- Ryan suspects a news anchor of murder, but the man has a solid alibi that makes it nearly impossible to prove he is the culprit.
- A "machete murderer" stalks the city. Ryan gets a glimpse of his face, and swears that the killer is famed newscaster Winston Knight. However, Winston has an ironclad alibi for the time of the murders: he was on live TV receiving calls from the killer. Ryan, Micki, and Jack must figure out how Winston is in two places at first, and what antique he is using to do so.—Gislef
- The television anchor Winston Knight uses an ancient camera to take a picture of himself and develops the photography in a dark room. A doppelganger of Winston appears, receives some instructions, and leaves Winston. Ryan and his girlfriend Cathy Steiner are in a date, and Ryan leaves her at her apartment. He sees Winston's doppelganger killing a woman in the alley and recognizes Winston the serial-killer "The Machete Murderer". Ryan calls the police, but Detective Duncan does not trust him since Winston Knight was presenting the news at the television in the moment of the killing. Ryan goes with Cathy to visit Winston, and the Machete Murderer kills Cathy. Jack finds that Lewis sold the camera to KKHN Tv Station and Winston worked at KKHN. They also learn that if Winston does not destroy the negative in less than five hours to destroy the doppelganger, he will be destroyed. Now they want to retrieve the cursed camera.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- At his home, news anchor Winston Knight play a VHS tape of himself doing a newscast. He checks his wristwatch and then takes an antique camera out of its case. Winston takes a photo of himself, then takes the negative to his darkroom and develops it. A doppelganger of Winston climbs out of the chemical pan, and Winston gives it clothes and instructions on what to do, along with a phone number to Winston's direct line. Winston tells the doppelganger to control him at precisely 11:28, has it put on rubber gloves, and says that it has to project the "right image". Before the doppelganger goes, Winston gives it a machete.
Ryan and his new girlfriend, Cathy Steiner, get their photos taken at a booth.
At the studio, Winston's assistant Marlene asks him if he thinks the caller will call again that night. Winston claims that he doesn't know, and seats himself in his chair.
Ryan and Cathy get hot dogs from a street vendor, and the doppelganger walks down the street nearby, following a woman. It closes in on her and she recognizes him, and is assured. The doppelganger leads her down a nearby alleyway.
At Cathy's apartment, Cathy thanks Ryan for a lovely time. He asks if he can come in, but Cathy tells him the next time. Cathy gives him one of the photos, kisses him, and goes inside.
The woman, Eleanor, says that she can't believe the person the doppelganger looks like, Winston, is walking her home. The doppelganger takes out the machete and Eleanor, seeing it, runs.
Ryan is walking home and sees the doppelganger grabbing Eleanor and killing her. He comes over, yelling, and the doppelganger comes at him. Ryan uses a box to block the machete swing, and Ryan gets a look at the doppelganger's face before it runs off.
The doppelganger goes to a phone booth and calls Winston's direct line. Winston is on the air, talking about the machete killer. The phone comes in and police officers record it. The doppelganger tells Winston to check the alleyway for Eleanor's body, then hangs up before the police can trace the call. He smears blood on a nearby display window where TVs are showing Winston's show, and Winston says that if there's anything he or his studio can do to find the machete killer, they're glad to help.
After 'PM News' ends, stage manager Phil Benedetto comes over to Winston and says that he's looking forward to the ratings. He points out that Winston's career was going downhill before the machete killer starting killing him, and Phil comments that they couldn't have done better if they planned the killer's spree themselves. Winston steps off stage and burns the negative, which destroys the doppelganger.
Back at Cathy's place, Ryan calls in Detective Duncan and tells him what happened. Ryan is sure of the time because he looked at his watch when he talked to Cathy. Duncan notes that the station has confirmed Winston was on the air, and the killer called Winston at 11:28. The detective suggests that Ryan misidentified Winston, and dismisses Ryan as crazy. Ryan convinces Duncan to call Winston at home and asks him if the killer said he looks like him.
Duncan calls Winston and explains why he's calling, and says that they have an eyewitness. Winston probes for Ryan's name, and Duncan gives it to him off the record. Duncan asks if the killer said anything that indicates he looks like Winston, and Winston says that the killer didn't. The detective thanks Ryan for his help, and Ryan figures Duncan doesn't believe him.
