There is battered wife Valerie Barksdale (Hilary Swank), whose philandering, white - trash
husband Donnie (Reeves) believes that the womanly concern Annie shows for Valerie is the start
of an occultist brainwash; the bipolar Buddy Cole (Giovanni Ribisi), whose
death wish ping - pongs between himself and acquaintances; and, eventually, the loved ones
of the missing and
presumed - dead Jessica King (Holmes).