Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
The Flawed Cure
Susanne Loret suffers disfigurement, prompting Dr. Levin to develop and administer Derma 28. Their professional bond quickly deepens into romantic obsession as her beauty returns.
Key Events
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Car Accident Disfigures Susanne — Susanne Loret suffers severe facial disfigurement in a vehicular crash. Location: Unspecified Road
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Levin Develops Derma 28 — Dr. Levin refines a miraculous healing agent from his radiation research. Location: Laboratory
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Experimental Treatment Begins — Levin administers the serum to restore Susanne's beauty. Location: Medical Facility
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Romantic Feelings Emerge — Levin falls deeply in love with Susanne during the recovery process. Location: Medical Facility
The Serum Crisis
Levin's supply of Derma 28 runs out, triggering a desperate moral shift. He decides to murder women to harvest glands, crossing a permanent ethical line.
Key Events
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Romantic Feelings Emerge — Levin falls deeply in love with Susanne during the recovery process. Location: Medical Facility
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Serum Supply Depletes — Levin realizes his stock of the healing agent has run out completely. Location: Laboratory
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Murder Decision Made — Determined to save her appearance, Levin decides to kill women for more serum. Location: Laboratory
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First Gland Extraction — Levin commits his first murder to harvest biological material for the serum. Location: Unspecified Location
Mutation and Myth
Levin injects himself with Derma 25, becoming a remorseless monster. His dockside killings spark a vampire legend among arriving Japanese refugees.
Key Events
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Self-Experimentation with Derma 25 — Levin injects himself with the earlier mutated radiation formula. Location: Laboratory
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Monstrous Mutation Occurs — The serum transforms Levin into a remorseless, monstrous state. Location: Laboratory
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Docks Murders Commence — Levin begins targeting victims near the refugee ship arrivals. Location: Docks
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Neck Holes Discovered — Victims are found with precise holes in their necks where glands were extracted. Location: Docks
Speculation and Descent
During a police meeting, Levin analyzes the Seddok myth and radiation trauma. He fully embraces his monstrous state, leaving the legend unresolved.
Key Events
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Vampire Myth Spreads — Refugees attribute the attacks to a vampire they call Seddok. Location: Docks
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Police Meeting Convened — Authorities gather to discuss the unexplained dockside murders. Location: Police Station
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Psychological Strain Theory — Levin speculates that radiation trauma causes the survivors' monster tales. Location: Police Station
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Disturbed Man Hypothesis — Levin wonders if the vampire is actually a disturbed man wishing to be normal. Location: Police Station
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Hiroshima Radiation Echoes — The narrative connects the murders to post-war radiation damage themes. Location: Police Station
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Seddok Name Analysis — Witnesses note that Seddok is not a Japanese name, deepening the mystery. Location: Docks
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Scientific Hubris Revealed — Levin's obsession with beauty and normalcy drives his monstrous actions. Location: Police Station
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Moral Descent Complete — Levin fully embraces his remorseless state to continue his killings. Location: Police Station
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Vampire Legend Persists — The myth of Seddok endures as the film concludes. Location: City
When a singer is horribly disfigured in a car accident, a scientist develops a treatment which can restore her beauty by injecting her with a special serum. While performing the procedure, however, he falls in love with her. As the treatment begins to fail, he determines to save her appearance, regardless of how many women he must kill for her sake.
