Secrets of the Magic City

Dishonest mine owner Nicholas Rood finds a Black Doll on his desk and knows that vengeance is about to overtake him for murdering his former partner. He is knifed as he talks to his daughter Marian. She summons her fiancé Nick Halstead, a private detective. He finds that six people had a motive for the murder: Rood's sister Mrs. Laura Leland; her son Rex; Rood's associates Mallison and Walling; Esteban, a servant; and Dr. Giddings. Sheriff Renick and his deputy Red get the clues all mixed up, but Nick finally narrows the search down to one suspect.

One of the members of a sorority is found murdered. Although the police are called in to investigate, fellow sorority girl Mary O'Ryan decides to do some sleuthing on her own to unmask the killer.

A rich but hypochondriac heiress inherits a sanitarium. What she doesn't know is that it is a front for bootleggers, and a hideout for criminals on the run from the law.

A group of travelers find themselves stranded for the night at a deserted train station, which according to the old stationmaster, has been haunted for the last 20 years.

A failed gold heist leaves two siblings and a few of their friends at the mercy of two backwoods brothers hell-bent on getting back what's theirs.

At an ever-accelerating pace, this thriller / dark comedy tells the story of 8 very different groups whose paths cross in the space of 24 hours. We meet a wide range of characters - from spoiled rich brats to real bottom-feeding criminal scum, and everyone in-between. In the best traditions of Commedia dell'arte, the characters each have easily recognizable roles - although there are a few twists to throw the audience off and keep things fresh. The story revolves around a few odd coincidences and a ****load of bad decisions, which all result in a really messed-up Friday. It starts out innocently enough with jokes, fun and a bit of alcohol, but given the level of intellectual capacity in our leading characters, you can see the train wreck coming. And when some drugged out punks - who have a rather tenuous relationship with reality during best of days - go all Clockwork Orange on an opera loving cankerous old man, it can only end up in tears (and blood, guts and bit of rather literal toilet humour as well).