In Louisville, Kentucky, on July 3, 1984, a medical supplier company named Uneeda thrives on its motto: "You need it — We got it." The company provides corpses to universities for educational purposes and to veterinarians for animal studies. On this particular day, as closing time approaches, Frank (played by James Karen) stays late to mentor the new hire, Freddy (portrayed by Thom Mathews). With a human corpse stored in the freezer, Frank shares chilling stories from the past, recalling a real-life incident that inspired George Romero's Night of the Living Dead. He reveals that a chemical known as Trioxin 4-5 inadvertently brought deceased bodies back to life, with some escaping control and mistakenly sent to Uneeda.
Suddenly, a mishap occurs when Frank, while showing Freddy the corpses, accidentally triggers a gas leak that knocks them unconscious. As a direct consequence, the dead bodies—like butterflies, half dogs, and a mysterious hooked corpse—begin to stir back to life. Meanwhile, in California, tension rises as Colonel Glover (portrayed by Jonathan Terry) humorously navigates his demanding life, hinting at the chaos about to erupt.
Back at Uneeda, primal panic ensues when Suicide, a reckless punk, and his friends decide to hang out with Freddy. They inadvertently stumble into the unfolding horror as Frank and Freddy awaken to mayhem, with a zombie attempting to escape its confines. Amidst a late-night escapade at the cemetery, we meet Trash (played by Linnea Quigley), who dances provocatively, embodying the chaos swirling around them.
As the chaos intensifies, Burt Wilson (portrayed by Clu Gulager), the boss, faces mounting pressure from Darrow Company, which manufactured the catastrophic chemical. All control seems to slip away when the once-docile corpses unwillingly reclaim a taste for living flesh, prompting an atmosphere rife with impending doom.
Under the acidic rain that pours over the cemetery and through the Uneeda building, Freddy and Frank find themselves grappling with the horrific consequences of the unleashed zombies. The tension rises as various characters—from Freddy’s romantic interest Tina (played by Beverly Randolph) to Ernie (played by Don Calfa)—are drawn into a frenzied battle against the undead.
During this harrowing night, the brave attempts of survivors—like Ernie's intricate knowledge of corpse disposal, Burt and Spider's frantic escape plans, and frantic calls for police assistance—unravel into pure pandemonium. Ultimately, the devastation culminates in a shocking nuclear resolution that wipes out the chaos, leaving the city of Louisville in ruins while creating an unsettling legacy of impending undead awakenings. As dawn breaks at 5:01 a.m., the fate of not just the zombies but the entire city hangs in a precarious balance, hinting at future horrors thanks to the lingering effects of the disastrous acid rain.