Once Duncan leaves, Ryan gets Winston's phone number from the pad Duncan wrote it on. He apologizes to Cathy for dragging her into the mess, and she asks him to call her later. Going to Curious Goods, Ryan wakes Micki and Jack up and tells them what happened. He insists the killer was Winston, but Micki says that she watched the news and the killer called Winston when he was on camera. She suggests the killer was wearing a Winston mask, and Jack says that he didn't see Winston's name in the manifest. Micki goes back to bed and Ryan goes to his room, and Jack considers Ryan's suggestion about an antique being involved.
Ryan can't sleep and finally turns on the TV to the news. Winston is doing a broadcast about Eleanor's death and says that several witnesses have identified the killer as Ryan. A hand emerges from the TV screen and grabs Ryan's neck... and Ryan wakes up from his nightmare.
The next day, Ryan tells Micki that Jack has been gone all day. Ryan is wearing a suit, and tells Micki he's going to see Winston. He is meeting Winston at the latter's place at 5, along with Cathy. Ryan admits that Cathy is crazy about him.
In his darkroom, Winston makes another doppelganger and dresses it. He tells it that it looks fine, and Ryan arrives early. Winston has the doppelganger hide in the darkroom, then lets Ryan and Cathy in. The news anchor tells Ryan that they belong to a select club of people that have dealt with the killer directly. Winston suggests that they work together and Ryan help him catch the killer. Ryan stares at Winston and says that the news anchor looks just like the killer. Winston talks about how the killings have taken a toll on him, and says that because of Ryan he's beginning to understand the killer has an obsession with his television image. He suggests the killer might be using makeup or plastic surgery to look like him, and that he's clever enough to fool the police.
Winston says that he has a deadline and asks if they can meet later. Ryan agrees and leaves with Cathy. Outside, Ryan says that he's sure the killer was Winston. Cathy has some shopping to do and goes off on her own after kissing Ryan. After Ryan leaves, Cathy realizes that she left her purse in Winston's house. As she goes back, she sees Winston through the window, telling the doppelganger that he doesn't want any more witnesses. The doppelganger asks why Winston must always destroy it, and Winston says that it's either him or it.
Winston turns and sees Cathy, and Cathy runs in terror. The news anchor finds Cathy's purse and gets her address from her driver's license, and sends the doppelganger there along with Cathy's door keys. Cathy goes to a phone booth to call the police, and the doppelganger finds her. The woman hails a taxi and leaves, and the doppelganger heads to her apartment.
In the studio, Winston is doing a newscast. Micki is watching it with Ryan at the shop, and Ryan says that Winston was everything he seems to be on TV. He got a creepy vibe from Winston. Jack comes in and says that he checked on the manifest and made a list of things that could make a copy of someone. He came up with a camera, sold to someone named "Con". Jack points out that he eventually figured out it's "KKHN", the call letters of a TV station. The trio go to the station to investigate further.
Cathy takes the taxi home and goes inside using the keys under the doormat. She calls Ryan at the shop but gets no answer because he's left with Micki and Jack. Cathy leaves a message on the answering machine, saying that there are two Winstons and one had a machete. She repeats what the doppelganger said about Winston always destroying it.
The doppelganger breaks in and turns on the TV, showing Winston on the news. It reveals that it has her door keys, tosses them away, and takes out its machete. Cathy ducks into the next room, closing the door shutters, and the doppelganger hacks through them and kills Cathy.
When the trio return to the shop, Ryan plays Cathy's message. They've discovered that Winston was employed at KKHN when Lewis sold the camera. Ryan goes to Cathy's house, and Jack goes with him. The police are there securing the crime scene, and Ryan sees Cathy's body. Duncan offers his condolences to Cathy, and says that he'll need a statement from Ryan.
Outside, Ryan blames himself for taking Cathy along and figures Winston is the killer. Jack warns him that Winston has a perfect alibi and was on the air at the time of the murder, and they're on their own. They drive off as the police take Cathy's body away.
Back at the shop, Jack tells Ryan that they have to get the camera and the negative. Micki offers her condolences to Ryan, and Ryan vows to get Winston and runs out.
Winston leaves the studio and starts to burn the negative. Ryan grabs up and accuses him of killing Cathy, and Winston drops the undestroyed negative. When Ryan repeats what Cathy said on the answering machine tape and says that he has it, Winston denies everything and threatens to call security. Ryan grabs the negative and drives off, and Winston realizes that the five hours he has until the doppelganger becomes "real" is running out.
