Scotland Yard Inspector Holloway investigates the mysterious disappearance of a horror movie actor. He travels to a small town and meets with the local policeman and the landlord of the house where the actor had lived. The two tell him four gruesome short stories about the previous tenants. 1. "The murder method": a writer is faced with the increasing threat of a serial killer character he has created. 2. "The Wax Museum": two friends find figures in a wax museum that look like their wives. 3. "Sweets for the sweet": businessman Reid hires the widow Ann Norton as a nanny and teacher for his daughter. Jane, however, never gets toys and has no friends.