Crucible of Terror

Struggling art dealer John Davies launches an exhibit of Victor Clare's paintings and sculptures, the artist having not shown since World War II. The premiere sets up a tense, money-driven venture around ownership and access to the artist's latest pieces. Old tensions among the dealers and spouses begin to surface as the show starts.

Joanna and George Brent attend the show and George admires a bronze reclining nude that is supposedly sold. He presses John to sell it anyway, while John reveals that Michael's share of the proceeds will be £500 to cover Joanna's loan. The exchange underscores the financial pressures driving the culture-club dealings.

Deciding to pursue more of Victor Clare's work, John and Michael travel to Cornwall to visit Victor at his house and studio atop an abandoned tin mine. They bring their wives, Millie and Jane, whose tensions flare during the journey. The plan is to secure permission to sell more of Victor's art.

George breaks into the closed gallery after hours and, while caressing the bronze nude, is smothered with a sheet of clear plastic. The murder hints at a darker, ritualistic motive tied to the artwork. John and Michael will soon confront the consequences of the dealer’s ambitions.

John and Michael arrive in Cornwall and meet Marcia, Victor's usual model, and Dorothy, Victor's wife. Victor mentions a past 'weird sect' based there and begins pressuring Millie to pose, unsettling her. Bill Cartwright, Victor's longtime confidant, is also introduced into the circle.

Victor offers Millie an Oriental bronze bowl as a gift, which she recoils from and throws to the floor. The moment foreshadows the dark power the artworks seem to exert over those involved. That night, Millie wake from a nightmare of an Asian-masked woman holding the bowl and a sword.

Jane, after initial reluctance, agrees to pose for Victor, but the moment she completes dressing, someone stabs her to death and disposes of her body by throwing it from a window. The murder marks another deadly consequence of the art-world deals and Victor's grip over the cohort.

John studies Victor's works and offers £2000, but Victor insists on hard cash. John explains banks are closed on Sunday, so Victor sets a deadline for that night to come up with the money. The clock is ticking and the stakes grow higher.

Marcia and Millie visit the beach and Millie notices Michael watching them; Marcia pelts him with stones in response. Michael falls into the sea and is bludgeoned with a rock, his body later washing away. The beach scene intensifies the sense of ritual violence surrounding the group.

Bill reveals his collection of Asian swords, helmets, and shields, and the ceremonial sword mirrors the nightmare Millie has had. In London, John remains unable to raise the cash, and Joanna refuses him another loan, deepening the financial strain on the enterprise.

Millie, pursued by Victor, slips into the abandoned tin mine to escape. Dorothy leads her through a passageway into the house before Victor can catch up. The chase underscores the claustrophobic danger surrounding the artist and his circle.

In the forge, Victor prepares to pour molten bronze onto Millie to complete the sculpture. A disfigured woman rises from the table and a struggle ensues; John bursts in and cries Millie's name as a fiery, ghostly face appears in Victor's burning head. The violence suggests a supernatural reckoning tied to Chi-San.

Medical personnel remove a covered body as Bill explains that the events were caused by Chi-San, the Japanese cultist Victor turned into his bronze. The kimono Millie wore is revealed as a pre-ordained instrument of possession and murder. Only John and Bill remain to process what happened.