Ryan takes the negative to the shop, and Jack has done some research into the use of images in the occult. He figures that the doppelganger only has a limited life of five hours, and if it's not destroyed then it becomes "real" and Winston dies. If the doppelganger lives too long, Winston dies. Ryan figures that he holds Winston's life in his hands.
The doppelganger tells itself that it wants to live, and walks off.
Micki tells Ryan that he has to destroy the negative, and Jack says that they can hold it to blackmail Winston into giving them the camera. Ryan refuses to give it to Jack, saying that he's going to send Winston to Hell with Lewis. Jack warns the camera could go on to someone else's hands and the killings could go on, and Ryan tells Jack to call Winston.
Later, Jack meets with Winston at Winston's house. Jack says that he didn't bring the negative with him, and his associates will destroy it when he comes back with the camera. Winston knocks Jack out and takes a photo of him with the camera, ties Jack up, and makes a doppelganger of him. He gives the camera to the doppelganger, along with instructions to get the negative, destroy it, and then destroy Ryan and Micki. Once the Jack doppelganger leaves, Winston warns Jack that he wouldn't get a warm welcome because "he" is going to confess on live television that he's the machete killer. The news anchor says that he'll let the Jack doppelganger live long enough to confess to the murder, then destroy the negative and kill it. Once Winston gags Jack, he goes to get the Jack doppelganger's confession live.
After checking his wristwatch, Winston calls Phil and asks him to bring a crew to meet him at the shop so they can capture machete killer. Meanwhile, the Winston doppelganger watches and listens from the window. Once Winston leaves, the doppelganger secretly follows him.
Jack works at his bonds.
At the shop, Ryan worries that Winston is going to get away with murder. The Jack doppelganger comes in with the camera, and asks where the negative is. Ryan says that they don't have to destroy the negative, but the doppelganger insists that he wants the negative. While Ryan goes to get it, the doppelganger rips the phone cord out.
Winston and the camera crew arrive outside the shop, and Winston tells Phil that the killer is going to come out the shop's front door in a few minutes. Phil wants to call the cops, but Winston tells him not to spoil the biggest story of their careers.
The doppelganger follows Ryan as he goes to get the negative from hiding. Suspecting the doppelganger's odd behavior, he mentions that it's a good thing that it didn't break the camera. The doppelganger is unaware that the antiques can't be broken and doesn't comment on Ryan's remark, and Ryan kicks it back. Micki arrives and Ryan tells her that "Jack" is a doppelganger.
The Jack doppelganger grabs the negative and draws its machete. The Winston doppelganger comes in and tells the Jack doppelganger to give him the negative.
Winston leads the film crew to the shop and begins broadcasting.
The two doppelgangers fight with their machetes. The Winston doppelganger cuts off the Jack doppelganger's left hand, and green goo pours out instead of blood. A few seconds later, the Winston doppelganger kills the other doppelganger with a blow to the chest. Ryan grabs the negative from the Jack doppelganger's severed hand, and the Winston doppelganger grabs Micki, holds the machete to her neck, and tells Ryan to give it the doppelganger.
Ryan secretly grabs a knife from a worktable, then offers the negative to the doppelganger. When he's close enough, he stabs the doppelganger in the chest, grabs Micki, and takes her out. The doppelganger staggers out after them, and Winston tells the camera crew to stop filming. Phil has them keep broadcasting, and Winston goes over to get the negative.
The doppelganger crumples the negative and Winston disappears. Blood gushes out of the doppelganger's chest wound as it becomes real, and it dies for real as well. The film crew capture it all on tape.
Later, Jack escapes and returns to the shop. Micki makes sure Ryan gets to bed, and tells Jack that Ryan is really depressed. Jack figures that Lewis told Winston about the curse, and supposes the doppelganger would have used the camera to create mindless killers just like Winston did. Ryan comes down and says that they're the ones who are curse, because everyone who gets close to them dies. Micki says that Winston killed Cathy and the others, not Ryan, and thanks to Ryan there won't be any more victims. Jack says that there would be consequences if they didn't fight evil. Micki and Jack go to make supper, and Ryan looks at the photo that is all he has left of Cathy.
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