didn't understand the plot - a thousand questions HELP

- the relation between the kids and the neo-nazi guy Parker was that he raped Marc and james when they were younger.

-they destroyed the car because it was chasely's moms and they took it without permission. they would have had it back in time for her mom to pick it up, but they spotted red car(mass murderer) and followed him. so they made it appear the car was stolen so they wouldnt get in trouble.

-technically Parker killed Tanya Lee but it was Marc's fault that she was running and got hit by Parker. Marc had said he only wanted to touch her but she freaked.... so she took off and parker slammed into her.

-the acolyte thing was a reference to butterflies because red car was associated with them. but the way it was explained is that its basically like a copy, or wanting to be like someone. marc wasnt trying to be a killer, what happened to Tanya was an accident but because parker hit her and saw marc it was as if marc was going to become like red car. Marc didnt want his friends dead, red car was mad that marc had cmoe after him.

-the flashback scene was just to show what actually happened and who was responsible for it. marc never said he killed tanya lee, just that he wanted to touch her and she freaked. in the beginning of the movie it shows her getting hit by a car, parkers car. if she hadnt been running from marc she probably wouldnt have died.

How could you not understand these points in the film, they were clearly shown...

Maby you should watch it again and actually pay attention.

You know, I got everything the OP asked in the first viewing... but something that I didn't get was what the hell happened to James. I only watched this once and I think Joel Edgerton mentioned that Mark somehow killed James. How? When? Where. Is it even true?

I just finished watching this film and thought it was very good. Kind of surprised it has such a mediocre rating on here.

Anyway, here is my take on the plot in a somewhat chronological order of events:

James and Marc were raped by Parker when they were younger, Parker serves time in prison and is paroled. This all happens before the beginning of the movie, but is implied or spelled out at some point.

Marc attempts to molest Tanya in the woods. She flees and is struck by Parker as he is speeding down the dirt path. It is implied that Parker was probably in the area hunting as we saw him doing in a later scene. Parker sees Tanya in her underwear and sees Marc standing on the edge of the woods. He puts 2 and 2 together and realizes what was happening. It is my theory that Parker and Marc agree to keep what happened between the two of them 1) Marc would obviously not want everyone to know he had tried molesting her and 2) Parker would have probably went back to prison for hitting and killing Tanya. Not to mention, he might have been thinking in his mind it cleaned the slate between he and Marc. Parker and Marc bury Tanya's body in the woods.

Some time after, Ian (Butterfly) is in the same woods burying one of his random victims when he comes across the body of Tanya in a poorly dug grave, indicating it was an amateur murder. Realizing this, Ian is curious to find the killer of Tanya to possibly mentor or have become his "acolyte".

Some time after this, Marc wanders back into the woods, presumably going to check on the grave of Tanya. He stumbles upon Ian burying another one of his random victims. Marc follows Ian out of the woods, making a mental note of the red car he drove with butterfly tire cover. Marc, James and Chase go into the woods and discover a body in the grave dug by Ian.

Once James and Marc discover Ian as the murderer of the unknown girl, James sees it as an opportunity to exact the ultimate revenge on Parker by having him murdered. I think at this point Marc agrees to the plan not as revenge for the rape but in order to eliminate the chance that Parker would ever turn him in for being involved with Tanya's disappearance and death.

They blackmail Ian into murdering Parker but obviously he does not. Instead he holds him at gun point and asks who the kids are that want him dead. That answer is simple for Parker. It is my theory that he explains to Ian that Marc likely wants him dead because of being involved with Tanya's death and subsequent cover up.

This leads to the one part of the plot I didn't understand. Why Parker would kidnap James, Marc and Chase, take them to Ian, let them go and then chase after them and try to murder them. The only thing that makes sense is that this was done by the filmmakers to have Ian witness Marc brutally smashing Parker's head in, further indicating to Ian that Marc is a "serial killer in training".

Anyhow, the kids escape, Ian kidnaps James and uses him to lure Chase to him and thus using Chase to lure in Marc. I think when Ian picks up Marc and has the hitch hiker in the car, he is testing Marc to see if he had what it took to be a serial killer like Ian, or again Ian's "acolyte". When Marc refuses to be part of the rape/murder of the hitch hiker, Ian realizes he has to kill Marc. He dumps the hitch hiker and they proceed to Ian's house for the climax of the film.

From there everything else is pretty self explanatory. Marc confesses to Chase that he was involved with Tanya's death, we find out Ian's wife is his accomplice, etc.