- A mysterious and cruel Baron, whose face has become frozen in a horrifying grin, demands that a prominent London physician apply experimental treatments on him to restore his face.
- A search for a winning lottery ticket in his dead father's grave causes Sardonicus' face to freeze in a horrible grimace, until he forces a doctor to treat his affliction--with even more grotesque results! The audience gets an opportunity to vote--via the "Punishment Poll"--for the penalty Sardonicus must pay for his deeds...—M.E. Nelson
- In the Nineteenth Century, in London, the prominent medical doctor Sir Robert Cargrave receives a letter from his former sweetheart Baroness Maude Sardonicus with the invitation to visit her husband Baron Sardonicus and her at his castle in Gorslava. Soon Sir Robert learns that the notorious Baron is an appalling man that frightens the local population. On the arrival in the castle Sir Roberts sees Sardonicus's servant Krull torturing a maid with leeches in a weird experiment. He meets Maude and her husband that wears a mask covering his face. Sir Robert has a private conversation with Sardonicus and he learns that the Baron was the peasant Marek Toleslawski that lived in a poor house with his wife Elenka Toleslawski and his father Henryk Toleslawski, who gives a lottery ticket as a gift to Elenka and dies. Months later, Marek and Elenka learn that they have won the lottery; however the ticket was buried with Henryk. Marek decides to retrieve the ticket in his father's grave and when he sees the face of Henryk, he freezes his face with a horrible grimace. Sardonicus wants Robert to recover his face; otherwise he will destroy Maude's face. Will Sir Robert succeed?—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 1880. Sir Robert Cargrave, a London-based research physician, is known for his revolutionary work, mostly in what is considered the cutting edge treatment of paralysis. He rushes off immediately to the region of Gorslava on the central continent upon receiving a letter from a former love, Baroness Maude Sardonicus née Randall, in a request from her husband, the Baron, to meet him. Mr. Randall forbade Maude to marry Robert, he not yet having made a name for himself, in favor of someone of substance (i.e. with money), hence her marrying the Baron. The reason for Robert's haste in his reunion with Maude is her stating that her well-being is at stake. Upon arriving in Gorslava, Robert senses that the Baron evokes fear among those around him, and that even the Baron's faithful one-eyed servant, Krull, operates in that fear. Robert also learns that much of Krull's work is doing experimental research of his own on the Baron's directive, despite Krull having no background in such. The Baron is ultimately up front to him about the reason he summoned Robert. Beyond the threats he issues, the Baron displays a certainty that Robert will do what he wants. What Robert has to figure out is not what to do, but come up with a contingency if he fails in his task which will have major consequences for himself and Maude, whom he still loves.—Huggo
- Sir Robert Cargrave is an eminent surgeon who has developed a new technique for muscle relaxation. He is summoned by his one-time love, Maude, who is now married to Baron Sardonicus. When he arrives, he finds villagers who live in fear. The Baron is strange man, not the least because he covers his face with a mask. Eventually, he tells Sir Robert the story of how he acquired his current affliction - his face is is frozen and hideously disfigured. Despite Sir Robert's best efforts, he can't return his face to normal. The Baron however forces him to keep trying, threatening to harm Maude if he refuses.—garykmcd
- n 1880, in the fictional central European country of Gorslava, prominent London physician Sir Robert Cargrave (Ronald Lewis) visits the mysterious Baron Sardonicus (Guy Rolfe) at the urgent request of Cargrave's former love, Maude (Audrey Dalton), now the baron's wife. Sir Robert becomes apprehensive when his inquiries about Sardonicus are met with fear. When Sir Robert arrives at Castle Sardonicus, his fears are quickly justified: He sees Sardonicus' servant Krull (Oskar Homolka) torturing another of the baron's servants with leeches.
Maude is afraid of what may happen if Sir Robert refuses Sardonicus' requests. Even Krull is not immune to the baron's cruelty; he is missing an eye, lost to Sardonicus' anger.
Sardonicus tells his story to Sir Robert. He was born Marek Toleslawski, a farmer like his father Henryk (Vladimir Sokoloff). Marek and his wife Elenka (Erika Peters) lived a humble life with his father, but Elenka and Henryk wanted more. Henryk bought a ticket for the national lottery but died before the drawing; after his burial, Marek and Elenka discovered that the ticket won but had been buried with Henryk. Elenka insisted that Marek retrieve the ticket from the grave to prove his love to her. Upon opening the grave, Marek was traumatized by the sight of Henryk's "grinning" skull. His face was frozen in a horrifying grin, leaving him unable to speak intelligibly. Elenka, terrified by the transformation, committed suicide. The lottery prize allowed Marek to buy a title and a castle, but he had no one to share them with. Marek renamed himself "Sardonicus" and hired speech experts to retrain him to speak. He conducted experiments on young women to find a cure for his condition, but had no success. He learned from his new wife, Maude, that Sir Robert was a great doctor specializing in paralysis, and he had hoped Sir Robert could restore his face.
Sir Robert agrees to try, but he is unsuccessful. Sardonicus demands he try more experimental treatments. When Sir Robert refuses, Sardonicus threatens to mutilate Maude's face to match his own. Sir Robert sends for a deadly South American plant and uses it to experiment on dogs. Sardonicus displays Henryk's open coffin, giving Sir Robert an idea: He will inject Sardonicus with plant extract, then recreate the trauma that caused Sardonicus' condition. The operation is a success, and Sardonicus' face is restored. Sir Robert advises him to not speak until his facial muscles have had time to adjust. The baron writes a note to Maude releasing her from their marriage, and another to Sir Robert asking his fee. Sir Robert refuses any fee, and Sardonicus lets them go.
As they prepare to leave by train, Krull implores them to return. Sardonicus has lost the power of speech again, and he cannot open his jaw or lips. Sir Robert tells Krull that the injection was only water, and that the plant extract would have been lethal even in a small dose. It was a placebo, and Sardonicus' affliction was only psychosomatic. Once Sardonicus realizes that, he will be completely restored.
Krull returns to the castle and tells the baron that he just missed Sir Robert's train. Krull sits down to eat his lavish dinner in front of Baron Sardonicus who is doomed to starve.
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