The Devil's Hand

Rick Turner’s nocturnal dreams are anything but typical, featuring a woman dressed in a negligee who dances amidst the clouds, leaving her otherworldly image etched in his mind. These intrusive visions disrupt his daily life, prompting him to seek answers. One restless night, he is inexplicably drawn to a charming doll shop where a peculiar encounter awaits him. There, he discovers a doll that bears an uncanny resemblance to the woman from his dreams, provoking a mix of fascination and unease.

The following day, he brings his girlfriend, Donna Trent, to the shop in search of some rational clarification. To their astonishment, the shop’s mysterious owner, Frank Lamont, claims to have known Rick all along and insists that he had pre-ordered the eerie doll—a likeness of Bianca Milan, a woman Rick has never encountered.

Just as they prepare to leave, Donna notices a doll that looks eerily like her own likeness. Frank, however, refuses to sell it, and as they exit, he mysteriously vanishes into his back room filled with incense and the soft glow of flickering lamps, creating an ethereal atmosphere overseen by a statue of Buddha.

Things spiral out of control when Donna unexpectedly collapses, experiencing an agonizing heart “spasm.” The doctors at the hospital advise complete bed rest, leaving Rick feeling utterly helpless and bewildered.

In seemingly orchestrated fate, another vision of Bianca Milan manifests before him. Believing that delivering the doll will free him from the torment of his visions, he embarks on a quest to find her, driven by a mixture of curiosity and desperation. Upon entering her luxurious apartment, he is struck by her beauty, and as they become lovers that night, Bianca unveils the source of his visions—a form of “thought projection” learned through her association with the Gamba cult, worshippers of the Great Devil God.

Without hesitation, she invites Rick to join her at an upcoming cult meeting where he’ll be initiated. This very meeting transpires in the same mysterious back room of the doll shop, where Frank Lamont plays the role of High Executioner.

As the evening progresses, Bianca reveals that a human sacrifice is imminent. A young woman, bound and helpless, lies on an altar while a knife-studded wheel begins to spin above her, as the Gamba cult’s Great Devil God decides her fate. Frank’s role remains shrouded in mystery as he engages with a foot pedal, leaving Rick to ponder who truly governs this dark ritual. Fortunately, the blade used is rubber, sparing the young woman’s life, although a hidden photographer captures the chilling ceremony for unclear reasons, pulling Rick deeper into this web of darkness.

In a shocking twist of fate, Rick encounters Donna at the doll shop, her porcelain-like visage forever frozen in a scream as a pin pierces her heart. Despite his grim fascination, he restrains himself from intervening for fear of drawing attention. Instead, he rushes to the hospital to deliver a foreboding prophecy: Donna will regain her health at midnight.

As the clock strikes twelve, Donna emerges from her ordeal, completely healed. Meanwhile, a sinister figure named Mary, disguised as a nurse, discreetly informs Bianca of this miraculous recovery. When Rick arrives at Bianca’s apartment, he is met with news of an emergency meeting for their clandestine group that night, where an atmosphere of trepidation looms, and Frank ominously announces the existence of an “intruder” destined for a gruesome fate at midnight.

As the clock ticks to midnight, Frank’s malicious intentions come to light when he seizes the doll symbolizing an undercover journalist and violently impales it. The journalist, trapped in an unforeseen event, screams as his car careens down a hillside before exploding into flames, while Frank casts the doll aside amidst the chaos.

The subsequent meeting at 12:30 brims with tension as Frank challenges Rick’s loyalty. Unbeknownst to him, Donna is chosen as the next sacrifice. Ironically, Frank compels Rick to spin the wheel of fate, but just as calamity seems imminent, he manages to rescue Donna from impending doom. A struggle ensues, culminating in Frank’s tragic downfall beneath the very wheel he orchestrated.

With the sacrificial room engulfed in flames, Rick and Donna flee into the night, their bond reignited as Rick reflects on their harrowing journey with the fateful words: “That’s it, isn’t it?” Yet, as they escape, Bianca, ever a figure of enigma, whispers sweet nothings to her cloud-dwelling kin, leaving them with her cryptic farewell: “That’s what he thinks!”

Last Updated: November 17, 2024 at 21:53