Summary
Highlights
The film opens in 1994 Shadyside, where Heather, working at a mall bookstore, is brutally murdered by a killer in a skull mask. The killer is revealed to be Ryan, a friend of Heather's, who is then shot dead by Sheriff Nick Goode. This event is part of a recurring pattern of killing sprees in Shadyside, a town plagued by misfortune compared to the affluent Sunnyvale.
Deena, the protagonist, and her brother Josh, a horror enthusiast, discuss the mall killings. Josh believes the infamous Shadyside witch, Sarah Fier, is responsible, turning people into serial killers. Deena, her friends Kate and Simon, and others from Shadyside High attend a vigil in Sunnyvale, where an altercation leads to a car crash involving Deena's ex-girlfriend, Sam. Sam bleeds on Sarah Fier's grave, inadvertently reawakening the curse.
A skull-masked figure, initially believed to be Peter, begins stalking Deena and her friends. This figure, along with other notorious Shadyside killers like Ruby Lane and the Camp Nightwing killer, are revealed to be resurrected by Sarah Fier's curse. The killers pursue Sam specifically, as her blood has disturbed the witch's grave. The group deduces that anyone with Sam's blood on them is also a target.
To escape the killers, the teens attempt to lure them into a trap at the school using explosives, but the undead killers prove resilient. Josh uncovers a clue about C. Berman, a survivor of a past massacre, who temporarily died before being revived. This inspires a new plan: to kill Sam and then bring her back to life, hoping to break the curse. They go to a grocery store, but the plan goes awry, leading to the deaths of Kate and Simon.
Deena manages to drown Sam and then revives her, causing the killers to disappear. They fabricate a story for Sheriff Goode about a mysterious killer. Later, Sam receives a call from C. Berman, who warns her that the witch's curse cannot be defeated. The film ends with Sam, now seemingly possessed by Sarah Fier, stabbing Deena, revealing that the curse is far from over and setting up the next installment.