The Terror Within (1989) Plot Summary Explained

Gargoyles reproduce by raping women. This is revealed when the scientists examine Karen and learn she is pregnant. The group realizes the gargoyles have been abducting women to continue their species, which explains why the creatures are specifically targeting female survivors.

Foreshadowing: The earlier radio mention of a female survivor being found hints at the gargoyles' reproductive targeting.

• gargoyle reproduction
• Karen pregnancy
• monster mating
• creature reproduction

The scientists debate abortion because they know the fetus is a gargoyle offspring, not a human baby. They explain that gargoyles have a very short gestation period, making the decision urgent. Karen is reluctant since the fetus could have been fathered by her late boyfriend, but the group fears the consequences of allowing a gargoyle to be born in their bunker.

• abortion debate
• Karen fetus
• gargoyle baby
• ethical dilemma

Karen gives birth to a live gargoyle, which immediately escapes from the delivery room and wreaks havoc throughout the bunker. Hal designs a plan to kill the newborn, but the attempt fails and results in the deaths of Hal, Andre, and Neil. The creature proves too dangerous to contain.

Foreshadowing: The earlier discussion about the short gestation period and the group's fear of a gargoyle birth sets up this violent outcome.

• Karen birth
• gargoyle newborn
• Hal death
• bunker attack

Sue dies accidentally while attempting to abort the fetus herself after being impregnated by the gargoyle. The group is shocked and grieving her death, which intensifies their urgency to find a solution for their gargoyle problem.

• Sue death
• self-abortion
• gargoyle pregnancy
• accidental death

Linda and David discover that gargoyles are vulnerable to high-pitched frequencies when a stray dog whistle disrupts a retreating creature. This accidental discovery gives them a viable method to fight back against the monsters that have been terrorizing the bunker.

• dog whistle
• high frequency
• gargoyle weakness
• sound weapon

The gargoyle abducts Sue with the intent to reproduce, following the species' established method of reproduction. After wounding David and injuring his dog Butch, the creature takes Sue and impregnates her, adding another deadly threat to the group's already precarious situation.

Foreshadowing: This follows the same pattern seen with Karen's pregnancy earlier in the film.

• Sue abduction
• gargoyle reproduction
• creature attack
• kidnapping

The survivors devise a plan to lure the gargoyle into the ventilation system using a dog whistle, then destroy it with the exhaust fan. They later also use remote-controlled explosives to trigger an implosion, annihilating any remaining gargoyles in the bunker before their final departure.

• dog whistle
• exhaust fan
• explosion
• sound weapon
• gargoyle kill

David and Linda are the primary survivors who escape, along with the healed dog Butch. They re-establish radio contact with the Rocky Mountain Lab and carry high-frequency equipment as they venture outside. The final defense destroys the bunker in an implosion, eliminating the gargoyle infestation.

• David survival
• Linda survival
• Butch
• escape
• final survivors

Yes, David and Linda re-establish radio contact with the Rocky Mountain Lab, which was previously unreachable. This contact gives them hope and a potential destination as they prepare to leave the Mojave Lab bunker behind.

• Rocky Mountain Lab
• radio contact
• rescue
• other survivors

Michael and John are killed during a gargoyle attack while surveying the Mojave wasteland. Their deaths occur off-screen but are heard through radio communications. David and Sue later discover their bodies while searching for survivors and find the pregnant Karen nearby.

• Michael death
• John death
• survey mission
• gargoyle attack