Character Relationship Map: Hellgate

Characters

• Matt (played by Ron Palillo) — protagonist

  College student and Bobby's boyfriend who picks up the spectral hitchhiker Josie, investigates the supernatural events in Hellgate, and ultimately sacrifices his vehicle to kill Lucas to escape with P...

• Josie Carlyle (played by Abigail Wolcott) — supporting

  Ghost of a murdered woman from 1959 who appears as a hitchhiker to lure Matt, seduces him at her father's mansion, and is eventually shot by Pam before wandering the town at the end.

• Chuck (played by Evan J. Klisser) — supporting

  College friend who accompanies the group to Hellgate, is decapitated by Lucas, and later returns as an undead zombie in a Jeep.

• Pam (played by Petrea Curran) — supporting

  College student who investigates the town with Matt, locates a telephone at the police station, shoots Josie with a rifle to save Matt, and successfully escapes Hellgate.

• Bobby (played by Joanne Warde) — supporting

  Matt's girlfriend who recounts the town's legend, investigates the diner, is strangled by Lucas in the saloon, and reanimates as a zombie alongside Chuck.

• Buzz (played by Frank Notaro) — supporting

  1950s biker gang leader whose disappearance is revealed in a newspaper article found by the group in an abandoned car shop.

• Zonk (played by Lance Vaughan) — supporting

  Mechanic working at the local diner who explicitly warns the group against returning to Hellgate.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Matt → Josie Carlyle (Romantic Seduction) — Josie uses apparent romantic attraction to draw Matt deeper into Hellgate's supernatural danger.

  Matt gives Josie a ride, takes her to her father's mansion, and is seduced by her there.

• Matt → Bobby (Romantic Boyfriend) — Matt and Bobby are a couple whose relationship is placed under supernatural threat.

  The plot identifies Matt as Bobby's boyfriend, and they travel with friends to investigate Hellgate.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Zonk → Bobby (Social Warning) — Zonk attempts to deter Bobby from continuing the investigation.

  Zonk attacks the investigating group and warns them against returning to Hellgate, where Bobby later becomes an undead victim.

• Zonk → Pam (Social Warning) — Zonk's warning also directly reaches Pam before the group proceeds.

  Zonk confronts the group, including Pam, and warns them not to return to Hellgate.

• Zonk → Matt (Social Warning) — Zonk acts as a hostile but informative local warning Matt about the town.

  After attacking the group at the abandoned car shop, Zonk warns them against returning to Hellgate.

• Josie Carlyle → Buzz (Conflict Murder Connection) — Buzz is connected to the biker gang responsible for Josie's abduction and death.

  Bobby's account says Josie was kidnapped and brutally murdered by a biker gang, while a newspaper identifies Buzz as that gang's leader.

• Bobby → Josie Carlyle (Narrative Legendteller) — Bobby introduces Josie's history and frames the mystery that drives the investigation.

  Bobby recounts the legend of Josie Carlyle, including her kidnapping, murder, and supernatural return.

• Bobby → Chuck (Alliance Travel Companion) — They cooperate during the group's attempt to retreat from the cemetery.

  Bobby and Chuck return to the car together after the undead attack in the cemetery.

• Pam → Bobby (Alliance Travel Companion) — Pam and Bobby share participation in the group investigation before Bobby is killed.

  Pam travels with Bobby to the diner and later to Hellgate as part of the group investigating the legend.

• Matt → Chuck (Alliance Travel Companion) — Chuck is part of Matt's investigation group before the group is attacked.

  Matt and Chuck travel with Bobby and Pam to Hellgate to investigate the town's supernatural history.

• Pam → Josie Carlyle (Conflict Defender) — Pam directly intervenes to protect Matt from Josie's supernatural manipulation.

  Pam arrives while Josie is seducing Matt and shoots Josie with a rifle, causing her to fall from a window.

• Matt → Pam (Alliance Survival Partner) — Matt and Pam become the surviving partners against Hellgate's undead forces.

  Matt and Pam investigate Hellgate together, seek help at the mansion, flee in Josie's car, and escape the town together.

Story Analysis

A group investigation of a murdered hitchhiker's legend becomes a desperate escape from a town ruled by reanimated dead.

Plot Progression

1. The Hitchhiker's Legend — Bobby introduces the legend of Josie and the crystal that reanimated her. Matt encounters Josie on the road and unknowingly enters the supernatural mystery.
2. Mansion of the Dead — Matt brings Josie to her ruined mansion and survives a frightening encounter with her father. He returns to Bobby and describes what happened.
3. Warnings Ignored — The group discovers evidence about Buzz and receives Zonk's warning. Despite the danger, they drive into Hellgate to investigate Josie's grave and the ghostly town.
4. The Dead Awaken — The group witnesses ghostly performances before the cemetery dead attack. Chuck is killed, and Bobby is strangled and transformed into an undead figure.
5. Flight from Hellgate — Josie again lures Matt while Pam searches for help and intervenes with a rifle. Matt and Pam escape the zombie pursuit after a destructive vehicle crash.