United States

It is dusk. Barbara and her brother Johnny drive into the Willard cemetery to place a wreath on their father's grave. A dishevelled stranger approaches and with no provocation, attacks them. Leaving Johnny lying unconscious, Barbara flees in terror to a nearby farmhouse with her attacker following. Searching the house she finds it's only occupant, a mutilated corpse. Barbara's bewilderment and panic reaches a crescendo when she discovers her attacker is outside the house and has been joined by several other ghostly figures. It is then that Ben, a young salesman also looking for refuge from attackers, fights his way into the house and saves Barbara from the first organised siege of the killers. While boarding up the doors and windows in an attempt to keep out the increasing number of attackers, Ben explains as much of the mystery as he has learned on a news broadcast; because of a freak molecular mutation due to man's atomic research, the dead have risen to devour the living. Tension in the house reaches fever pitch as hordes of ghouls pound on the house ... an escape is attempted ... it fails. The attackers grow stronger as the bond among the remaining survivors weakens; the doors burst open and the flesh eaters reign. Dawn breaks. A posse of farmers, police and dogs surround the farm house, burning the last of the flesh-eaters. Hearing help is at hand, Ben bursts out of the house, wild-eyed and mute with the terror of the night - only to be confronted with the well-meaning but unthinking living...