The Mad Magician

Gallico performs his first magic show under the stage name The Great Rinaldi, headlined by The Lady and the Buzz Saw. He dreams of becoming a star magician and seeks to outshine rivals with his latest illusion.

During the performance, Ross Ormond and his lawyer interrupt with a cease and desist against the buzz-saw trick. The confrontation underscores the conflict between artistic ambition and business control over magical innovations.

Gallico signs a contract with Illusions, Inc., granting Ormond ownership of all his inventions, not just those produced for the company. The deal binds all future creations to Ormond's control, shaping the fate of Gallico's career.

In the Illusions, Inc. warehouse, the two argue over how Ormond could have stopped the trick, exposing a power struggle behind the spectacle. The dispute ends with Gallico letting his anger flare toward the man he believes is undermining him.

Incensed, Gallico decapitates Ormond with the buzz saw and places the severed head in a bag. He plans to dispose of it quietly, maintaining the illusion that the accident was just a prop failure.

Gallico’s assistant Karen Lee briefly handles the bag, unaware of its contents. The bag is mistakenly taken to a hansom cab and later handed over to the police, who are misled about whether it contains a real head or a dummy.

Gallico impersonates Ormond to rent an apartment from mystery novelist Alice Prentiss. He uses Ormond's identity to gather a private space where he can further his deception.

Gallico disguises Ormond's body as a dummy and places it in a bonfire during a local celebration. The ashes are later searched and Ormond's skeletal remains surface, linking the crime to the impostor.

Claire, Ormond's wife, learns of the deception and confronts Gallico, recognizing the disguise. He murders her to keep his secret from being exposed.

With Prentiss's confirmation that Ormond was in the room, police believe Ormond is the killer and use the throat prints to link him to the crime. However, Rinaldi hints that the prints may belong to someone else, casting doubt on the conclusion.

Gallico debuts The Crematorium, an illusion that seemingly incinerates him on stage. Afterward, Rinaldi reveals he has deduced Gallico's murder of Claire and uses the information to blackmail him in exchange for control of all future tricks.

Gallico murders Rinaldi and incinerates his remains in the furnace, then impersonates Rinaldi to take over the touring act. He refuses to reveal his true identity to investigators, maintaining the deception.

Prentiss and Bruce break into Gallico's workspace to obtain his fingerprints. Gallico, in his Rinaldi disguise, knocks Bruce out and starts to burn him in the furnace. Lee arrives to create a distraction, allowing Prentiss to free Bruce, and the struggle ends with Gallico being incinerated.