The narrative is uniquely structured, alternating between the "real-time" events at the cabin and a fictional true-crime television show called Inside Crime that reports on the family's "murders" after the fact.

The title " Dead Night " most commonly refers to a 2017 supernatural horror film (also known as Applecart ). The story follows the Pollack family as they travel to a remote, snowy cabin in Oregon, hoping its unique mineral deposits might help patriarch James recover from terminal cancer.

Leslie's presence acts as a catalyst for a descent into violence. She is part of a coven seeking to influence local politics and uses an alien-like monolith to "zombify" the family members.