A preacher and his congregation seal an ancient creature in a crypt beneath the earth after it ravages their village for 23 nights.

The preacher utters a final warning: "This is not a creature. It is a curse. And it will return."

In the small town of Blackroot, West Virginia, strange deaths begin. A body is found with its eyes ripped out and a piece of its spine missing.

Locals speak of "The 23rd Curse," an old folktale passed down through generations.

More disappearances. Victims are being chosen seemingly at random—no links, except they're all from families tied to the original settlers.

Mara meets Sheriff Emmett Cross, who is hiding town secrets and whose grandfather survived the last cycle.

A young journalist, Mara Vance, returns home to investigate her brother's disappearance