DOMINIQUE

David Ballard, a struggling American businessman in desperate need of money, devises a plan: using psychological manipulation, he can compel his rich English wife, Dominique, to commit suicide, thus enabling him to inherit her family's estate and assets. His plan seemingly works when Dominique's body is found hanging in her greenhouse, but David soon finds himself being haunted by what he believes is Dominique's vengeful ghost. His sanity weakens gradually as he finds himself unable to rid himself of his wife's spirit, until he finally falls to his death while trying to escape from her.

As a twist ending, the "ghost" is revealed to have been his half-sister, Ann, who had enlisted the help of the man she loves, Tony Calvert, who had come to work as the Ballards' chauffeur and ingratiated himself with Dominique before her death. Using her experience from a past career as an actress, Ann had employed elaborate special effects and makeup to fake Dominique's ghost, get rid of David and claim David's share of the family fortune for herself, while Tony, being the only person Dominique trusted, agreed to help her in return for his own sizable cut.

However, Tony then rejects Ann and plays her an audio recording that reveals that the real Dominique had actually been alive, and part of the plan, until they had killed her to avoid detection; the recording made it seem that Ann had concocted the entire plan without Tony's knowledge. Tony admits that he intends to keep the recording to enforce Ann's silence, and that he had always intended to take his share and leave her. Ann murders him with a revolver the couple had previously used as part of their deception, with the movie ending as Ann stands over Tony's corpse.

David dies while trying to escape what he believes is Dominique's ghost, which is later revealed to be a scheme orchestrated by Ann and Tony. Ann ultimately kills Tony to secure her share of the fortune.

The ending exposes a web of deception layered atop David's initial crime, revealing that not only was the haunting faked, but Dominique's death was part of a broader inheritance plot. The final act of violence by Ann underscores the corrosive effects of greed, as every conspirator is eventually undone by betrayal and mistrust.