When a lonely highway is inexplicably closed, five students find themselves trapped at a recently deserted travel oasis. Refusing to let the new circumstances interfere with their fun, they settle in only to be interrupted by odd, haunting visions of severely mutilated travelers. The gruesome sightings may explain the sudden abandonment of the motel and diner, but the appearance of a strange man with a missing wife confirms their worst fears. He too has seen the dying people -- victims of a killer, one that has likely taken his wife -- a killer trailing a dark force of decay and rot.
Led by a blind grad student with heightened senses, they must try to survive the night and confront what appears to be a terrifying abyss between the living and the dead. As the body count rises, the bizarre mystery deepens. Those strong enough to survive are left with the burning question: What the hell is the Reeker?