A thunderstorm filled, rainy night in the small town of Fairwater. A woman called Patricia Bradley (Dee Wallace) is been chased by a mysterious entity around the old-looking house in which she lives with her mother (Julianna Mcarthy). Patricia is screaming and fearing for her life. Her mother appears from her bedroom with a pump action shotgun and shoots the mysterious figure as it's shape appears through the carpet at the top of the stairs.
Some of the residents of Fairwater are gathering for a funeral in the community as the local newspaper editor Magda Rees Jones (Elizabeth Hawthorne) and her assistant are reporting the story of another seemingly innocent death amongst the residents. Psychic investigator Frank Bannister (Michael J.Fox) arrives at the funeral trying desperately to advertise his services. As he leaves in his wrecked and dirty looking Volkswagen, his reckless driving causes him to nearly hit an on-coming truck.
As he swerves to miss it, he crashes straight through a garden fence. Ray Lynskey (Peter Dobson) comes out of his house infuriated and threatens to sue him for the damages. Frank gives him his business card and drives off after deliberately driving over one of Ray's garden gnomes. On the other side of town Ray's wife Doctor Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado), visits the Bradley house to treat Patricia's cuts.
She bandages her hand and tells her that she needs to take her to hospital but her mother refuses. She tells her that she never leaves the house and to just give her some anti-biotics.
Lucy notices how timid and fragile Patricia is and as she gets ready to leave, she notices some bruising around her neck. Patricia's mother rushes Lucy out of the house and tells her that her daughter is not to be trusted. She was involved in cold-blooded murder.
Becoming intrigued by Patricia's history, Lucy watches a documentary about the notorious serial killer Johnny Bartlett (Jake Busey). "In the space of 27 blood-soaked minutes, 12 innocent people gunned down by hospitial orderly John Charles Bartlett. Patients, medical staff, visitors, no one was spared in this madman's ramage through Fairwater Sanitarium.
Not even the hospital chapel provided sanctuary, as those in prayer were gunned down on their knees. A seemingly senseless crimeBartlett's motive remains a mystery to this day. Six years earlier Charles Starkweather had murdered 11 people in a Nebraska killing spree".
The black and white footage shows the horrific scenes at the hospital of the victims and the families. As well as the footage of Bartlett been escorted to court by the police boasting about his disgusting act. "Fifteen year-old Patricia Ann Bradley, daughter of the hospital administrator, was also implicated in the killings. She was madly in love with the psychopath Bartlett.2,200 volts of electricity ended the life of Johnny Bartlett, the unrepented killer.
As they threw the switch he was heard to scream: I got me a score of twelve. Beat that! In what some consider a miscarriage of justice, Patricia Ann Bradley was sentenced to life imprisonment although it was never proven that she actively participated in the killings. Five years ago, Patricia Bradley was granted a conditional release by the State Governor. Today she lives a reclusive life back in the family home"....
Ray gets sick of listening to it and switches off the TV. He joins Lucy on the bed. He tells her that he's booked a romantic meal at the Excalibur themed restaurant for their wedding anniversary. He starts to kiss her , but he sees Frank's card that he's positive he tore up and the bed starts rocking and shaking with Lucy on it. It hovers up in the air as the couple panic. Objects start flying everywhere in the kitchen.
Lucy calls Frank and he arrives to rid the house of the supernatural. Instead of charging the couple, he offers to do it in return for not having to pay for the damaged fence.
Ray reluctantly agrees and Frank uses his "equipment" to capture the spooks and pours them down the sink.
As he is packing his stuff up, he is shocked to see a glowing number 37 on Ray's forehead. Lucy cannot see this and Ray kicks Frank out of the house.
Frank arrives at his home to his half-built house that he hasn't finished working on. As he gets out of is car, a spirit exits the trunk, a young, 1950's nerd called Stuart (Jim Fyfe), followed by a 1970's, afro-haired ghost called Cyrus (Chi Mcbride).
The ghosts are Frank's associates who help him con the local residents by haunting their homes, so that Frank can step in and reap the rewards. While Stuart is just about to join them in the house, Frank closes the door and he gets stuck because his ectoplasm has become too stiff.
Frank asks them if they had anything to do with the glowing number appearing on Ray's head but the spirits don't know what he's talking about. Cyrus helps pull Stuart through the door. The pair of them moan about Frank not giving them enough respect. The next morning, Frank is having a shower and Cyrus pops his head up through the plughole and tells him that he and Stuart want a business meeting in the kitchen.
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