The year is 1979. A small New York town prepares to welcome the fall season in all the expected ways: young children bicker and boast over Halloween costumes, secret lovers meet in clandestine corners, and a tortured soul plots wicked deeds. All the while, hidden just out of view, patient and hungry... an ancient evil lurks.Welcome to Garrett Grove, an unassuming community nestled within the foothills of the Watchung Mountains. The very definition of "Everytown, USA", it is a largely self-contained municipality, most of the residents on a first-name basis. An almost postcard-perfect location.Dr. Ethan Ziegler believes the mysterious outbreak has been contained and the people of Garrett Grove have nothing to worry about. However, an ill-fated traffic fatality leads to a gruesome discovery, leaving Sheriff Carl Primrose and Medical Examiner Burt Lively even more concerned about the deadly infection.With increasing occurrences of random violence and a rash of absenteeism reported in the town's schools and businesses, it becomes apparent that something terrible is taking place.Meanwhile, on the side of the mountain, an excavation team has unwittingly released a darkness back into the world.