Arthur Blake (Dominic Monoghan), a condemned grave robber, sits in his prison cell awaiting execution by guillotine. He is visited by Father Duffy (Ron Perlman), a priest who wants to document Arthur’s life and crimes as a cautionary tale. Arthur agrees to tell his story but vehemently denies being a murderer, a crime for which his former partner Willie Grimes (Larry Fessenden) has already been executed. He does, however, freely admit to being a grave robber and begins recounting his bizarre and eventful career.
Arthur’s journey into grave robbing began after his father’s death, which left him responsible for supporting his family. Desperate for work, he became the apprentice of Willie Grimes, an experienced grave robber who quickly taught Arthur the ropes of the grim trade. Together, they specialized in stealing corpses from graves and wakes, selling them to Doctor Quint, a shady scientist who constantly blackmailed them into working for free by threatening to report their activities to the police. This arrangement continued for years, with Willie and Arthur begrudgingly supplying corpses to avoid arrest.
Their work took a strange turn when they unearthed a corpse buried at a crossroads. The body was adorned with a garlic wreath and had a wooden stake driven into its chest. Dismissing Willie’s warnings as superstition, Arthur removed the stake and garlic. Moments later, as they prepared their cart, the corpse came to life and attacked them. Willie managed to defend himself with a shovel and re-staked the undead woman, rendering her lifeless once more. They delivered the re-staked body to Doctor Quint and left quickly. However, the doctor foolishly removed the stake, reviving the undead woman, who killed him.
With their blackmailer gone, Willie and Arthur saw a new opportunity: the lucrative trade in supernatural corpses. During one such job, they encountered a corpse resembling a Grey alien. While transporting the body, they were confronted by Cornelius Murphy, the enforcer of the notorious House of Murphy, a violent group of grave robbers led by Cornelius’s father, Samuel Murphy. Cornelius demanded the body, and a scuffle ensued. During the fight, the alien-like corpse vanished in a burst of light, leaving all three men stunned.
Father Duffy, intrigued, interrupts Arthur’s story to ask about further encounters with the House of Murphy. Reluctantly, Arthur recounts their final confrontation.
Arthur and Willie, accompanied by Arthur’s girlfriend and new apprentice, Fanny, were drinking at a pub when the owner, Ronnie, told them about a unique job. A local mortuary had been receiving shipments of undead bodies, but two crates had been lost in a shipwreck and were believed to be on a nearby island. The catch? The House of Murphy had already been hired to recover them. Initially reluctant to cross paths with their dangerous rivals, Arthur and Willie eventually agreed to take the job at Fanny’s insistence.
On the island, the trio found the crates guarded by Bulger, the Murphys’ brutish enforcer. To Arthur and Willie’s shock, Fanny slit Bulger’s throat. They captured one of the undead creatures from the crates, though Willie was bitten in the process. Before they could secure the second crate, Cornelius arrived, throwing a knife that killed Fanny. He then tied Arthur and Willie to the captured undead’s cage, leaving them to their fate. However, the undead broke free and attacked Valentine, the Murphys’ disfigured female assassin. In the chaos, Cornelius tried to save Valentine but was attacked by the second undead creature. Arthur and Willie freed themselves and escaped the island, leaving the Murphys to fend for themselves.
Following their return, Arthur and Willie had a bitter falling-out over the disastrous mission, leading to the end of their partnership and friendship. A week later, both were arrested for grave robbing and sentenced to death.
Back in the prison cell, Father Duffy presses Arthur for details about Cornelius’s fate, but Arthur maintains that they left him alive, though in a dire situation. However, Duffy’s demeanor suddenly changes, revealing his true identity: he is Samuel Murphy, the vengeful leader of the House of Murphy. Murphy attempts to kill Arthur with a mace, but before he can strike, he is attacked and killed by an unexpected savior—Willie Grimes.
To Arthur’s shock, Willie is undead, carrying his severed head in one hand. Willie explains that the bite he received on the island had turned him into one of the undead after his execution. Willie sees his new undead state as a blessing, remarking that it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him. As they prepare to leave the prison, Willie jokingly suggests that Arthur should let himself be bitten to enjoy the same advantages. Arthur vehemently declines, prompting Willie to tease him about feeling “ravenous” as he playfully chases Arthur out of the cell.
Unbeknownst to Arthur and Willie, Cornelius rises from his watery grave, hinting at unfinished business.
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