Satan’s Playground

The Bruno family heads into the Pine Barrens with their autistic son Sean, Paula, and her baby Anthony. Their car breaks down in the middle of the forest, stranding them. With Frank going off to seek help, the group must face the unknown alone.

Frank is led to a nearby house where Mrs. Leeds, a palm reader, lives with her mute daughter Judy and her son. She rushes him inside and warns that the Jersey Devil stalks the woods outside. Her warning hints at a dangerous truth about the Leeds family.

Inside the Leeds house, Judy suddenly attacks and murders Frank, revealing the family’s willingness to eliminate outsiders. The act proves the danger is real and not mere superstition. Donna and the others remain unaware as the night grows darker.

Donna leaves the car to search for Frank, pushing deeper into the dark forest. The search strains the group and heightens the sense of danger surrounding the Leeds house. Every step forward feels increasingly perilous.

Sean wanders away from the others and becomes separated in the forest. The search for him intensifies as night begins to fall and the woods feel more menacing. His fate is left uncertain as the tension rises.

Paula initially stays in the car to protect her baby, but she eventually leaves to investigate a nearby police cruiser. She hopes for real help, not legends, but instead finds danger waiting. This decision sets off a dangerous chain of discoveries.

Inside the cruiser, Paula discovers the corpse of a police officer killed by the Jersey Devil. The grisly find confirms that help is tainted and dangerous. Realizing Anthony is missing, she heads toward the Leeds house to search for him.

Paula tracks the Leeds to their house and is swiftly killed by Mrs. Leeds. The assault exposes the Leeds’ ruthlessness and the lethal reach of their household. With Paula dead, the danger to the remaining survivors intensifies.

Sean reaches the Leeds house where he undergoes a palm reading from Mrs. Leeds. After the reading, he’s sent back into the night and appears to be sucked underground by something like quicksand. The scene underscores the woods' strange, supernatural danger.

Donna is assaulted and captured by the Leeds, demonstrating that intruders face brutal consequences. The Leeds hold her as another potential victim and deny escape. The threat inside the house feels inescapable.

Donna negotiates her escape by bribing the Leeds’ son with diazepam, buying herself a slim chance to flee. She slips away from the house and heads toward safety, though danger remains nearby. The encounter reveals the family's unpredictable ruthlessness.

Donna wakes in a hospital bed and is told that the Leeds house has been abandoned for years. The revelation deepens the mystery of what really happened in the woods. She begins to process her survival amid lingering fear.

Donna persuades the police to check out the Leeds house to search for Anthony. The Leeds murder the police officer accompanying her, turning the attempt to rescue into a new nightmare. The pursuit shifts from rescue to escape once again.

Terrified, Donna flees the house and staggers toward safety through the forest. The Jersey Devil finally claims her, ending her desperate struggle to escape. The woods remain a place where myth and danger converge.