Madhouse

At a Hollywood party celebrating Paul's fifth Dr. Death film, Paul publicly announces his engagement to Ellen Mason. Ellen gifts him an engraved watch as a keepsake of their impending marriage. The festive mood masks undercurrents of jealousy and rumors that foreshadow trouble.

Oliver Quayle reveals to Paul that Ellen had previously worked in his films and slept with him. The disclosure unsettles Paul and triggers a confrontation about Ellen's loyalty. Ellen withdraws to her room, trying to defuse the escalating tension.

A masked Dr. Death figure approaches Ellen in her room, brandishing a knife. Paul enters moments later, and when he touches her, her severed head falls from her shoulders. The shocking murder leaves Paul stunned and doubting what he might have done.

Paul is acquitted of Ellen's murder, but the tragedy destroys his career. He spends several years institutionalized in a mental hospital, haunted by the possibility that he may have killed Ellen. The Dr. Death legend spirals into a personal ruin.

Twelve years pass and Paul is summoned to London by his friend Herbert Flay, who has teamed with Quayle to produce a Dr. Death television series for the BBC. The invitation pulls him back into the world that ruined him. He agrees to join the project, despite lingering fears.

On a cruise en route to England, Paul meets Elizabeth Peters, a persistent young actress who steals his watch. She follows him through London and to Flay's house, signaling trouble ahead. The theft foreshadows her role in the mounting danger surrounding Paul.

In Flay's spider-infested basement, Paul encounters Faye Carstairs, Flay's wife and a former Dr. Death co-star who has been driven mad after a car crash. The basement scene ties the current project to the old tragedy and signals danger to Paul. The atmosphere is tense and claustrophobic as revelations emerge.

Outside Flay's house, Elizabeth spots a costumed figure stalking the grounds and approaches Paul, who is mistaken for the killer. She is brutally killed with a pitchfork, and Scotland Yard starts to believe Paul might be the Dr. Death killer. The suspicion isolates him further.

On the Dr. Death TV series set, the female co-star is found hanged by her hair, mirroring a death from the films. Scotland Yard questions Paul but finds no conclusive evidence tying him to the crime. The production becomes a stage for fear and paranoia.

Elizabeth's parents, who found Ellen's watch, threaten to hand it over to the police unless a ransom is paid. The killer lures them into Flay's house and impales both with a broadsword. The murders escalate the peril surrounding Paul and those connected to the project.

During filming, a descending bed canopy crushes the director as a trap for Paul. The killer then chases Paul through the studio as he heads toward an interview. The production environment becomes a deadly maze of traps and fear.

Julia Wilson, Flay's public relations chief, uncovers a contract and is murdered by the killer. Paul discovers her body in a replication of Ellen's death, seated at her dressing table. He drags her body to the set, turns on the camera, and sets the place ablaze.

Believing Paul dead in the fire, Flay signs a contract to take over the Dr. Death role. He later watches a reel of Paul's supposed death, only to see Paul walk out of the screen alive. Flay reveals his motive: he wrote the role for himself but was passed over, and Ellen's murder was an attempt to destroy Paul’s career.

The confrontation moves to the basement where Faye Carstairs enters and stabs Flay in the back. Flay falls into a tank of spiders and is devoured. Paul, now wearing makeup to resemble Flay, prepares for the final act of their deadly game.

Paul, with his burn-scarred face and Flay's look, sits down to dinner with Faye. She revels in the spectacle, joking that he is her favorite meal—sour cream and red herrings. The film closes on a macabre note as the Dr. Death persona seems to endure in a new form.