Its plot follows two female college students spending their summer vacation at Lake Tenkiller in rural Oklahoma where a rash of grisly murders are occurring.

The film was produced and financed by the Tulsa-based United Entertainment Pictures, who hired documentary filmmaker Ken Meyer to direct the project; his son, actor Kevin Meyer, recruited several of his classmates from the USC School of Cinematic Arts to work on the project, including cinematographer Steven Wacks and actor Michael Shamus Wiles.

One night in rural Oklahoma, a marina worker named Tor murders Denise, a local waitress, by slitting her throat, then dumps her body in Lake Tenkiller.

The women go for a swim in the lake, after which Janna recounts folklore about a Native American maiden who took revenge on an opposing tribe for killing her sister.

At the Cove, a small diner owned by local Charlie, the women are observed by Tor, who takes an instant liking to Leslie.

She tries to hide in the cabin basement via an exterior access door, but finds Preacher's dismembered body parts, and instead flees into the woods.

Shortly after graduating from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Kevin Meyer was approached by his father, documentary filmmaker Ken Meyer, who had been offered to direct a horror film for the Oklahoma-based home media company United Entertainment Pictures, who had previously produced and released Blood Cult (1985).

[7] United Entertainment Pictures funded the project with a budget of approximately $40,000, and mandated that the shoot take place within a two-week timeframe.

[5] Lead actress Stacey Logan was a recent graduate of Oklahoma City University at the time of her casting, and was performing in touring theater productions.

"[1] Author Mark Whitehead, in The Pocket Essentials Slasher Movies (2000), awarded the film a one out of five-star rating, deeming it a "tired and amateurish Friday the 13th clone.

[15] Terror at Tenkiller with a humorous mocking commentary by Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett of Mystery Science Theater 3000 fame was released as a purchasable download (Video on Demand) by RiffTrax on March 28, 2014.