campsite
3

Bernie is kept in a straitjacket, occasionally released

Pop explains that Bernie is dangerous and kept largely restrained in a straitjacket. He admits he sometimes lets Bernie loose to stalk tourists, implying a threat that lingers in the shadows. The warning hangs over the camp as guests settle in.

Night Pop's trailer
4

Tracy takes a late-night walk by the river

Tracy wanders along the river under the wintry sky, unaware of the danger nearby. The quiet beauty of the night stands in stark contrast to the violence looming in the woods. Her stroll foreshadows the chaos about to erupt.

Night River near the campsite
5

Bernie murders Harry, Vera, and Mikey

That same night, Bernie slips into the family trailer and murders Harry, Vera, and Mikey with brutal efficiency. The quiet camp is shattered as the family falls victim to a hidden killer. Tracy remains oblivious as the carnage unfolds nearby.

Night Family trailer
6

Tracy finds the massacre and Pop dies

Tracy returns to the trailer and discovers the bodies along with Pop and Bernie. Pop suffers a heart attack while attempting to flee with the microwave and dies amid the horror. The night closes in around Tracy as she processes the carnage.

Night Family trailer
7

Tracy flees into the woods

Terrified, Tracy escapes into the surrounding woods, trying to put distance between herself and the killer. The forest becomes a claustrophobic labyrinth as she fights for her life. The pursuit continues beyond the immediate campsite.

Night Woods surrounding the campsite
8

P.J. is killed and Bernie impersonates him

P. J., another camper, stumbles onto the carnage at the nearby site and is strangled by Bernie with a chain. Bernie then sheds his disguise, dons P. J.'s jeans and hat, and uses P. J.'s Jeep to continue his rampage. The impersonation marks a new phase of the killer's ominous reach.

Night Harry and Vera's campsite
9

Bernie travels to the wilderness camp in disguise

Bernie, driving as P. J., heads toward the wilderness training camp in the stolen Jeep. He spots Tracy on the road and she realizes the driver is Bernie before fleeing in horror. The chase tightens as the killer closes in on a new target arena.

Night Mountain road toward wilderness camp
10

Bernie begins his assault at the wilderness camp

Bernie arrives at the wilderness camp and immediately starts to dispatch members during the initial gathering. The tense camp atmosphere buckles under the weight of his merciless killings. Guests and staff alike are thrown into chaos.

Night Wilderness training camp
11

Jane, Marcie, and Regis fall to Bernie

Bernie kills Jane and her boyfriend in their tent before the rest of the group gathers. He then dismembers Marcie with an axe and fatally wounds Regis by severing his arm and shooting him with his own gun. The violence shifts from random murders to a calculated, personal assault on the camp leadership.

Night Wilderness camp tents and common areas
12

Chet, Vera, and the cabin confrontation

Bernie attacks Chet and Vera in the camp's makeshift showers, scalding Vera and hacking Chet to death. Meanwhile, Ron and Debbie reach Bernie's dilapidated cabin and start a fire to dry off, unsure what dark fate awaits just beyond the flame.

Night Wilderness camp showers and Bernie's cabin
13

Tom Taylor uncovers the gruesome display and dies

Detective Tom Taylor arrives and discovers a macabre display: corpses tied to a swinging board with Sophie struggling on a noose. He makes a valiant effort to save her but is gruesomely impaled by a spear wielded by Bernie. The investigation collapses as the killer remains at large.

Late night Forest near camp
14

Debbie shoots Bernie and dawn arrives

Debbie returns to the camp and shoots Bernie with a shotgun, bringing a violent end to his spree for the moment. Dawn approaches as an ambulance transports Debbie and the gravely injured Tom down the mountain. The survivors face a fragile, uncertain morning.

Dawn Wilderness camp and road
15

Bernie’s last appearance on the road

Moments after the ambulance departs, Bernie is seen driving by in a police vehicle, suggesting the killer may still be on the loose. The mountain road carries the echo of chaos into the new day, leaving the survivors to confront the aftermath.

Dawn Mountainside road

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:18

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Moonstalker Summary

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Moonstalker Summary

Characters, Settings & Themes in Moonstalker

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Moonstalker

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