Jake Tilton works at Trident Supply in Louisiana with his friends Tony Cobb and Catfish. Their supervisor is Gillespie and the top manager is Kevin, who is married to Jake's ex-girlfriend Olivia. Kevin fires Gillespie, who blames the poor performance of his employees, particularly Jake, for making him look bad.Outside a bar after work, several Trident employees notice a loaded GT Mustang in the parking lot. Over a drink, Cobb tells Jake that his ex-wife Abby has a restraining order preventing him from seeing his young son Corey.Jake and Cobb find Gillespie drinking away his sorrows alone. On the table is a monkey's paw. Gillespie tells them the tale of how the talisman grants its owner three wishes. He gives the paw to Jake and tells him to make a wish. Jake jokingly wishes for the GT in the parking lot. Gillespie tells Jake that he is now the paw's new owner.Cobb finds the keys in the Mustang and convinces Jake to take it for a joyride. Jake swerves to miss an alligator in the road and hits a tree. Cobb ejects through the windshield and dies. Jake flags down a passing car, but leaves the scene after wishing that Cobb were not dead. Cobb reanimates. A woman takes Cobb home to treat his wounds and he kills her. Meanwhile, Jake throws the paw away in frustration.In the morning, Detective Margolis notices Jake outside the police station as he contemplates reporting Cobb's death, but Jake leaves instead. Cobb confronts his ex-wife about wanting to see their son. Later, Jake finds Cobb in the cemetery and Cobb tells him that he wants to use the paw's third wish to reunite with his son Corey.Suspecting that Jake might use the last wish to take Olivia back from Kevin, Cobb puts Kevin's head in a machine press and kills him. Cobb also murders Jake's cancer-stricken mother to unburden Jake of her medical bills. Realizing that his family is in danger, Jake convinces his brother Charlie and Charlie's wife Sandy to leave town temporarily.Jake visits Gillespie and Gillespie admits the awful truth about the paw's curse. Cobb later kills Gillespie before going after Charlie and Sandy. Detective Margolis, who had been investigating the murders, comes to believe Cobb is the killer. However, Cobb kills Margolis as the detective tries taking Olivia to safety.Jake finally retrieves the paw and confronts Cobb outside Abby's home as Cobb holds Olivia hostage. Jake uses the third wish to ask for Cobb's soul to return. Cobb stabs Olivia before having an emotional breakdown and committing suicide with Jake's gun.Injured in the struggle with Cobb, Jake is taken away by ambulance while frantically asking about the paw's whereabouts. Later, as Abby and Corey drive away from their home, the paw is seen in the boy's hand.