[Kids laughing] Trick or treat!
Ok, come on, dad!
Wait for me. Not too fast.
[Laughing]
Hurry up!
Let's go there.
Oh, I see it, yeah.
Have fun, kids. Be careful.
Yeah.
[Giggling]
Come on! Let's go!
Come on.
[Knocking on door]
Both: Trick or treat!
Aah! Aah!
Oh, hi, miss Turner. Oh, hi, miss Turner.
Hi, girls.
Please, come on in.
[Chanting in Latin]
[Chanting continues]
[Chanting in Latin]
Tonight I settle the score.
You're sure about this?
He made the wrong choice.
He chose a life with her over a life with me.
He'll rot in hell.
They all can.
[Chanting continues]
Don't worry.
This won't hurt a bit.
[Chanting continues]
[Crackling]
Aah! Aah!
[Music playing]
♪ La la la la la la la lai lai lai... ♪
[Vocalizing continues]
[Woman laughing]
What a great idea coming up here this weekend.
You know, to just...
Forget everything for a few days and...
Just spend a little bit of quality time together.
Yeah.
We really, really, really needed it.
Mm...
Hmm.
I know it's been tough.
Yeah.
Mmm...
[Knock on door]
Ohh...
Uh, Brian...
Who could it be all the way up here?
Brian, I...
Maybe it's trick-or-treaters.
You know, it is Halloween.
[Knocking] Brian, look... oh...
Heh.
Anita.
Honey, quick, close the door.
Too much nature gives me the creeps.
What are you doing here?
Lisa, darling.
Oh, this place is adorable.
Did you find it all right?
GPS, babe. Is George here yet?
George?
George Clayton?
Yeah, honey. Um...
He called from the car.
He and Kate are coming up together.
They'll be here any... Any minute.
Ok, what's going on here?
Oh, I'll let Lisa explain.
Please, god, tell me you have a bathroom and not an outhouse.
Thank you. Right there.
[Sighs]
I thought we were gonna have a nice quiet weekend together.
I know. Ok, I was concerned.
I thought maybe if I got everybody together, then...
You would just trap me up here with my editor,
[car approaching] Publisher, and agent.
Yeah.
[Sighs]
Hey. Hey.
I brought some candy.
Oh, thank you.
Are we late?
Hi!
Lisa: George. Hi.
[Toilet flushes]
Hi.
What a great place.
All right, let's do this.
Blood thirsty.
Over 5 million copies sold just in the U.S.
11 weeks at number one on the New York times bestseller list.
Translated into 13 languages.
Movie rights snapped up by universal.
I mean, this is an incredible feat
by a writer no one ever heard of before.
But after a year of absolute silence,
millions of readers, not to mention your publisher
and your lovely agent, need to know...
Where's the next book?
Anita. As if he's not under enough pressure already.
We're all under pressure, George.
Isn't your boss wondering when he's going to see a return
on that half-million-dollar advance for the next Robert Collins novel?
Well, of course. But he also understands
that creativity isn't just something that comes out of a faucet
you can turn on and off.
Oh, spare me.
Spoken like a true agent.
Hey, look.
I know it's been a while.
Your deadline for the manuscript was 6 months ago.
Ok.
Maybe he just needed a little time
to get himself back.
You know, rediscover who he is.
Right, honey?
Yeah, that's all wonderful,
but at a certain point,
honey,
you need to get off your ass.
Yeah. I need to get off my ass and crank up that cash machine, right?
That is not what Anita means.
That's exactly what I mean.
I mean, come on.
You remember when you first came to me 6 years ago
with the manuscript for the chosen ones?
You know, that little sweet novel about hope and love.
Didn't I get it published for you?
Didn't I buy one of the 3 paperback copies we sold?
I didn't give up on you then, and more importantly,
you didn't give up on yourself.
I don't know where you came up with this inspiration
to write under a pseudonym, and that was it.
You set the literary world on fire,
and overnight, Robert Collins became the new king of horror.
Anita, you're making it sound like luck.
Darling, don't get me wrong.
I know he's talented.
That's what's so frustrating.
Yeah, I'm frustrated, too.
I can't sleep.
I mean, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night
in a cold sweat.
So, Brian,
what happened?
How did it start?
I...
[Knock on door]
Who else did you invite?
Oh, come on.
It's almost 10:00.
[Knock on door]
[Sneezes]
You guys are acting like kids at summer camp.
Anita...
Anita, no.
Trick or treat. Trick or treat.
[Opens book]
Where did you two come from?
[Sighs]
That was weird.
We're out in the middle of nowhere.
They brought this... Book.
Titled the circle.
You're a funny guy.
[Chuckles]
What?
[Laughs]
Now it's clear why you brought us here.
