Ring of Fear (1954)

In the heart-pounding spectacle, Ring of Fear (1954), Dublin O'Malley, a man teetering dangerously on the edge of sanity, escapes from a psychiatric institution after brutally taking the life of a guard. Not satiated by this bloodshed, he murders a railroad worker, switches clothes with the deceased, and leaves his body to be crushed by an oncoming train. This cunning psychotic fugitive then makes his way to the Clyde Beatty Circus, drawn by the allure of the graceful aerialist, Valerie St. Dennis, and the bitter taste of revenge against Beatty. The circus, once a vibrant whirl of excitement and joy, now finds itself shrouded in a cloak of fear and superstition. The performers whisper of a jinx as mysterious accidents plague the show. In this swirling storm of chaos, O'Malley finds an ally in Twitchy, the circus's alcoholic clown, manipulating him through a potent mix of liquor and blackmail into committing acts of sabotage against the circus. Desperate to save his beleaguered show, Beatty enlists the help of famous crime author, Mickey Spillane, who brings along his trusty sidekick, Jack Stang. As Spillane digs deeper into the circus's murky underbelly, O'Malley proves to be a formidable adversary, unleashing a man-eating tiger in a desperate attempt to divert attention and create havoc. The climax surges with pulse-pounding suspense as O'Malley, cornered, chooses to hide in an empty boxcar. But the predator becomes the prey as the ravenous tiger, driven by curiosity and hunger, follows him in. As the show's fate hangs in the balance, will Spillane and Stang solve this deadly jigsaw in time, or will the ring of fear tighten its noose around the beleaguered circus?

Ring of Fear is a drama movie featuring Mickey Spillane and directed by James Edward Grant.

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