The Lonely Sex

In a town unnerved by the recent news of a sex slaying, Matt Wyler, a middle-aged, conservative-looking man, engages in "Peeping Tom" activities by watching a nightclub dancer change in her dressing room. Wyler lives in a boardinghouse with young Annabelle Greene, whom he finds attractive and is constantly trying to see in a state of undress. One afternoon, Annabelle meets her boyfriend, Ben Brown, at a park, unaware that a disturbed young man who lives in a shack near the quarry is observing their flirtation. When Annabelle and Ben leave the park, the young man finds a discarded picture of Annabelle and takes it to the shack where he hangs it on the wall. Traumatized at a young age by a domineering mother and insensitive father, the young man's rejection from a boys club due to his failure at a sexual initiation rite has left him psychotically insecure and fearful of women. Experiencing temporary blackouts, after which he is unable to recall his actions, the frightened young man seeks solace through religious radio programs. Although he longs to enter a church and seek help, the young man remains ashamed and afraid. The day after finding Annabelle's picture, the young man comes upon a woman in the park and offers her his cherished plastic flower. When the woman laughs at him, the young man is overcome with rage and strangles and beats her to death. Distraught by his actions, the young man writes "help" on the bridge near the body. The following day, Annabelle waits in the park for Ben but grows apprehensive when she sees the young man watching her. Panicking, Annabelle attempts to flee and falls, knocking herself out on a rock, after which the young man carries her to his shack where he locks her inside. The young man then returns to the park and finds a book Annabelle was reading with the business card of her father, Dr. Will Greene, inside. Uneasy about returning to the shack, the young man goes to see his sister Mary, who ridicules his pathetic pleas for help and scorns his weakness. Meanwhile, Will arrives at the boardinghouse looking for Annabelle, who Wyler reports has been absent for the entire day. The men discuss the recent murders and Wyler declares the killer is a pervert who must be killed outright. Will disagrees, explaining that whoever committed the crimes needs help. Later, the young man arrives at Will's office in the boardinghouse, seeking advice. Wyler eavesdrops as Will kindly offers to assist the young man, who blurts out a confession of murder. When Will asks the young man how he got his business card, he admits he took it from Annabelle, whom he has locked in his shack. Outraged, Wyler breaks in on the men and threatens the young man with a gun. The young man flees and Wyler and Will follow him to the quarry where Will finds the shack and frees Annabelle. Wyler continues chasing the young man into the park and shoots him on the bridge. Although fatally wounded, the young man struggles out of the park and into town, then stumbles inside the church. Wyler and Will later discover that the young man has died. Annabelle admits she feels sorry for the young man, but Wyler insists that he was perverted and deserved to die. He then returns to his peeping activities.