Rivals

Plot synopsis:
Divorcée Hazel Show and her teenage daughter Laurie, move to the small, Amish country town of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. One night, Laurie attends the senior prom with yearbook editor, Samantha "Sam" Gardner to take photographs and videotape footage for the school yearbook. There, they meet the beautiful and popular Michelle Lambert whom Laurie is enchanted by. Michelle and her boyfriend Butch Yunkin are thereupon elected Prom King & Queen where the two are awarded a spotlight dance. Afterwards, Butch approaches Laurie claiming Michelle has granted him the liberty of dancing with any girl of his choice--and he chose Laurie. Laurie's reluctant to do so at first, but upon Michelle's reassurance, she uneasily dances with Butch.From that point on, Michelle and Laurie become the best of friends. Later on, Michelle gives Laurie a makeover and shows her off at the Bowl-O-Rama, a local bowling alley. Michelle identifies Laurie's appearance to Butch who casually perceives Laurie's more pulchritudinous than Michelle, which enrages her. Michelle, then accuses Butch of possessing a sexual intent in Laurie, though Laurie tries to convince the disillusioned Michelle her assumption is false.At the community pool, Michelle notices Butch flirting with Laurie and attempts to invoke jealousy in him by making out with a boy named Craig Haber. Butch appears to be irked somewhat, but brushes it off and follows Laurie into the girl's dressing room. Michelle apprehends them and suggests to Laurie she should start a relationship with Butch now that he and she are no longer an item anymore. Laurie approaches Michelle at her home to persuade her into reuniting with Butch, but Michelle emphasizes she has no interest in him anymore, and would rather hang with Craig. She fully asserts to Laurie there's no hard feelings if Laurie does, in fact, decide to date Butch.That evening, Butch phones Laurie feeling suicidal over his breakup with Michelle. Laurie invites him over to her home where she convinces Butch he and Michelle are just going through a hardship and will soon reconcile. The confiding talk brings Laurie and Butch closer to each other. Sam invites Laurie to a party. At the party, Butch expresses in pursuing a relationship with Laurie. Laurie's initially hesitant at first in fear Butch remains in a relationship with Michelle though he promises he isn't. The two share their first kiss which is seen by Michelle's friends who immediately call Michelle to notify her. An irate Michelle suffers a mental breakdown, she flies into a psychopathic rage, ransacking her bedroom before she leaves several messages onto Laurie's answering machine claiming she knows where she is and what she is doing. Meanwhile, Butch leads Laurie into a nearby barn where he attempts to have sexual intercourse with her, though Laurie feels they are going too fast. Butch assumes she just needs some encouragement and forcefully rapes Laurie. Michelle finds them, where she informs Laurie that Butch also raped her the first time they had a sexual encounter together. A panicked Laurie races to her car, crying hysterically. Michelle creates a scene in front of the party goers announcing she is pregnant with Butch's child. The next morning, Laurie informs her mother of the rape, but would rather forget about it instead of pressing charges believing this would infuriate Butch and Michelle who resume their relationship.Michelle begins to suffer from the delusion Laurie is purposefully trying to steal Butch away from her and begins to repeatedly call the Show residence insulting both Hazel and Laurie. Pretty soon, Michelle's terror escalates, she watches the Show home, turns the entire school against Laurie, stalks Laurie in public establishments, and eventually befriends Sam. Sam warns Laurie that Michelle could possibly try to kill her, and to lock her doors and shut her blinds. One evening, Laurie is cornered by Butch and Michelle while walking through a parking lot. When she tries to escape, she is encircled by Sam and Michelle's friends who restrain her while Michelle violently assaults her with such brutality and rage, Michelle's friends, especially Sam are frightened of her. The gang leaves when moments later, the incapacitated Laurie is found near dead, by her date Andrew. After the beating, Michelle's friends, lose all respect for her and refuse to assist Michelle in her harassment campaign. Michelle turns to her only friend Tabitha Buck, revealing to her she experienced a miscarriage on Laurie's part, and the two conspire to murder Laurie before her mother can send her to live with her father.When Laurie is supposed to leave for the airport, Hazel receives an emergency call for work and leaves. Butch drops Michelle and Tabitha off where they gain access to the house and Tabitha chases Laurie up the staircase. Laurie turns around where she runs into Michelle. Michelle and Tabitha bound her with rope before slitting Laurie's throat with a butcher knife. Hazel arrives at work where she is informed she was never called in and realizes she was bamboozled. She races home where she discovers her dying daughter who tells her Michelle killed her before she perishes. Hazel reports the murder to the police, but her accusation isn't enough to charge the murderers. Hazel makes an announcement at Laurie's former high school where she informs anyone who can testify on her behalf that Michelle was the sole murderer of her daughter needs to step forward. Sam reports to Officer Mary Randolph who is the primary investigator of Laurie's case and Michelle, Tabitha, and Butch are subsequently arrested. Michelle is charged with first degree murder and sentenced to life without parole. Tabitha is charged with second degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Butch originally testified against Michelle, but was eventually sentenced ten to twenty years for perjury and convicted of third degree murder. Before the death of Laurie Show there were no anti-stalking laws in Pennsylvania. Hazel Show set out to create such a law--she was successful.

Tags: murder

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