Effects (1979)

Plotzle Horror · Puzzle #16 · April 2, 2026 · Thriller / Horror

Six plot descriptions for Effects (1979). One is the real plot. Five are convincing fakes. Read them and guess which is real.

1. Two documentary filmmakers capture footage of a rural exorcism but the possessed woman dies during the ritual and they destroy the tapes to avoid prosecution for their role.
2. Members of a film crew working on a horror production begin to suspect that the murders being filmed are actually real and that they are unknowingly participating in an authentic murder film.
3. A pharmaceutical test subject in Montreal experiences hallucinations that mirror his childhood trauma while the researchers document his deteriorating mental state without intervening or stopping the trial.
4. A sound engineer discovers that certain audio frequencies trigger violent impulses in listeners and she experiments on her abusive ex-boyfriend to confirm her theory about behavioral manipulation.
5. The aftermath of a school shooting reverberates through a small town as the killer's parents receive anonymous threats and their younger daughter isolates herself in their attic.
6. A grief counselor becomes obsessed with a widowed client and begins visiting the cemetery where her husband is buried to leave disturbing tokens that mimic his belongings.