中年女子黛博拉•巴林(Lee Grant 李•格兰特 饰)是一名备受争议的电视评论员。某天,她站在女性的立场上,对一起杀夫案进行了评述。她积极为行凶的妻子辩护,并大力谴责被杀的丈夫。她的言论通过电视进入千家万户,且引起其中一个人的注意。 考特•霍克(Michael Ironside 迈克尔•艾恩赛德 饰)童年时,父亲的脸被母亲泼去的滚油烧伤,他因此对女性存有极端的愤恨。黛博拉的出位言论令考特极为反感,他决定杀死这个女人。夜归途中,黛博拉遭到袭击,重伤住院。誓不罢休的考特潜入医院,势要让黛博拉彻底消失……Deborah Ballin is a controversial middle-aged TV journalist, who is campaigning on air on behalf of a battered woman who murdered her abusive husband, claiming justifiable defense against the so-called victim. But her outspoken views championing women's rights incense one of the studio's cleaning staff, closet homicidal psycho (and misogynist) Colt Hawker whose deep seated despising all all things female occurred from seeing his Mother throwing boiling oil in the face of his abusive Father when he was a small child (and who's M.O. is to photograph victims he stabs as they're spasming to death). So much so that he decides there and then to shut her up...PERMANENTLY! Managing to beat her home, he soon dispatches her maid Francine, before turning his rage onto her as she come home (greeting her in only wearing her jewelry and make-up). Despite the brutal injuries he lashes out on her, she manages to survive and is rushed off to hospital. But undaunted he catches up to her in hospital and disguised as a florist... he enter the building to continue his mission to finish her off...along with anyone else who gets under his skin.