Rawhead Rex

Howard Hallenbeck and his family travel to rural Ireland to research religious artifacts. He goes to a rural church to photograph graves and begins documenting the site's atmosphere. The setup establishes their purpose and the eerie quiet before the events unfold.

A violent thunderstorm erupts as lightning strikes a stone column in a field. From the strike, the monster Rawhead Rex rises from the dirt and begins to stalk the surroundings. The encounter marks the direct onset of the terror.

Howard meets Declan O'Brien, the church verger, who directs him to Reverend Coot. O'Brien's role introduces the local authority figure who will become entangled with the monster's legend. The meeting sets up the path to access the parish records.

O'Brien approaches the altar and places his hand on it. He experiences flashes of images that threaten his sanity. The event marks the first sign of the church's hidden temptations at play.

Howard inquiries about parish records but learns they have been stolen. O'Brien, in a separate act, destroys his camera in frustration. The theft heightens the mystery surrounding the site.

A stranger arrives at the home of locals Dennis and Jenny and discovers Jenny traumatized. The police soon arrive to investigate the disturbance. The scene establishes the danger rippling beyond the church grounds.

Rawhead drags Dennis's corpse through the forest and comes upon a nearby trailer park. He attacks and kills a teenager named Andy Johnson. The monster shows no mercy as it claims more victims.

On a road trip, Howard stops to let his daughter urinate by a tree. When she screams, Howard and his wife rush to her, but Rawhead kills Howard's son and drags the body into the woods. The loss strengthens Howard's resolve against the monster.

Frustrated by the lack of progress, Howard returns to the church and discovers that a weapon is shown in the stained-glass window and could be used to defeat Rawhead. He contemplates their potential but lacks the means to use it yet. The revelation reframes the threat as something with a possible countermeasure.

Rawhead arrives at the church to 'baptize' O'Brien by urinating on him. Coot flees upstairs to the church basement while Rawhead wreaks destruction inside. The confrontation foreshadows the deeper revelations hidden in the parish records.

Coot reveals missing parish records, showing a blueprint of Rawhead. O'Brien forces Coot upstairs to be sacrificed to Rawhead. The police arrive but hesitate to shoot while a brainwashed inspector ignites gasoline, killing the officers.

Howard returns to the altar where he learns the weapon will only work if wielded by a woman. O'Brien confronts him while trying to stop the plan. Howard's wife eventually wields the weapon, but the initial blast proves insufficient against the monster.

A ray of light shoots from the weapon wielded by Howard's wife, and a glowing female form appears to direct electric blasts into Rawhead. The monster is drained and knocked to the ground. Howard finally hits Rawhead with a shovel, and the creature is crushed as it sinks into the earth.

In the aftermath, a boy from the trailer park places flowers on Andy Johnson's grave. Rawhead then emerges from the ground elsewhere, roaring as the danger appears not entirely over. The closing image hints at a lingering threat beyond their victory.