The Jack in the Box

Opening scene: A man uncovers a buried box and takes it home. The mysterious object unsettles his wife and signs of trouble begin to surface even before its powers are felt.

That night, the box unleashes a monstrous being that kills the man's wife before his eyes. The husband is left powerless as the demon claims the life of the woman.

Years later, Casey, an American, arrives in a British town to rebuild his life after his girlfriend's death. He struggles with guilt over ignoring her final call and tries to start anew.

Casey begins work at the antiques museum and meets Lisa, a colleague who shows him a restricted room with dubious items. He also discovers a rare book and an ancient-looking box that instantly catches his interest.

Casey touches the old box and pulls the lever; the jack-in-the-box reveals a disturbing clown. The moment marks the box as a portal to something malevolent.

Two thieves break in that evening and insult the clown. A monstrous being emerges and kills both intruders, confirming the demonic nature of the artifact.

The next day a museum customer is killed by the demon when Casey is too sleepy to notice. A missing-person poster for the woman who screamed earlier appears on the street.

An expert on ancient objects visits the museum and explains that some artifacts are home to demons. He assesses the box and warns Casey about the legends surrounding such cursed items.

Casey is haunted by memories of his girlfriend and suffers from insomnia. He struggles to distinguish reality from hallucination as the demon preys on his guilt.

Casey tracks down the old owner of the Jack-in-the-box, who was once accused of his wife's murder. Casey learns that the demon was responsible for the death, though no one believed it at the time.

Rachel fires Casey for his strange behavior, and Lisa defends him, but the decision stands. Casey seeks help from Maurice the demonologist, who explains how to seal the demon back into the box and warns him to run. A ghostly reminder of his girlfriend urges him to stay.

Casey returns to the museum and fights the demon, trapping it in the box but leaving a claw outside the lid. The police arrest him for murder, and Lisa testifies in his favor but is not believed. In a final twist, Lisa attempts to bury the box but the demon reemerges and devours her.