Circle of Fear: Death's Head

"Death's Head" is the fourteenth episode of season one of Ghost Story. Directed by James Neilson, the episode first aired on NBC on January 5th, 1973. In this episode, Carol is trapped inside of a loveless marriage with her husband Steve. Seeking to get away from him, she enters into an arrangement with a young gypsy woman in the hopes of killing off her husband so she can be with her lover Larry. Carol's arrangement however, results in dire consequences for both of them when her husband Steve is transformed into a Death's Head moth.

Notes & Trivia

 * The story convention of a scheming lover conspiring against her husband resulting in gruesome retribution was a popular plot device used in horror comics of the 1950s published by EC Comics.


 * The title refers to the Death's Head moth, a central plot device used in this episode. The Death's Head moth was also a key plot device seen in the 1991 thriller Silence of the Lambs.


 * Actress Janet Leigh is better known for playing the role of Marion Crane in the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho.


 * Actor Rory Calhoun will go on to play the role of Farmer Vincent in the 1980 Kevin Connor slasher/comedy Motel Hell.


 * This episode borrows some plot concepts from the 1958 film The Fly.

Characters
In alphabetical order


 * Carol: Carol hated her insect-collecting husband and was having an affair with a man named Larry. She consulted with a Gypsy woman to be rid of her husband who transformed him into a Death's Head moth.


 * Doctor:


 * Larry: Larry was Carol's lover and co-conspirator.


 * Mrs. Norman:


 * Old Gypsy: The old Gypsy is responsible for granting Carol's wish to be rid of her husband by using a spell to transform him into a Death's Head moth.


 * Steve: Steve was a successful business man and a collector of insects - a hobby that greatly infuriated his wife, Carol. Carol wanted to be rid of her husband, so she enlisted the aid of a Gypsy woman who placed a curse on Steve, tranforming him into a Death's Head moth.


 * Young Gypsy woman: