Craig Thompson is a straitlaced, careful man who sets out on a Texas hunting trip with three companions: Jerry, a mysterious relative from New York; Tom Alexander, a witty, nerdy thinker; and Lance, a hedonist who lives for the moment. Their guide, Clyde, accompanies them to a remote cabin, along with Clyde’s daughter, Candy, who sparks a tense, uneasy energy as she and Lance exchange a charged look in the next room. Clyde warns them not to cross onto the property of Billy Ray, a local gangster, and the group settles in, trying to keep tensions in check.
That night, the dynamics deepen: Lance and Candy share a private moment in the shed, while Clyde’s warning lingers in the air. Craig reveals that he intends to marry his girlfriend, and a growing rift surfaces when Jerry hints that Lance might be having an affair with Craig’s girlfriend. Craig, trying to hold the group together, refuses to believe the accusation, even as unease gnaws at the atmosphere and the trip begins to feel less like a routine hunt and more like a test of loyalties.
During a hunt, Craig is horrified to accidentally shoot Clyde. Clyde survives multiple attempts to finish him off, but Jerry becomes convinced that Clyde is turning into a zombie, insisting they must end his life. Craig remains unconvinced and insists they bring Clyde back to town for help. On the road, they are halted by Officer Shipley, who demands to see the tags on their kill. In the ensuing panic, Jerry knocks Shipley unconscious, only to discover Clyde has vanished from the truck. Tom walks off on his own, and the others retreat to the cabin, where the evening takes another turn: Candy seduces Lance in the shed, and Lance—now aware of Candy’s change—tries to escape but is bitten. Jerry urges shooting Lance in the brain, but Craig again refuses and locks Lance in the bathroom, leaving the group divided and frightened.
Desperation grows when Tom calls for help, and Jerry heads out to rescue him from Billy Ray’s gang, who have been humiliating Tom for sport. Tom and Jerry form a fragile bond as they struggle to escape the gang and the increasingly hostile townspeople who have turned as the infected spread. Meanwhile, Lance’s mood shifts: after ingesting cannabis-laced brownies, he becomes unusually mellow and attempts to help Craig work through his feelings of inferiority. Once the drug wears off, Lance reverts to his primal state, and Craig—now more assertive—decides to end the threat by delivering a fatal headshot. Tom and Jerry return to the cabin, but Jerry forgets to refill the truck’s gas tank, complicating their escape.
A tragic turn follows when Jerry accidentally wounds Tom, who is then dragged away by the zombies and killed. The situation seems hopeless until Shipley appears, only to be overwhelmed and eviscerated by the encroaching horde. Craig and Jerry sprint to Shipley’s cruiser, where a zombie Tom pleads with them not to abandon him. In a tense, awkward moment, Craig apologizes to Tom, and Jerry hotwires the car. They flee, striking a deer on the road, and, in the aftermath, Jerry dryly notes that it was a clean kill. With the last of their courage, they realize they’ve survived enough to call the hunting trip a “success”—even as the danger still lingers beyond the headlights.
