A live television broadcast in 1977 goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation's living rooms.
October 31, 1977. Johnny Carson rival Jack Delroy hosts a syndicated talk show 'Night Owls' that has long been a trusted companion to insomniacs around the country. A year after the tragic death of Jack's wife, ratings have plummeted. Desperate to turn his fortunes around, Jack plans a Halloween special like no other, unaware he is about to unleash evil into the living rooms of America.—Image Nation
With his ratings plummeting, late-night talk show host Jack Delroy desperately needs a boost. After all, he's been chasing Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) for too long. So, to put his Night Owls back on the map, Jack comes up with an occult-themed 1977 Halloween special featuring a medium, a professional sceptic, a parapsychologist, and a satanic cult survivor. But some forces are beyond human comprehension. And as hair-raising incidents keep the audience on edge and viewers guessing, America is in for a nasty surprise for sweeps week--the night Jack televised evil.—Nick Riganas
In 1971, in Chicago, Jack Delroy is the host of the late-night talk show "Night Owls". His marriage with the former theater actress Madeleine "Minnie" Piper is an example of a successful marriage and commented by the media. In 1972, Jack signs a five-year contract with the owner of the television, Walker Bedford, and intends to be the number one in the ratings, beating Johnny Carson show. He also joins the notorious and exclusive club "The Groove", where careers are made or destroyed. However, soon Minnie learns that has a terminal lung cancer and dies. In the Halloween of the 1977, Jack Delroy hosts a special show, interviewing the medium Christou; the skeptical magician Carmichael Haig; and the parapsychologist June Ross-Mitchell, who has just released a book about the demoniac possession of her protégé Lilly D'Abo. Lilly was the only survivor of a cult and claims that the demon "Mr. Wriggles" lives in her body. June tries to stop her presentation, but Jack convinces her to conjure Mr. Wriggles to the audience. From this moment on, strange supernatural things happen in the studio.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The film's prologue is framed as a documentary investigating an unexplained event that occurred on October 31, 1977 during the live broadcast of the sixth season episode of Night Owls with Jack Delroy, a successful variety late-night talk show that competes for ratings with The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Through his television connections, Night Owls host Jack Delroy makes regular visits to "The Grove", an elite California camp for rich and powerful men. Sometime later, his wife Madeleine contracts terminal lung cancer despite being a non-smoker and dies, her death having a major effect on Jack as Night Owls halts its production. Jack ultimately returns but the show does not attain the same level of success. Even before she died, an episode featuring Madeleine telling her cancer story doesn't boost ratings to match Carson's. In order to recover his rating, Jack decides to do a special occultism-themed episode on Halloween night at the show's Manhattan studio. The rest of the film comprises salvaged footage from the episode along with behind-the-scenes additions.
Special guests for the show's episode include psychic Christou, skeptical former magician Carmichael the Conjurer, parapsychologist author June Ross-Mitchell, June's subject Lilly D'Abo, and musician Cleo James. During the broadcast, Christou is exposed for giving cold readings until he suddenly experiences a real premonition about someone named "Minnie" and is left shaken. During the commercial breaks, Night Owls producer Leo Fiske stresses Jack over the show's sudden success. Christou begs to leave the show as he doesn't feel well, but Leo tells him to suck it up and stay for the ratings.
Jack brings out Carmichael, who insists that Christou is a phony, but Jack supports him after pointing out that "Minnie" was the nickname he gave Madeleine. As Christou argues with Carmichael, he becomes sick, projectile vomits a black liquid, and is rushed to the hospital during another commercial break. In the subsequent segment, June introduces Lilly, the sole survivor of a mass suicide committed by a Satanic church that worshipped Abraxas. Carmichael is in disbelief over June's claims that Lilly is connected to a demon she dubs "Mr. Wriggles." Despite June's insistence on possible consequences, Jack convinces her to conjure the demon. During another commercial break, the crew informs Jack that Christou has died en route to Mount Sinai Hospital due to internal hemorrhaging. Jack's sidekick Gus McConnell finds this out and begs Jack to stop as these events are disturbing the man of faith. Leo and Jack both shut him down, saying this episode will save the show and everyone's jobs.
During June's conjuring, Lilly becomes possessed by Mr. Wriggles, causes the electricity to go haywire, and levitates in her chair. In her possessed state, Lilly reveals that June and Jack are sleeping together and makes an oblique reference to having met Jack before "under the tall trees." Carmichael challenges June by having Gus take part in a hypnotism demonstration that causes everyone in the studio to see worms coming out of and ravaging Gus, including Gus himself. When the production team rewinds the footage, it proves that Carmichael's demonstration was merely a hallucination experienced by everyone in the studio. However, the supernatural phenomena that occurred during June's conjuring appears unaltered in the recorded playback. Jack is horrified when he notices an apparition of a spiritual Madeleine standing behind him in the footage. Carmichael angrily accuses Jack of orchestrating the events as an elaborate hoax. While the pair are fighting, Lilly starts to shake and June calls for help. No one moves to help the girl, and she quickly becomes possessed again. With no restraints, Lilly stands up and a bolt of lighting from the ceiling above connects to her left hand as a bolt from the nearby monitor connects to her right. Her head splits open down the middle and begins to glow. One by one, she twists Gus' head around, hangs June by her necklace until her neck is slashed open, and burns Carmichael's body, killing them all via telekinesis. The audience flees from the studio and Leo pulls Jack toward the exit.
Jack is suddenly transported to a nightmarish version of the show. He relives moments in the past before it is revealed that he has a connection to the demon possessing Lilly, having encountered it during a ceremony at The Grove. It is also revealed that Jack was indirectly responsible for Madeleine contracting cancer, the price for Night Owls' sudden fame. Madeleine's spirit confronts Jack and she begs him to put her out of her misery as the cancer is causing too much pain. He initially refuses but wants to help his sick wife. Using the ritualistic dagger from Lilly's old cult, he stabs it into Madeleine's body. Suddenly, the scene shifts to the now-empty studio, with a horrified Jack revealed to have stabbed Lilly. Jack stands over the bodies of his dead guests and repeats the phrase "Dreamer here, awake", as police sirens slowly get louder in the distance.
