在教授艾伦·德里斯科尔(克里斯托弗·李饰)的推荐下,一名年轻的女学生南·巴洛(维尼西亚·史蒂文森饰)前往虚构的马萨丘斯·埃茨小镇怀特伍德,对巫术进行研究。她发现这个小镇被一个臭名昭著的女巫伊丽莎白·塞尔温/纽利斯夫人(帕特里夏·杰西尔饰)的转世所占据,她在17世纪被烧死在火刑柱上。为了保持她的不朽,每年都必须向女巫献祭处女——而今年,这位学生是被选中的受害者。A young coed (Nan Barlow) uses her winter vacation to research a paper on witchcraft in New England. Her professor recommends that she spend her time in a small village called Whitewood. He originally cam from that village so he also recommends she stay at the "Raven's Inn," run by a Mrs. Newlis. She gets to the village and notices some weird happenings, but things begin to happen in earnest when she finds herself "marked" for sacrifice by the undead coven of witches. It seems that the innkeeper is actually the undead spirit of Elizabeth Selwyn, and the "guests" at the inn are the other witches who have come to celebrate the sacrifice on Candalmas Eve. As one of them said when Nan walked away, "HE will be PLEASED."