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Oscar Bataille (Fernando Rey) is a French district attorney with a strong belief in the death penalty and a reputation for seeking it in all of his cases. He is disturbed when several horrific murders, all identical to cases he's tried and convicted in the past, begin occurring, and he is sure that someone is committing the crimes as some sort of bizarre revenge against him. Oscar's wife Patricia (Marisa Mell) is worried about him, since his doctor has suggested a long vacation to steady his frayed nerves, and he is more agitated than ever since the killings began. Meanwhile, Patricia's former lover, Wilson Vargas (Espartaco Santoni), has taken a room at their hotel. Wilson is a staunchly anti-capital punishment author who is preparing a book which will directly question the validity of Oscar's high-profile murder cases; in addition to engaging Oscar in tense debates, he attempts to woo Patricia back to his side. Oscar works closely with the police to help solve the crimes, and his knowledge of the original murders means that he can direct the authorities to the exact location of bodies and weapons. But after Oscar experiences a bizarre nightmare of being on trial himself, and a movie actor is strangled with one of Patricia's scarves, it is obvious that Oscar is more closely linked to the crimes than even he is aware of. Also known as Night Fiend and Penalty of Death.