Plot

A former prostitute relocates to a buttoned-down suburb, determined to fit in with mainstream society. But perverse secrets simmer beneath the wholesome surface.

The setup is pure pulp: A former prostitute (a crackerjack Constance Towers) relocates to a buttoned-down suburb, determined to fit in with mainstream society. But in the strange, hallucinatory territory of writer-director-producer Samuel Fuller, perverse secrets simmer beneath the wholesome surface. Featuring radical visual touches, full-throttle performances, brilliant cinematography by Stanley Cortez, and one bizarrely beautiful musical number, The Naked Kiss is among Fuller's greatest, boldest entertainments.—Anonymous

Kelly, a prostitute, traumatised by an experience, referred to as 'The Naked Kiss,' by psychiatrists, leaves her past, and finds solace in the town of Grantville. She meets Griff, the police captain of the town, with whom she spends a romantic afternoon. Kelly finds a job as a nurse in a hospital for handicapped children. The work helps her find her sensitive side in the caring and helping of her young patients. Kelly's path towards happiness is thrown amiss, when she witnesses a shocking event, which threatens not just her happiness, but her mental health as well.—Alejandro Frias

Kelly, a prostitute, leaves town after a fight with her procurer and takes the money he owes her. She comes to the small town of Grantville, where her first customer is Griff, the police chief, who advises her to avoid arrest by going to work for Candy's bordello across the state line. Instead, Kelly remains in town and takes a job as nurse's aid at a hospital, where she soon establishes a close rapport with the children in her ward. Griff discovers that she is still in town, and although he does not believe that she desires to reform, he reluctantly agrees to give her a chance. Later she falls in love with Grant, a wealthy grandson of the town's founder. Meanwhile, Kelly completes her reformation by helping two associates. Buff, an innocent girl, decides to become a prostitute at Candy's after the madam gives her some cash, but Kelly changes Buff's mind, returns the money, and assaults Candy. When an unmarried nurse's aid becomes pregnant, Kelly borrows money from Grant so that the woman can leave town to have her baby rather than undergo an abortion. Kelly is gratified by Grant's indifference to her past, until she makes a surprise visit to his home and discovers him molesting a little girl. Shocked at the scene and hurt by Grant's pleas for understanding because they are both "abnormal," she kills him and surrenders herself to Griff. The police chief does not believe her story, and Kelly's position is weakened by both Candy and her former procurer, who testify that she is a blackmailer. Although the nurse's aid describes Kelly's help during her pregnancy, Griff believes that the money she got from Grant was extorted. Kelly then reveals her real reason for visiting Candy, and Buff finally corroborates her testimony. Uncertain, Griff locates the girl Grant molested, and Kelly is cleared. Vindicated, Kelly leaves Grantville, despite the townspeople's pleas and Griff's marriage proposal.