Caved In: Prehistoric Terror

Miners deep inside a Swiss salt mine unearth a swarm of giant prehistoric rhinoceros beetles. The creatures waste no time, attacking with brutal efficiency and wiping the miners out in moments. The discovery serves as a stark reminder that the past lurks beneath the earth.

John Palmer, a steady-eyed cave tour guide, is approached by Vincent and Sophie with a plan that sounds almost too daring to trust. They intend to lead a small expedition into the same salt mine to search for emeralds. It’s clear the trio is driven by crime rather than curiosity.

John agrees to the dangerous mission and brings his family—Samantha, Emily, and Miles—along, with Stephan staying behind at a cabin nearby. The plan risks everything for a chance at emeralds and the lure of a quick fortune. The already fragile situation grows more personal and volatile.

Inside the labyrinthine tunnels, Ion slips away for a cigarette, provoking Marcel into a heated altercation. Marcel shoves Ion over a ledge, and a beetle seizes the moment to strike Ion down. The disaster hints at the cruelty that will follow.

Miles finds a hidden entrance deeper inside the mine and slips in alone to scout ahead. His solo trek raises the stakes for the rest of the expedition as danger closes in from unexpected corridors.

Samantha notices Miles is missing and launches a frantic search from the surface. She sends Emily and Stephan to help comb the tunnels, escalating the risk as tensions simmer among the group.

Back in the heart of the mine, John tries to steer the group toward the exit, but Marcel asserts control. Stephan watches over Samantha and Emily, and Samantha lands a quick strike to knock Stephan out, buying a momentary calm, before the danger returns.

The beetles strike with ruthless efficiency, catching the group off guard. Carlo falls to the swarm as the survivors scramble to fend off the onslaught with improvised defenses.

A cave-in cracks the ground above and sends a flood of beetles toward the surface cabin where Samantha and Emily have been coordinating. The attack threatens the entire rescue and survival plan as conditions deteriorate.

Samantha and Emily attempt to reach the surface with a pistol for protection, but Stephan intercepts them again and knocks them unconscious. The women briefly lose contact with John and Miles, heightening the peril.

In the deeper tunnels, John, Sophie, and Miles are joined by Hanz, who holds off beetles with grit as the group presses toward an exit. The tense stand-off underscores the fragile chance of escape.

Marcel fatally shoots Hanz in a cruel moment as the pursuit tightens. The beetles answer with brutal reprisal, tearing Marcel apart and removing the immediate threat from the group, but at a terrible cost.

The queen beetle looms at the last gate, guarding the final route out as the survivors brace for the ultimate test of nerve. The barrier tests their resolve and stamina at the threshold of daylight.

A cry from Emily triggers a signal that draws the queen’s attention away from the cabin. John, Miles, and Sophie set charges to collapse the mine and sprint toward daylight as the cavern erupts behind them, sealing their pursuers’ fate.

The survivors emerge into the open air with a hard-won sense of relief as Sophia shares the emeralds with the group, giving John his portion as the reunited family steps away from the mine. The darkness recedes, but the memory of treachery and peril lingers.