Scum of the Earth

Paul and Helen Fraser arrive at the isolated lakeside cabin. A figure with an axe brutally murders Paul, and Helen discovers the body, realizing he is dead.

Helen discovers Paul's body and finds that the car keys are missing, trapping her at the cabin. Terrified, she flees into the surrounding woods in an attempt to escape the killer.

Helen stumbles on the Pickett farmhouse and is met by Odis, who says he will phone the sheriff. Inside the farmhouse, Emmy, Sarah, and Bo are introduced.

Odis grows drunk on moonshine while Bo skins and boils a possum for dinner. Bo accuses Sarah of prostitution, and Sarah hexes him.

Emmy explains that she married Odis because her father owed him money, hinting at his abusive nature. Helen opens up about her dead husband who presumably died in Vietnam.

Odis sexually assaults Helen while she sleeps; her screams awaken Emmy and Sarah. Sarah accuses Odis of molesting her since she was twelve.

Emmy urges Bo to go to the neighbors to call the sheriff. Bo sets off through the woods to fetch help.

Bo is killed by being impaled on a spiked fence in the woods. The killer remains unseen as Helen and the others shelter inside.

Odis continues to drink; Helen tries to leave the house quietly. She finds Bo's corpse on the front porch, deepening the horror.

Odis plans to bury Bo in the backyard. Sarah accuses Helen of being a witch who has brought misfortune. Odis makes another attempt to rape Helen, while Emmy comes to Helen's defense, but is unsuccessful.

The next morning, Emmy sends Sarah to fetch a preacher for Bo's burial. Sarah follows a path through the woods, calling out to help the assailant locate Helen.

The follower pursuing Sarah catches up with her and strangles her with barbed wire. Her death leaves the rescue attempt in peril.

Emmy sends Odis to locate Sarah. Odis finds Sarah in the woods and tries to load his shotgun, but a figure grabs him from behind and murders him.

The killer is revealed to be Jim, Helen's first husband, who explains he was a Vietnam POW and thought Helen was dead. Jim stabs at Helen, but Sarah bursts in and shoots Jim dead with Odis's shotgun. Emmy consoles Helen on the front porch, telling her they still have one another.