The film opens in a garage, with an unconscious teenage girl having her head wrapped in duct tape and her legs chained to the back of two cars.

The cars are about to take different turns at the end of the driveway when the woman notices the victim, but before she can warn the man, he drives off.

Outside the house, Jessie is greeted by Detective Jim Crenshaw (Keith David), who tells her to forward the chain letter to him.

As the film ends, Detective Crenshaw is shown shackled to a table while the killer makes chains nearby.

On November 8, 2009 it was announced that New Films International had bought rights to distribute Chain Letter worldwide, with the intention of developing it into a potential franchise.

[6] It would become one of several horror films at the time that would under-perform at the box office,[6] grossing $138,788 in the United States on its opening day, averaging $342 in 406 theaters.

[9] Mike Hale from The New York Times panned the film stating, "Chain Letter is bad in depressing and irritating ways, from the incoherent story to the unimaginative brutality of the killings to the especially cynical, sequel-baiting ending".

Shaffer felt the film "could have been a pretty effective little chiller", but ended up being bland, and failed attempt to cash in on the Scream knock-off trend; with well-executed gore effects undermined by poor pacing, direction, editing, and a plot stocked with one-dimensional characters and cheap scares.