Happy Halloween, everyone.
The circle
written by Robert Collins.
George: That's fantastic! Ohh!
Oh, it's so great!
Baby... mmm.
When did you have time?
Old Robert's been busy after all, huh?
Oh, Brian, we were so worried.
I don't know where that came from.
I didn't write that.
Well, of course not.
Robert Collins did.
[Laughing]
Look, I'm telling you, I didn't write that.
Lisa: Brian, quit teasing.
"He and his wife escaped to the cabin in the woods
"for a long weekend.
His purpose was simple. He needed to rediscover his muse."
Autobiographical. I like that.
But maybe a... a simple purpose in mind.
George. Maybe that would flow...
[Laughs] Go... go ahead, please.
[Sighs]
"He believed that the tranquility of nature
"would help him,
"but it merely made the silence inside his head
"echo that much louder.
"After a year of days and nights of failure,
"he was visited one evening
by his circle of friends and associates."
I knew you couldn't keep a secret.
I had nothing to do with this.
"They chose all hallows Eve to surprise him
"because it was a special night in the man's life.
"You see, the world of the supernatural
"had been very good to the man,
to all of them, in fact."
Cheers to that.
[Chuckles] Cheers.
"Yet they, in their infinite wisdom,
"were not prepared for what happened to them
on that Halloween night."
Anita, that's enough.
No, we need to stop. Honey...
Shh. Let her finish.
Come on! It's just getting good.
You gotta hear what happens next.
Oh.
I get it.
You all did this.
This is just a stupid prank to get me writing again.
Right?
Huh.
Not me, I swear.
The trick-or-treaters at the door...
That was a very nice touch.
No, Brian.
We didn't do this.
You didn't do this.
Well, then who did this?
Honey, I, uh...
I promise, we didn't.
Uh... wait, wait.
Listen to this.
"Because of their simple beliefs,
"they didn't recognize the power
"that lay in the pages
and in the ink the story was written in."
"But they would soon enough,
"when a suffocating darkness
"settled down around the cabin,
"trapping them inside
and sealing their fate forever."
What the hell?
George, what's up?
Have you seen a flashlight?
Yeah, right there.
It's amazing.
Oh, get back in here.
I can't see a thing.
Nothing.
Please come back inside.
Oh, this is incredible!
Isn't this exactly like the darkness...
[Gasps] [Ripping]
Aah! Aah! George!
[Choking and gasping]
[Growling and screaming]
[Growling] Aah!
George!
Get in here! Are you crazy?!
What in the hell do you think you're doing?!
He's out there! We have to get him!
We have no choice!
What is going on out there?
We have to get him! Just calm down!
What's wrong with you people?!
We can't just stand here!
George! George!
Let go of me!
Where's my phone? Where's my phone?!
There's no reception. There never has been out here.
[Groaning]
[Screaming]
[Moaning]
[Rumbling]
Brian, what the hell is going on?
It's the story.
Everything that is written there is coming to pass.
Story. Right.
Ok, um...
"This is the man's dutiful editor
"would be the first to meet his horrible fate
"that Halloween night
as man's literary creation on its way to life."
[Sobbing] Creation.
It's talking about blood thirsty.
The darkness outside, it's in here.
Are you saying that your novel is coming to life?
It attacks a small town in the middle of Maine,
and if an infection...
Behind you!
[Growling]
Get away from the windows! Get away from the windows!
Ok, ok, the book!
What happens next exactly?
Did you ever read it?
Oh, come on, like anybody reads the whole book!
Once the darkness overtakes you,
you become one with it.
One shared thought, one shared desire,
to quench your thirst... The thirst for blood.
Ok, ok, the blood thirst thing,
they live in the darkness.
The only way to combat it is with light, yeah?
Come on, everybody! It's a damn book!
It's fiction!
Apparently not anymore.
Oh, my god! Oh, my god!
Look, we need to block every way in!
We can't let the darkness in.
We need to get blankets, we need to get towels,
anything to cover up the windows, make sure nothing gets in.
Here.
Kate. Kate!
Answer me!
We can't worry about her right now!
All right, I'll get the guest bedroom.
[All breathing heavily]
Here.
[Sobbing]
All right.
[Screaming]
This is not working!
The towels aren't keeping it out!
Ok, get lights.
We need lights, a lot of them.
Candles, whatever you can find.
Lanterns.
Lamps.
Put it in front of the window.
It'll keep out the darkness.
Kate!
A little help? Come on!
Snap out of it!
It doesn't matter what you do.
The story in that book is coming true.
It's coming true.
Fates have already been decided.
Both: We can't escape our destiny.
Ok, everything Kate just said is written there, word for word.
What the hell is this thing?!
I have no idea.
We have to destroy it.
