Owen Matthews finds himself at Westlake Preparatory Academy, where his journey takes an intriguing turn on his very first night when his roommate, Tom](/actor/jared-padalecki), invites him to sneak out with a group of fellow students. As they gather, they engage in a suspenseful game called Cry Wolf, assigning roles where one student is named the "wolf," while the others race against time to uncover their identity. The group—comprising Graham, Mercedes, Lewis, Randall, Regina, Dodger, and Owen himself—thrill in the adrenaline of the unreliable storytelling.
After meeting the enigmatic journalism teacher, Mr. Walker, during lunch, the conversation shifts towards the grim discovery of a girl's body named Becky, reportedly dragged through the woods by a wolf. The specter of murder hangs in the air as they speculate about the possible killer. The atmosphere grows even tense when Dodger suggests taking things a step further by spreading the rumor of a serial killer haunting their school. Owen, ever the instigator, proposes a cunning scheme to send out a fake email that describes an eerie killer wearing a bright orange ski mask, a camouflage jacket, and wielding a hunting knife. That very night, they follow through and dispatch the unsettling email.
Come the next day, chaos ensues as the fabricated narrative sweeps through the school like wildfire. Suddenly, Owen receives an ominous message from someone identified only as "Wolf". Not to be outdone, he and Tom suspect Dodger—who, incidentally, denies involvement by saying she was studying with Regina. Things escalate when they discover their dorm room ransacked and strange evidence like blood and a stud found on Owen's laptop, prompting Tom to blame Regina again, based on a supposed recipe for faux blood. Regina's defense, however, indicates she was away on a field trip.
Fueled by suspicion, Owen confronts Dodger, who claims she was only visiting her mother. Frustrated and unable to locate Randall for answers, Owen seeks out Dodger again, only to stumble upon her sharing an intimate moment with Mr. Walker. During journalism class, a shocking twist occurs when a hunting knife clatters from Owen's bag, landing him in hot water with the Headmistress, albeit somewhat protected by Mr. Walker from revealing the knife's origins—an exchange laced with tension due to their secret affair.
The Halloween night transforms into a real-life horror when "Wolf" leaps into action against Owen. Mistaking an attempt by Tom for a prank, Owen’s fear escalates as the true menace looms closer, revealing itself as Mercedes trying to illustrate that attackers can wear different faces. The morning after, Owen and Mercedes face the Headmistress, who declares that Owen's fate will be decided over the weekend as the rest of their tightly-knit group is commanded to stay at the academy.
In a desperate attempt, Owen gathers Tom, Dodger, Lewis, and Regina in the chapel to unravel the mystery behind the increasing attacks. Just as the discussion heats up, chaos strikes—Mercedes is assaulted in the bathroom by the seemingly omnipresent Wolf while Owen finds himself helpless to call for aid. When the group discovers Randall's lifeless body in a confessional, panic ensues. Owen races to the parking lot and notices Mr. Walker still on the grounds.
The plot thickens when Owen receives a call from Dodger, who is distraught after discovering Mercedes’s corpse. In a gut-wrenching twist, she reveals she can see him from outside, leading him to witness the horrifying murder where Wolf dispatches her. Suddenly, Mr. Walker enters the room, clad in a jacket not unlike the described killer, and in a moment of visceral panic, Owen shoots him.
However, a devastating revelation unfolds when Owen is arrested for murder; it was never meant to be serious. The group unveils that it was all part of an elaborate prank to get back at Owen and Mercedes for their earlier antics. It comes to light that Mr. Walker was entangled with Becky, the stolen gun in his desk proven to be the weapon that slayed her. In a chilling confrontation, Dodger visits Owen in custody, confessing that she orchestrated the entire debacle out of jealousy concerning Mr. Walker's romantic entanglement with Becky. “I’d never have played the game if I knew he was cheating on me,” she coldly states, revealing her malevolent intent to frame Owen for her crimes. Owen, horrified, realizes no one would take his claims seriously against Dodger's manipulation.
