In the quiet town of Centreville, two police officers, Bill Murray as Chief Cliff Robertson and Adam Driver as Officer Ronnie Petersen, find themselves caught in a bizarre and unsettling series of events that challenge their understanding of reality. The story begins with a seemingly simple call about a stolen chicken, reported by farmer Steve Buscemi as Farmer Frank Miller, who suspects a local recluse known as Hermit Bob, played by Tom Waits, is responsible. When the officers confront Hermit Bob in the forest where he lives, he responds with warning shots to defend himself. Despite Ronnie's suggestion to arrest Bob, Cliff, who has known him for years, insists that Bob has no history of violence and probably isn’t the thief. Their conversation reveals that the sun still shines brightly despite it being well after sunset, adding to the strange atmosphere.
As they leave Hermit Bob’s place, the officers notice that their radios, cell phones, and watches stop functioning, triggering a sense of foreboding. Cliff privately confesses to Ronnie that he believes Hermit Bob is harmless and that something is very wrong. The scene shifts to a local diner where Danny Glover as Hank Thompson, Frank, and a waitress named Fern listen to a radio news report about polar fracking, a controversial practice claimed to be safe by government officials and corporations. However, they raise questions about the ongoing bright daylight and the odd behavior of animals, including farm animals and pets that have gone missing or act strangely.
Meanwhile, at the Centerville Juvenile Detention Centre, teens Geronimo, Olivia, and Stella watch alarming news about the Earth's axis shifting due to the environmental upheaval caused by fracking. Geronimo is abruptly kicked out of the girl’s wing, highlighting the chaos. Dean, a deliveryman for RZA’s fictional “WU-PS,” drops off rare comics at Bobby Wiggins’s gas station shop, where Bobby, played by Caleb Landry Jones, seeks wisdom. Dean replies, “The world is perfect. Appreciate the details,” a cryptic comment reflecting the surreal tone of the story.
That night, the peaceful routine shatters as two reanimated zombies emerge from their graves and viciously attack Fern and Lily, the cleaner at the funeral home. Despite their undead state, the zombies are distracted mid-feast by coffee at a nearby counter, smashing cups before wandering off. The following morning, the police discover Fern and Lily’s bodies, with Ronnie suspecting zombies, a notion Cliff dismisses. The problem escalates when the townspeople, including Zoe and her friends Jack and Zack, are warned to stay indoors after dark due to the growing chaos.
The police investigation reveals open graves and hints that this is a zombie apocalypse. As night falls, the reanimated corpses attack, killing William O'Connell’s priest and other residents, including George Hamilton as Don Drake. Cliff and Ronnie quickly notify their station, and the town’s residents try to arm themselves. They learn from the police that zombies can only be killed by destroying their heads, prompting a frantic effort to prepare for a fight. Meanwhile, Zelda Winston, played by Tilda Swinton, a mysterious undertaker practicing with a katana, arrives at the station to offer aid.
In the chaos, farmer Frank finds himself overwhelmed, and Hermit Bob, watching from the shadows, is revealed to have stolen a chicken earlier. Hank and Bobby barricade themselves inside a hardware store, fighting off zombies with weapons but ultimately succumbing when the zombies break through a back door. Young teens Geronimo, Olivia, and Stella manage to hide in a closet, narrowly escaping the undead onslaught as they leave the juvenile detention center.
Throughout the narrative, the zombies are shown revisiting their previous routines—children taking candy at the gas station, adults dragging belongings they cherished, and even zombies obsessing over Wi-Fi on their smartphones—highlighting their attachment to the life they once knew. Officer Cliff’s car gets stuck in the cemetery after driving over zombies, and tensions within the group rise, especially when Mindy Morrison (Chloë Sevigny), back at the station, becomes distressed by the apocalyptic events, even seeing her grandmother among the zombies.
As the story reaches its climax, Zelda reloads her katana, and a UFO suddenly appears, beaming her away from the chaos with a casual remark about her own eccentric nature. Cliff and Ronnie, realizing they are unlikely to survive, prepare for their final stand, engaged in a desperate fight against the relentless zombie horde. Hermit Bob, observing quietly, utters a reflective and bleak comment about how obsession and greed have robbed humanity of its soul, encapsulating the dark and surreal tone of the film.
In this haunting, satirical exploration of apocalyptic despair infused with humor and meta-awareness, nothing is quite as it seems, and the fabric of reality has unraveled, leaving those remaining to confront the horrifying and absurd world left behind.
