It Waits

In a remote national forest, five archaeology students explore a cave linked to an ancient Native American legend. They blast their way in to gain entrance and uncover prehistoric drawings and bones scattered across the cave floor. A demon emerges from the shadows and slaughters them all.

Two months have passed since the cave incident. Ranger Danielle 'Danny' St. Claire drinks at the tower, crying and blaming herself for the car crash that killed her best friend Julie. Her superior Rick Bailey insists she stay at the station alone for a few days and orders her to drain water to relieve pressure on the Devil's Gate Dam.

That night, nightmares from the accident haunt Danny. She descends from the tower to investigate and finds claw marks on the tool shed door, hinting at a dangerous presence nearby.

The following morning Justin Rawley arrives to keep her company. They drive to the Devil's Gate Dam to inspect the facilities and assess the situation.

They return to the station for a romantic dinner. Danny confesses she was the one driving the car when it crashed, and she let the police believe Julie was driving. Justin consoles her and they make love.

During the night, the emergency siren sounds as they discover that the satellite dish, Justin's jeep, and the radio have been sabotaged. The threat outside is no longer just atmospheric—something has actively undermined their communications.

The next day they head to the dam to use its radio. They meet campers Carl and Evelyn Nash who ignore Justin's warnings and venture off on their own, only to be killed later by the creature.

At the dam, the radio room is trashed. They return to the station to find Evelyn's body swinging from a chain and Carl's body thrown off the roof. Justin heads off to get help and is ambushed and killed by the creature.

The next morning, Danny discovers Justin's severed head in the tool shed and his body on the roof. She buries his remains and arms herself for protection. That night the creature attacks the station, but Danny shoots and wounds it.

The following morning, Danny follows the creature's blood trail to the cave and sees the teacher of the slain students. He explains the demon is drawn to Danny's negative energy—her guilt over Julie's death. Back at the station, Danny finds the corpses of the Nashes and Justin dug up and arranged around the table, with Justin's head on a plate.

Danny hunts the creature but is unsuccessful and is wounded in the leg. She calls Rick and begs him to bring SWAT, but Rick dismisses her, thinking she is drunk. The tension between belief and evidence drives the narrative forward.

The next day, Rick arrives at the station and accompanies Danny to the cave. They discover the teacher's body impaled on a pole. The creature then drops Justin's body onto Rick, crushing him to death.

Danny drives toward the cave with the creature in close pursuit and crashes into the cave to force the demon inside. She uses dynamite to seal the cave, trapping the creature within. She returns to the station, places her ranger badge on the table, and leaves.

Sometime later, Danny tells a policeman about the killings but says she doesn't know who did it. She then confesses to being the driver in the crash that killed Julie, accepting responsibility for her friend's death.