Note: This synopsis pertains to the original Italian release, highlighting the segments in a specific order.
In Three Faces of Fear, introduced by the iconic Boris Karloff, three chilling tales unfold, each steeped in horror and the supernatural.
THE TELEPHONE
In the heart of Paris, Rosy, portrayed by Michèle Mercier, is a captivating and high-priced call-girl. After a night out, she returns to her spacious basement apartment only to be haunted by unsettling phone calls. The caller, Frank—her ex-pimp—has recently escaped from prison, and Rosy is terrified, knowing that her testimony put him behind bars. Seeking comfort, she reaches out to her estranged lover Mary, played by Lidia Alfonsi. Despite their distance, Rosy believes Mary is her only help. Mary agrees to come over, yet unbeknownst to Rosy, it's actually Mary impersonating Frank in a twisted game. Upon Mary's arrival, she attempts to soothe Rosy’s anxieties with a tranquillizer, lulling her to sleep.
As the night deepens, Mary confesses in writing that she made the ominous calls to reinsert herself into Rosy’s life. However, during her moment of reflection, a true threat materializes—Frank enters, and in a horrific turn, he strangles Mary. Awakened by the commotion, Rosy finds herself cornered, but she is not defenseless. Armed with a butcher knife stowed beneath her pillow, she strikes back, plunging the knife into Frank as he attempts to overpower her. The scene culminates in a harrowing display of desperation: surrounded by the lifeless bodies of her lovers, Rosy succumbs to hysteria.
THE WURDALAK
Set in 19th Century Russia, a young nobleman, Vladimir D'Urfe, discovers a sinister beheaded corpse during his travels, along with a knife imbedded deep in its heart. He takes this artifact as a memento. Seeking shelter for the night, he arrives at a rustic cottage owned by Giorgio, played by Glauco Onorato, who introduces him to his family eagerly waiting for their missing patriarch, Gorcha, which the family fears has become a wurdalak—a type of undead that feeds on its loved ones.
As the clock strikes midnight, Gorcha, portrayed by Boris Karloff, returns, casting a foreboding shadow over the household. It becomes a grim contest between his monstrous nature and the familial bonds of love that threaten to hold them back from necessary sacrifice. Tragedy ensues as Gorcha attacks the family, leading to horrifying consequences that will forever change their lives. When Sdenka, a family member, lured by her connections, succumbs to Gorcha's influence, her relationship with Vladimir spirals into chaos, instigating a series of tragic decisions that culminate in a cycle of horror.
THE DROP OF WATER
In Victorian London, Nurse Helen Chester, played by Jacqueline Pierreux, is summoned to prepare the body of a deceased medium. Struck by greed, she steals an ornate diamond ring from the corpse. Once back in her modest residence, Helen is plagued by a relentless fly and the unsettling sound of dripping water that pushes her towards madness.
Her guilt regarding the theft seemingly manifests in terrifying visions, including the horrific return of the medium's ghost. In a dreadful climax, Helen’s actions lead her to choke herself in fear, seemingly at the ghost's beckoning. The following day, her lifeless body is discovered, raising questions about the true nature of her demise. The pathologist's grim observation hints at a more sinister fate, exacerbated by the relentless fly that continues to haunt the scene.
As the chilling narrative draws to a close, Boris Karloff appears once more, delivering a poignant caution against the darker forces that lurk in the night, as the screen pulls back to reveal the theatricality behind this terrifying ordeal.
