Sweet Sixteen

Jason Longshadow is harassed by racist patrons at a local bar, spurring a physical altercation. The confrontation ends with Jason leaving the bar and the town’s uneasy atmosphere lingering behind him.

15-year-old Melissa Morgan arrives in the town and quickly becomes lost. Jason warns her that she’s in a seedy area and urges her to leave, trying to steer her away from danger. The encounter sets Melissa on a path that will intersect with the town’s dark secrets.

Johnny Franklin offers to take Melissa home after their encounter. He drives her to a rural location and they begin to make out, discovering they’re near an Indian burial ground. Melissa asks to be taken home when the moment becomes uncomfortable.

En route home, Johnny’s truck breaks down and he begins walking to get help. He is stabbed to death by an unseen assailant, leaving Melissa alone and the town darker than before.

Dan Burke, the sheriff and Hank’s father, receives a call about Johnny not coming home. Dan, Hank, and Marci search the area and locate Johnny’s truck; Marci stumbles upon Johnny’s butchered corpse in a pile of underbrush.

At school, Dan obtains permission to question Melissa about the night’s events. Melissa recalls her encounter with Jason, who is coincidentally helping on John’s dig. Dan and John question Jason, who says Melissa’s recollection was innocuous.

Melissa meets Tommy Jackson at school, and they plan to meet behind Earl’s bar. Tommy is stabbed by the unseen assailant, and Melissa is startled by Greyfeather, an elderly Native man, near the bar, causing her to knock over boxes that reveal Tommy’s bloody corpse.

Police arrive and Melissa blames Greyfeather for Tommy’s murder. Dan visits Greyfeather’s home and discovers him hanging; the death is ruled a suicide, but Dan suspects that local bigots may have murdered him.

After Greyfeather’s funeral, Marci confronts Melissa and blames her for his death. Marci soon feels remorse for her harsh words, and the two girls gradually become friends.

John files a police report accusing Jason of stealing knives from the dig, fueling suspicion around him. Dan questions Jason, who is found missing; a blood-stained collection of knives is discovered in a trunk, leading to Jason’s arrest.

Jason escapes from jail and travels to confront Billy and his friend Jimmy about Greyfeather’s death. The confrontation pushes him deeper into the town’s violent undercurrents as tensions rise.

Joanne throws a barbecue for Melissa’s 16th birthday, with Hank and Marci in attendance. Melissa and Hank sneak off to a lake for skinny dipping; Jason stumbles upon them, leading to a fight where Melissa is assaulted by Jimmy and Billy while Hank is knocked out. The unseen assailant then kills Jimmy and Billy.

Marci discovers Jimmy and Billy’s bodies in the woods and finds Joanne in a catatonic state, kneeling over Melissa. Joanne reveals she is actually Tricia, her deceased sister who had suffered abuse, and Tricia murders herself as Melissa awakens to the chaos.

Paramedics and police arrive to recover the bodies as partygoers scatter. Melissa, withdrawn and dazed, enters the Morgans’ house and conceals a bloody knife under her blanket, signaling a chilling turn in her character.