Jack Crow, played by James Woods, is a dedicated and seasoned vampire hunter funded by the Vatican. In a tense sequence of events, he and his elite band of slayers have just successfully eradicated a nest of nine vampires located in the desolate stretches of the New Mexico desert. However, their celebration at the Sun God Motel quickly takes a turn for the worse when they realize that the master vampire, Jan Valek, is not among them. While the slayers revel in their hard-fought victory, Valek, portrayed by Thomas Ian Griffith, lurks in the neighboring room, drawing the unsuspecting Katrina, played by Sheryl Lee, into his dark, seductive web.
As darkness falls, Valek strikes, mercilessly slaughtering Jack's entire crew and all the hired women. The brutal onslaught takes Jack by surprise when Valek ominously calls his name amidst the chaos. However, a twist of fate allows Jack, along with Katrina and his loyal partner, Montoya, whose role is brought to life by Daniel Baldwin, to narrowly escape the carnage.
In the aftermath, Jack is devastated. He methodically beheads and incinerates his fallen comrades, ensuring their bodies will not rise again as vampires. With a heavy heart, he seeks counsel from Cardinal Alba, portrayed by Maximilian Schell, only to learn that another team in Europe has met a similar fate, also at the hands of Valek. The horrific realization hits Jack that Valek is no ordinary vampire; he has an insidious history as a 14th-century priest who was condemned by the church and burned for heresy. Although he underwent an exorcism, it ultimately failed to rid him of his vampiric curse, leading to the emergence of this formidable creature of the night.
The Vatican tasks Jack with the daunting mission of rebuilding his team, and he reluctantly accepts the somewhat timid and bookish Father Adam Guiteau, played by Tim Guinee, as the first new member. Jack is suspicious of Guiteau, believing there may be more at play within the church. He aggresses Guiteau, trying to wring any useful information out of him about the vampire nests, which Jack suspects are part of a larger, sinister plot. A map of vampire activity shows a disturbing pattern, almost as if they are searching for an ancient artifact known as the black cross.
Meanwhile, in a hotel, Montoya and Katrina are grappling with Katrina's impending transformation after being bitten. Montoya initially seeks to protect her, recognizing her telepathic bond with Valek, but a harrowing moment leads to Katrina attempting to take her own life. In a desperate act of love, Montoya pulls her back, suffering an injury in the process. As tensions unravel, her subsequent visions of Valek lead them to discover the gruesome murder of Father Molina, the only priest who knew the whereabouts of the legendary black Bersier cross—a critical instrument of exorcism that could unveil a vulnerability within Valek.
As the sun sets, Valek and his newly summoned army of vampires prepare to rise. Guided by her visions, Katrina leads Jack, Montoya, and Guiteau to Santiago. The trio faces despairing odds against a horde of thirty vampires, resulting in a desperate, adrenaline-fueled battle. They rely on their tactical wits; Guiteau plays bait, Jack engages with his crossbow, and Montoya deftly maneuvers a winch to drag divine retribution upon the undead.
As the tumultuous night unfolds, Valek tightens his grip on Jack, revealing a deeper conspiracy as Cardinal Alba emerges as the puppeteer behind the betrayal. Just as the ritual of dawn approaches, with Jack tied to a cross as a sacrifice, chaos ensues: Guiteau, hiding and waiting for the right moment, takes aim and shoots Alba, disrupting the diabolical ceremony.
As sunlight begins to break, the vampires scramble for sanctuary, and a climactic showdown ensues where Jack forces Valek onto the very cross he sought to exploit. In a final stroke of fate, the building collapses as sunlight pours in, engulfing Valek in fiery vengeance.
In the concluding moments, Montoya, facing the dark shadows of his own fate, reveals his own infection from Katrina, who has fully transformed and abandoned him. Their paths diverge as Montoya drives off with Katrina, leaving Jack and Guiteau to confront the remnants of this hellish battle. Jack acknowledges the weight of his loyalties and promises that, when the time comes, he will not hesitate to track down and eliminate his former friend—his honor and duty as a slayer binding him to this dark oath.
