Bickering siblings, Johnny and Barbra, embark on a car trip to a rural cemetery to pay their respects at their father's grave. The journey frustrates Johnny, who feels the trip is prolonged for such a simple task of placing a flowered cross. In a moment of teasing, he playfully nudges Barbra about her fear of the cemetery at night, ominously declaring, > "They're coming to get you, Barbra!" However, their lighthearted banter quickly dissipates as they encounter a tall, pale-faced man who stumbles toward them, setting off a terrifying chain of events. The man violently attacks Barbra, prompting Johnny to intervene. In a brutal struggle, he is knocked unconscious after his head is slammed against a gravestone, leaving Barbra to fend for herself.
As she desperately races back to their car, Barbra faces the grim reality that she cannot start it without Johnny's keys. In a panic, she mistakenly shifts the car into neutral and watches helplessly as it rolls away, crashing into a tree. With no other option, she flees down a lonely road, pursued by the man who seems to be in a trance-like state. Eventually, she stumbles upon a farmhouse that appears deserted, only to find that the phone is dead. The looming fear escalates as she discovers the ghastly remnants of a human body at the top of the staircase, showing signs of having been feasted upon.
Just as Barbra's fear reaches a boiling point, Ben arrives in a pickup truck and confronts the ominous figures outside with a tire iron. The chaotic scene escalates as Ben, fighting off the attackers, guides Barbra into taking action, and together, they start barricading the house with furniture and scraps of wood. During a tense exchange, they share their harrowing stories; Ben recounts the horrifying events he witnessed at a diner, while Barbra reveals the dreadful encounter at the cemetery. Tempers flare when Barbra's hysteria causes her to lash out at Ben, who retaliates, leaving her in shock.
As Barbra lies incapacitated, Ben takes charge, arming himself with a rifle and a radio that broadcasts chilling reports of widespread violence caused by people in a trance. They learn that the chaos is linked to a mysterious event involving an exploded Venus space probe. Meanwhile, Ben diligently fortifies the house. The tension rises further as Ben and Barbra encounter an older man, Harry Cooper, and his younger companion Tom, who are hiding in the basement with their family. A fierce debate ensues about the best course of action—whether to stay upstairs and fight or retreat to the perceived safety of the cellar.
The air becomes thick with tension as radio reports unveil that roaming hordes of "ghouls" are consuming the flesh of the living. Ben's determination to stay and fight leads to further conflict with Harry, whose cowardice puts everyone at risk. When Ben's plans for an escape go awry, resulting in a catastrophic explosion that claims Tom and Judy, the dynamics in the house become increasingly treacherous. Ben is locked out, forced to confront Harry’s cowardice and ultimately retaliates when Harry threatens him with a gun.
The clash intensifies as darkness descends on the house, emboldening the relentless ghouls to mount an assault on the barricades. In a shattering moment of betrayal, Ben finds himself fighting not only the undead but also the very people he tried to protect. As the house becomes a battleground, Ben races against time to fend off the growing tide of flesh-eating monsters. With Barbra emerging from her stupor, chaos reigns as the undead make their way inside.
The ensuing battle culminates in a horrifying revelation when Barbra's brother Johnny appears among the ghouls, driving her to a state of despair. With the undead closing in, the last stand takes shape in the basement. The dawn brings a wave of gunfire as rescue teams arrive, only for a tragic misunderstanding to seal Ben's fate. As the sheriff's men mistake him for one of the ghouls, they shoot him down, leading to a grim conclusion as his body joins the others in a fiery burial. The horror of the night leaves only echoes in the abandoned farmhouse, a testament to the chaos that unfolded.
