Set in the isolated desert town of Perfection, Nevada, the story follows two handymen, Valentine “Val” McKee and Earl Bassett, who are tired of their monotonous lives and decide to leave town. Just as they’re heading out, they stumble upon mysterious deaths, including a man found dead atop a power pole and another whose severed head is buried in the ground.
As they investigate, they and the townsfolk soon discover the cause: giant subterranean worm-like creatures that move through the ground and attack anything that makes noise. The creatures, later nicknamed “Graboids”, are blind but have acute hearing through vibrations in the earth.
The residents of Perfection must band together to survive as the Graboids begin picking them off one by one. Using makeshift traps, explosives, and clever thinking, the survivors try to outwit the creatures. Among the townsfolk are notable characters like Burt and Heather Gummer, heavily armed survivalists who become instrumental in the fight.
In the climax, Val devises a clever plan to lure the last Graboid into a trap, leading it to launch itself off a cliff to its death. The survivors are safe — for now.
