Chris Finn is a medical student heading to a job interview, driving through the rugged West Virginia mountains. However, his plans take a dark turn when a chemical spill on the road forces him to take a detour along an abandoned dirt road. In a twist of fate, he crashes into a stalled vehicle, belonging to a group of friends, including Jessie, Carly, her fiancé Scott, and a couple, Evan and Francine. Stranded and in dire need of help, the friends are drawn into a horrifying predicament as they discover that they are not alone in the woods.
The film opens with a chilling sequence showing two college students, Halley and Rich, rock climbing. When Halley faces a life-threatening fall, she witnesses Rich's shocking demise, which sets the tone for the terror to come. Back with Chris, he encounters a mysterious old man at a desolate gas station, who provides cryptic directions. After leaving the station, Chris collides with the abandoned vehicle, leading him to join the group on their perilous adventure.
As tensions rise, Jessie uncovers a sinister piece of barbed wire, hinting at the lurking dangers ahead. With some friends staying behind, Chris, Jessie, Carly, and Scott embark on a search for assistance. Tragedy strikes when Francine ventures into the woods and encounters brutality, as she falls victim to the sinister mountain men—disfigured cannibals driven by an insatiable hunger.
Their attempt to seek refuge in a cabin plunges them into a nightmare. They discover horrifying remnants of previous victims, witnessing gruesome acts as the cannibals butcher Francine's body. In an act of survival, Chris bravely holds a door to protect his friends as they make a desperate escape, but their hope falters when "Saw-Tooth," one of the grotesque mountain men, awakens.
The chase becomes a heart-pounding pursuit through the woods. Chris suffers a leg injury while attempting to divert the cannibals’ attention, but the horror escalates when Scott is tragically killed with arrows. The remaining trio—Chris, Jessie, and Carly—find a moment of hope in an old watchtower, but it swiftly shatters as the cannibals soon close in, forcing them to leap into the trees in a desperate bid for survival.
After a harrowing night hiding out, Chris and Jessie find themselves back in the clutches of danger when the mountain men capture Jessie and whisk her away to their cabin. Chris manages to survive a deadly encounter with a sheriff, but the tragedy continues as the sheriff falls victim to the same forces they are up against.
In a climactic showdown, Chris commandeers the police truck to rescue Jessie just as she is about to meet a gruesome fate. Together, they confront the monstrous mountain men in a fight for survival, leading to a dramatic explosion that destroys the cabin—though not without the haunting realization that one of the cannibals, "Three Finger," still remains at large.
As the dust settles, Chris destroys the map leading to the horrors within the woods, ensuring no one will ever venture into that nightmare again. However, the chilling epilogue reveals the enduring threat as "Three Finger" slinks back into the shadows, leaving a lasting nightmare that lingers long after the credits roll.
