Cry Terror!

Criminal mastermind Paul Hoplin orchestrates an extortion plan to collect a $500,000 ransom by threatening to blow up a crowded airline using an explosive device designed by Jim Molner. His aim is to demonstrate his ability to plant a bomb undetected and to leverage fear into money.

Hoplin calls Giant 20th Century Airlines and claims a bomb aboard one of their flights. He and his gang take Molner, his wife Joan, and their young daughter Patty hostage, initiating a tense hijack that sets the plot in motion.

The plane lands safely and a bomb squad discovers and disarms the explosive device. Hoplin's ruse is revealed as a demonstration of his capability rather than a real attack.

With FBI and airline representatives gathered in New York, Hoplin issues another threat by phone, escalating the plot and setting up a real-time countdown to his ransom. The authorities brace for a second demand as they track his moves.

Joan is forced to go alone to collect the ransom, while Hoplin's two accomplices guard her husband and child in a Midtown Manhattan penthouse. The tense exchange tests her nerve as the clock ticks down and the danger tightens.

Hoplin and Steve retreat to a Riverdale, Bronx house to wait out the pursuit and plan their next move. Steve is a benzedrine-addicted ex-con with a history of assaults on women, making him particularly dangerous.

With her husband and daughter's lives at stake, Joan arrives with the money but is left alone with Steve. She defends herself from an assault and kills Steve with a shard of broken glass.

Hoplin relocates the group to a new hideout in Lower Manhattan as the FBI closes in and the stakes rise. The shift marks a desperate bid to stay ahead of law enforcement and maintain control.

Using dental records, the FBI identifies Kelly, Hoplin's beautiful but ruthless accomplice, enabling them to locate the gang's apartment. The breakthrough accelerates the police raid.

The FBI and police close in on the apartment. A brief firefight wounds Kelly and disarms Vince, weakening Hoplin's inner circle.

Acting on her own, Joan escapes the apartment and runs for her life, darting into the nearest subway station. She fights for survival as she navigates a hazardous escape route.

Hoplin chases Joan onto the subway tracks. He steps on a third rail and is electrocuted, sealing his fate as the train arrives to stop in time.

An oncoming train slows to a stop just inches from Joan, allowing her to survive. The police arrive moments later, rounding up Hoplin's remaining gang members and ending the threat.