Whiskey Mountain 1977

Road trip into the North Carolina mountains

Bill and Diana, along with Dan and Jamie, set out on a motorcycle trip into the rural mountains of North Carolina to search for Civil War rifles tied to Diana's family history. They stop at a remote general store, where the locals eye them warily and the atmosphere hints at danger in the region. The group intends to explore Whiskey Mountain's cave in hopes of finding the rumored artifacts.

Harassment at the general store

A group of backwoods locals who grow marijuana confront and harass the four travelers at the store, signaling that the area is not welcoming to outsiders. The encounter leaves the group uneasy and wary of who might be watching them. They depart with a sense that trouble may follow.

Overnight camp and unseen watcher

That night the four camp in the woods, and an unseen figure watches from the shadows. In the morning they wake to danger as brush near their campsite bursts into flame. The daybreak mishaps heighten their fear and push them toward abandoning the trip.

Seeking shelter, a deranged old man

Frightened but determined, they press on and stumble upon a ramshackle cabin and an unstable old man living nearby. Despite the fear, they decide to continue their journey in hopes of reaching safety and the rifles. The old man foreshadows further trouble with his erratic behavior.

Locating the cave

Guided by rumors of the rifles, they locate the cave believed to hold the antiques. The terrain tests them as they venture deeper into Whiskey Mountain in search of the hidden weapons. Excitement mixes with unease as the cave mouth looms ahead.

Cave discovery: hostile reunion

Bill and Dan enter the cave and are confronted by the men from the store — Rudy, Jack, Homer, and Bowzer — who have turned the cave into a marijuana growing operation. The discovery reveals that the locals are involved in more than simple smuggling and they run a dangerous criminal setup. The atmosphere inside the cave becomes suddenly threatening.

Kidnapping and captivity

The attackers incapacitate Bill and Dan and bring Diana and Jamie back to their ramshackle cabin. They outline plans to murder the travelers and bury their bodies on the mountain to avoid exposure. The four travelers are forced into a grim and escalating cycle of fear and threat.

Assaults and trauma

Inside the cabin, the men rape Diana and Jamie in turn while photographing the assaults with a Polaroid camera. The brutality leaves Jamie catatonic and traumatized, signaling a deep wound that will haunt the survivors. The violence starkly contrasts with the precarious safety of the mountains.

Old man frees the captives

The elderly mountain man who warned them earlier frees Bill and Dan inside the cave, and they manage to retrieve their motorcycles. They head to the nearest authorities to report the abductions, only to be met with disbelief from the sheriff. The sense of isolation grows as help seems out of reach.

Police disbelief and turning to self-help

Frustrated by the lack of police support, Bill and Dan decide to take matters into their own hands by arming themselves. They plan to return to the woods to confront the criminals and rescue the women themselves. The plan marks a shift from seeking help to taking control of their fate.

Return to confront the criminals

Bill and Dan ambush the men at the cabin, arriving just as they prepare to escort the women toward a mountain death. The confrontation escalates into a violent gunfight, and the three attackers are killed in the chaos. The two heroes manage to free Diana and Jamie in the process.

Dan dies, survivors escape

Dan is fatally wounded in the shootout, a brutal toll of the confrontation. Bill and the surviving women stumble out of the cabin in a fragile moment of relief. The forest and mountain seem to hold their breath as they process their losses.