Criminally Insane

Ethel Janowski is released from the institution and moves into her grandmother's San Francisco home. Dr. Gerard expresses unease about her discharge and the risk she poses. This sets the stage for a disturbing new chapter in the household.

Shortly after moving in, Ethel starts consuming large amounts of food and claims the institution staff tried to starve her. Her appetite grows, alarming Mrs. Janowski and hinting at deeper compulsions. The household begins to feel the weight of an impending crisis.

Mrs. Janowski empties the refrigerator and locks the cupboards in an attempt to stop Ethel's gorging. Ethel reacts with escalating desperation as access to food becomes restricted. The tension in the home rises as actions take a darker turn.

In a violent outburst, Ethel stabs her grandmother to death after she threatens to contact Dr. Gerard. She then stabs the old woman's hand to seize the cabinet key. The corpse is left in the bedroom as Ethel consolidates her control over food.

Ethel locks her grandmother's corpse in a bedroom and places an order for more groceries. She maintains a routine around her meals while concealing the murder, letting the house slowly fill with a growing secret. The absence of the grandmother becomes obvious only to those who discover the stench later.

When the groceries arrive, Ethel cannot pay and attacks the delivery boy with a broken bottle. He is killed as he tries to leave with the order, and his body becomes part of the mounting pile of victims in the house.

Ethel's sister Rosalie arrives and announces that she will stay for a few days. Her presence adds another layer of tension to an already unstable household as the crimes remain hidden beneath daily life.

Ethel ignores calls from Dr. Gerard while Rosalie complains about the smell emanating from the locked bedroom. She continues to maintain the illusion of normality as the stench of the secret grows stronger. The house becomes a trap for the characters involved.

Rosalie runs into her abusive ex-boyfriend and pimp, John, at a bar. He follows her home and the two have sex, intensifying the unstable dynamics in the house. The encounter foreshadows further shifts in the household's dangerous balance.

Dr. Gerard visits to question Ethel about missed appointments. Ethel bludgeons him with a candlestick, bringing another victim into the growing secret. His death deepens the danger around the household.

Three days after the delivery boy's murder, Detective McDonough visits to question Ethel about his disappearance. She provides evasive statements and avoids giving a clear answer, keeping the investigation at a standstill. The detective leaves unconvinced and with more questions.

That night, Rosalie and John, unable to tolerate the odor, decide to break down the locked bedroom door in the morning. After they go to bed, Ethel murders them with a cleaver, eliminating two more witnesses to her crimes. The household tightens around her actions.

Detective McDonough returns to re‑interview Ethel; she gives contradictory information and evasive answers. The detective leaves the scene without resolving the case, contributing to the sense of impending doom.

Ethel dismembers her victims and stuffs the pieces into sacks, then drives to a seaside area to dump them into the ocean. When witnesses cause trouble, she returns home, dragging the sacks back inside. On the way in, she forgets to close the car trunk, leaving evidence behind.

A suspicious neighbor calls the police after spotting a severed hand, and Detective McDonough returns to the scene. He walks in on Ethel eating one of her dead grandmother's arms, bringing the brutal sequence to a stark close.