That might be the worst thing you can do.
We need to burn it.
It's our only chance.
Ok, Kate, why don't we sit down?
Let's rethink this, ok?
No!
Oh, my god.
It doesn't burn.
How... how is that possible?
Brian: What the hell?
Where'd it go?
[Gasps] Look!
Oh, my god.
This isn't happening!
She crashed it.
What?
[Kate gasping]
It's not even warm.
There's not even a scratch on it.
Ok, if you guys are right,
if everything that's happening is in those pages...
Maybe we should find out what happens at the end.
9:45.
What does that mean?
[Kate gasping loudly, collapsing]
She can't breathe! Don't touch her!
She's infected. What?!
She's turning into a blood thirsty.
It's just like in my book.
[Gagging]
[Screaming]
It must have gotten inside of her.
She's turning into one of them.
She's turning into a blood thirsty.
Is there anything we can do to save her?
She went... I wrote that if it gets in
your mouth, in your eyes,
is... that's how the infection spreads.
We're trapped!
[Growling] [Screaming]
[Gasping]
[Growling]
Hey, hey, hey!
[Growling]
Give me the flashlight!
[Growling]
Brian!
Put it in her eyes! It'll disorient her.
[Growling]
Let's get her in the bathroom.
Anita, get a chair.
[Growling]
It's not working!
[Growling]
Brian! Aah!
The light! Guys!
Here!
[Growling]
[Banging]
[All panting]
[Growling, banging]
What's going to happen to Kate?
Eventually, she'll be completely absorbed by the darkness.
That's the nature of it.
It infects you, and then it devours you from within.
So what now?
We need to get out of here!
Can we make it to the car?
No.
We'll never make it to the car.
[Kate growling]
Well, we can't just stay here!
Ok, how big? How big is the darkness?
In the book, it goes for miles and miles,
destroying everything
and killing everyone in its path.
[Glass breaking]
Can those damn things be killed?
Just like anything else.
Guys, we're talking about Kate here.
Look, I'm sorry to break it to you, kiddo,
but that thing in there? That's not Kate anymore.
Fine.
Be my guest.
[Kate growling]
Ok, so what are we going to do?!
Come on, we can't just stay here
until the darkness breaks in
or that thing breaks out!
We just have to survive till daybreak.
The sunlight will destroy it.
I don't think this place is going to last that long.
We have to come up with something different.
Is there anything at all we're overlooking?
Anything at all?
Oh, god, this is all my fault.
Damn right it is. No, it's not, baby.
It's not. It's the book. It's the circle.
I mean, think about it.
In the book, it says that the trick or treaters
were going to be here tonight,
that George was going to be the first one to be killed.
[Kate growling]
The darkness comes to life, so if that's all...
That's it. That's it.
What's it?
Everything that's written comes to pass, right?
Right.
So if I rewrite it...
If I rewrite it, I can...
Change the ending.
Yeah.
Rewrite it?
That's your big plan? Yeah.
That is insane!
God, I can't believe this is how I'm going to end up!
I get killed by some horror novel in a remote corner of Maine!
[Kate growling loudly]
We gotta try.
Yeah, I know.
[Door breaking, Kate growling]
Oh, my god.
Oh...
[Kate growling softly]
[All screaming]
What are we supposed to do now?!
I gotta get that book.
Oh, no.
No, you're not going out there.
I'll be fine.
Got lights in the cabin
that will keep her disoriented
that will give me enough time
to get the book.
[Screaming]
[Gasping]
[Whispering] Ok, if something happens to me...
You do whatever you can to create light.
You burn the furniture.
If you make a fire,
you need to hold out till the sun rises.
Please... please don't go.
Please.
[Whimpering] Brian!
[Indistinct]
Baby, please be careful.
Please...
[Brian grunting]
[Creaking]
[Growling] [Screaming]
[Brian and Kate screaming]
[Whimpering]
[Growling]
[Groaning]
[Screaming]
[Dragging]
Brian?
[Thump]
Brian, is... is that you?
[Thumping]
Brian, can you hear me?
[Footsteps]
Brian?
[Dragging]
[Thud]
[Clang]
[Mouthing words]
[Creaking]
[Breathing heavily]
Anita, we got to get out of here.
Anita...
Aah!
[Grunts]
[Growling]
[Grunting]
[Pounding]
We good, Brian?
[Sobbing]
[Muttering]
How long?
[Whispering] Not long.
No, I need to find a way to protect you from me.
Come on.
Ok. Hurry.
I can feel it.
I'll fight it as long as I can.
[Grunts]
Uhh.
That's good.
It was almost 10 when a knock came on the door.
Anita went to the door...
Hey, the trick or treaters.
Those girls were trick or treaters.
