Los Angeles is being terrorized by a masked serial killer whose modus operandi is to break into stores after hours, murder the workers, and take the surveillance tapes so he can use them to relive his crimes.

At Steve's liquor store (the main door to which has been boarded up due to an incident with a homeless man) the employees, customers, and a deliveryman named Morty discuss the killer, the $500,000 being offered as a reward for his capture, and how they would kill him, the mentioned methods being eye gouging, exsanguination in plastic wrap, sawing, and decapitation.

Forced to try and survive until Morty drops a delivery off at dawn, Jess and Donny find the hidden room where Steve keeps his surveillance equipment, and seal themselves in it.

[1] An overall grade of 2.5 out of 5 was given by Justin Felix of DVD Talk, who found the plot contrived and the mystery weak, though the murders and quirky characters largely succeeded at making it "a run-around that does entertain" and "a dark yet slightly comic take on the slasher films of yesteryear".

[3] Steve Porter of DVD Verdict also lambasted Cornered!, stating that it was an "agonizingly slow" film that was full of "moronic horror-film clichés" and no surprises, and ultimately concluding that it was "a complete waste for all but the hardest of hard core slasher fans, who'll probably be disappointed by the relative lack of sickness on display".