Hand of Death

Scientist Alex Marsh starts testing a powerful paralytic-hypnotic nerve gas on sheep in the Mojave Desert, hoping to create a weapon that could reduce battlefield casualties. The project is framed as humane, and Alex is confident in the science. His mentor Ramsey and a small team monitor early results as the potential of the gas becomes clear.

A local mailman blunders into the testing area and is overcome by the gas, though he recovers without lasting harm. The incident reveals that the gas's effects are not instantly lethal and raises concerns about safety and containment. Alex remains confident that he can control the device.

Disturbed by the incident, Alex hurries to the home of his mentor Dr. Frederick Ramsey to report the breakthrough. Carol Wilson and Tom Holland accompany him as they discuss the science and its implications. The mood mixes optimism with growing moral unease about the project.

Carol expresses strong reservations, warning that the gas could be dangerous and immoral to use on people. Alex argues that eliminating war casualties is worth pursuing, insisting on continued experimentation. The debate highlights a conflict between scientific ambition and ethical responsibility.

While working, Alex spills a liquefied version of the nerve gas and, in a panic, applies it to his hands. The next day his extremities darken and ache, signaling a dangerous contamination. His assistant Carlos touches him and dies, prompting Alex to set the lab on fire to cover up the incident.

On the run from the fallout of the incident, Alex stops at a gas station and a station attendant dies after touching him. He flees in horror, realizing the mutating agent affects anyone who comes near. The chase leads him toward Ramsey's home for help.

Alex reaches Ramsey's house and pleads for an antidote. Ramsey agrees to help, enlisting Tom Holland to assist in developing a serum. They begin a tentative quest to reverse the transformation.

The initial cure proves ineffective, and Alex drinks the vial of serum in a desperate hope for relief. Instead of restoring him, the treatment mutates him further, bloating his body and darkening his skin until he is barely recognizable.

Horrified by his grotesque transformation, Alex accidentally kills Ramsey and tries to flee. He attempts to hide his features with a trench coat and fedora as he moves through the city, hoping to evade capture while his condition worsens.

Alex struggles to speak muffled words in the cab; the driver grows frightened and touches him, dying as a result. He abandons the cab and continues his flight, stumbling toward the coastline.

The mutated scientist collapses on a deserted beach and falls asleep, a small boy playing nearby nearly discovering him. The boy's presence underscores the creature's danger and the isolation of its hiding place. Alex remains unseen as night approaches.

Alex drifts toward Tom's house where Carol is staying and breaks in, leaving a shaky note that reads 'TOM SERUM HELP' as a final appeal. Police begin to close in as the revelation of his location spreads. The urgency of the pursuit sets up the inevitable confrontation.

The police surround the beach where Alex is cornered by armed officers. Carol pleads for him to surrender, hoping to avoid further bloodshed. Tension peaks as the mutant scientist staggers toward the officers in a final, desperate bid for help.

In a last act of defiance, the mutated Alex lunges toward the authorities and is fatally gunned down in the surf. The scene marks the tragic end of a man who sought to cure war by unleashing a devastating weapon.