Maybe there's some connection to Halloween here.
Maybe that'll spark an idea.
[Groaning]
I don't know if I can do this.
Hey, hey. Look at me.
Look at me, Brian.
Yes, you can. Ok?
It said in the book you were gonna come here
and find your muse, right?
All you got to do is look inside,
and I promise, baby, I promise you'll find it.
Ok?
Ok.
Ok. Ok. Ok.
[Sniffles]
I got it. I got it.
[Grunting]
This... this...
This pen's not working.
[Grunts]
It's fine.
Dammit!
[Sobbing]
[Gasping]
Wait. Wait, wait, wait.
Anita. When Anita was reading the book to us...
Remember, in the beginning?
It said something about the ink.
Yes.
Let me find it.
Here, here.
"Because of their simple beliefs,
"they didn't recognize the powers that lay in the pages
and on the ink that the story was written in."
What is the ink that the story is written in?
Maybe it's blood.
What?
It's written in blood.
I saw she wrote the curse of life.
She? Who is she, Brian?
Who's doing this to us?
Lisa.
I didn't know how to tell you.
Tell me what?
[Knocking] [Gasps]
[Knock on door]
Somebody's here.
[Knock on door]
Oh, my god. Lisa.
Don't answer the door.
Don't answer the door, Lisa!
[Gasps]
Oh, my god.
It's nice to finally meet you, Lisa.
My name's Robbie.
Robbie Collins.
[Sobbing]
[Grunting]
[Sobbing]
[Grunting] Let her go!
Finally got caught up in your lies, did you, Brian?
What's going on, Brian?
You have no idea who I am, do you?
Let her go.
What'd you think of the circle?
Did you like it?
Like all those other plot twists?
Ahh!
See, I really hope you did like it,
because I did write it just for you.
See, I got sick
of waiting for you to live up to your end of the deal.
So I decided to call on your debt.
Time to destroy the world I built for you.
I'll do whatever you want.
Did you hear that, Lisa?
Brian says he's gonna leave you.
Don't leave me, Brian.
Oh.
You really don't get it, do you?
You think poor little Brian's just a gifted novelist
with a bad case of writer's block.
Writer's block.
He hasn't written a word in years.
What?
Aah!
[Grunting]
No, don't listen to her, Lisa.
One lousy book.
I think they published it as a sleep aid.
[Grunts]
Then he met me.
And I offered him the chance of success
beyond his wildest dreams.
Why?
Because I loved him.
You?
You and Brian?
I know.
You'd think a girl like me could do better, right?
But there was just something about him
that I found so attractive.
Brian, what is she talking about?
Yes, Brian, do tell.
Tell her exactly what I'm talking about.
She tricked me, Lisa.
She used her witchcraft.
I tricked you?
I wrote blood thirsty for him.
I made him into a superstar.
But after all of that,
after everything I gave him,
after everything I did for him,
he still wouldn't leave you
like he promised he would.
Why is that, Brian?
'Cause I love my wife.
Oh.
You love your wife.
Yes.
I felt all his love for you those late nights
when we were finishing up the book.
Don't hurt her.
I think it's a little bit late for that, don't you?
In fact, it might be a little late for you as well.
Aah!
So this... This is your secret?
I'm sorry, Lisa.
I made a mistake.
I tried to escape her and make our lives better.
You take this and you finish the damn book, do you understand me,
and get us out of here.
Aah!
[Both grunting]
[Breathing heavily]
Uhh! Uhh!
[Grunting]
[Groaning]
[Grunting]
[Clanging]
[Rumbling]
[Both grunting]
Uhh!
No.
Uhh!
No! No!
Aah!
No! Aah!
Ohh.
Brian.
Ohh.
"Then everything returned to the way it had been
"at 9:45 that Halloween night.
"Then everything had returned to the way it had been
"at 9:45 that Halloween night.
"And then everything returned to the way it had been.
"And everything returned to the way it had been
"at 9:45 that Halloween night.
"And everything returned to the way it had been at 9:45.
"And everything returned...
"And everything returned to the way it had been
at 9:45 that Halloween night."
[Rumbling]
"And everything returned..."
[Glass shattering]
"And everything returned to the way it had been
at 9:45 that Halloween night."
"And everything returned to the way it had been..."
[Mumbling]
"And everything returned to the way it had been
at 9:45 that Halloween night."
[Rumbling]
Oh, my god.
[Growling]
[Lisa screaming]
[Knocking]
You guys are acting like kids in summer camp.
Brian: Anita. Anita, no.
Robbie: And around and around they went.
Trick or treat. Trick or treat.
In a great big circle,
cursed for eternity to live this Halloween night
over and over again.
I didn't write it.
Uhh!
[Children chanting]