Star Time

Henry Pinkle, a Los Angeles outcast, is consumed by television. He becomes suicidal after his favorite sitcom The Robertson Family is canceled. The opening scene sets his sense of despair into motion as he contemplates jumping from a bridge.

On the bridge, Sam Bones talks Henry out of suicide and offers a path that seems to promise something greater. The intervention hints at an unusual partnership rather than simple consolation. The moment marks the first step in Henry's descent into a new 'destiny'.

Sam inexplicably appears in Henry's living room and claims he will no longer be alone. He swears he can make Henry a star and constructs a new sense of purpose. This marks the true shift from isolation to celebrity-obsessed delusion.

Sam takes Henry to a television studio lot where a faceless woman on a screen instructs him to follow his 'destiny'. The sense of show business mystique intensifies Henry's fixation. The moment embeds the belief that television will grant him power and fame.

Sam outfits Henry with a plastic baby doll mask and a hatchet and sends him to a suburban residence to begin his 'debut'. The prop transformation signals a descent into performative violence. Henry's mission is framed as a path to sainthood through killing.

Henry breaks into the homeowner's house intending to murder, but becomes transfixed by the television instead of completing the act. Sam hints that killing will grant him sainthood if he returns and follows through. Henry ultimately kills the homeowner with the hatchet, beginning a city-wide spree.

Over the following month, a series of fifteen hatchet murders plague Los Angeles. Wendy, Henry's social worker, begins to suspect something is wrong as the deaths mount. Henry's large persona and Sam's influence drive the killings from behind the scenes.

Wendy realizes Henry is still alive and tries to locate his mysterious 'manager' Sam. She discovers that the address Henry gives does not exist and begins to question whether Sam is real or a product of Henry's mind. The investigation escalates as Sam's grip tightens on Henry.

Wendy learns that her sister Julie has been murdered in her own apartment. The revelation underscores the real danger of Henry's delusional alliance with Sam. Wendy's concern shifts from curiosity to urgent danger.

Wendy is locked inside the apartment as Henry confronts Sam. She breaks through to the next-door unit and discovers that the neighbors are also murdered. Sam arrives and attempts to strangle Wendy, a catalyst for Henry's ultimate choice.

Henry leads Wendy to the roof to confront Sam. When Wendy declares that Sam isn't real, Henry dons the baby-face mask again and lunges at her with the hatchet. The moment ends with Henry leaping from the building.

Paramedics arrive to find Henry barely alive. Wendy returns to his apartment, which is plastered with delusional imagery, including a poster resembling Sam's house. On the television, a live broadcast shows Henry's last moments as he utters 'I'm on TV' before dying.

Wendy observes how Henry's apartment is filled with images that reflect his delusions, including a house poster that resembles Sam's. The space hints that his 'destiny' was a constructed fantasy rather than reality. The film closes with the sense that Henry's fame-seeking fantasy ended in tragedy.