On a June night in 1912, eight people -- a mother, father, their four children, and two guests -- were murdered by an axe-wielding killer in the sleepy town of Villisca, Iowa, a case that remains unsolved to this day. More than a century later, Caleb and Denny, two friends who share an interest in ghost hunting, along with Jess -- the new girl in school who already has a reputation -- sneak into the house where the infamous bloodbath occurred in hopes of recording paranormal activity.