The Curse

Frances sneaks out of the Cranes' house during the night and has sex with Mike, a farm-hand who lives nearby. The act introduces a thread of unease and sets up the strained family dynamics that will drive later actions. Nathan's reaction to his wife's infidelity foreshadows the violence to come.

A meteorite crashes onto the Cranes' property, a large sphere with a hard shell from which a noxious liquid oozes. The liquid dissolves into a glowing gelatinous substance that seeps into the soil, hinting at a hidden threat looming over the farm. This event triggers the chain of infections and mutations that follow.

Dr. Alan Forbes visits the crash site to examine the meteorite and its strange emission. He wishes to contact authorities about the discovery, sensing it could threaten the region. His concerns begin to be challenged by local opposition and fear of repercussions.

Charlie Davidson worries the event will discourage the TVA reservoir project and lower property values. Esther, Forbes's wife, manipulates him to keep quiet about what he has found. The pressure to suppress information underscores the community's fear of economic fallout.

The mysterious liquid begins to affect the farm's environment: well water becomes cloudy and tastes wrong, oversized fruits and vegetables are rotten inside, and livestock act violently as infections spread. The farm shifts from curious anomaly to dangerous crisis. Zack and Alice attempt to avoid exposure by steering clear of tainted resources.

Alice is attacked by infected chickens and Cyrus is nearly killed by a violent horse as the illness spreads through the farm. Frances develops large boils on her face and begins to mutate, signaling a total transformation. The family confronts a threat that goes beyond simple disease.

Believing the blight is divine punishment for Frances's infidelity, Nathan locks her in their bedroom and denies Zack medical help. To protect themselves, Zack steals clean water from Forbes's house, attempting to stay ahead of the contamination. The family's internal cracks widen as fear drives desperate actions.

Forbes secretly obtains a sample from the Cranes' well and has it analyzed at a nearby laboratory. The analysis reveals a strange, unknown element that alters the water's metabolic properties and molecular structure. The discovery confirms the seriousness of the threat.

Carl Willis, a TVA representative, helps himself from the Cranes' kitchen faucet and is attacked by Frances, who has gone insane. The attack demonstrates the mutation's reach and danger to outsiders. The incident escalates the crisis and widens the scope of risk.

Davidson and Esther arrive at the farm looking for Forbes but are attacked by infected dogs. Esther is mauled to death and Davidson hides in the cellar, only to be killed and devoured by Frances. The outbreak claims more victims as chaos overtakes the home.

In the shed, the infected cows begin to decay, revealing maggots and worms inside. The cows explode, coating Nathan and Cyrus in insects as the infection spreads through livestock. The scale of the contagion expands beyond the immediate family.

Forbes enters the house to rescue Zack and Alice but is murdered by Nathan, who then barricades the door. Zack fights Cyrus in the hallway to safeguard his sister and buy time for their escape. The household disintegrates under the weight of fear and mutating forces.

The ground begins to glow and heave beneath the house, causing it to collapse. Willis arrives and helps Zack and Alice escape the wreckage, while Nathan and Cyrus are killed by falling debris. The mutating threat seems to retreat for now, but the landscape remains dangerous.

Willis lies in a hospital bed, infected more slowly because he drank only a small amount of the farm's water. He watches a news report about authorities promising to eradicate the blight. The report hints that the mutagenic threat may still survive elsewhere.

In a countryside location at night, ground and trees begin to heave, revealing more of the glowing alien liquid spreading across the surface. The scene suggests the hostile mutagenic entity is still alive and plotting a continued invasion of Earth. The threat persists beyond the Cranes' farm and into the wider world.