A bad-tempered husband (Christopher Dark) demands that his sweet, pretty wife (Yvette Mimieux) stop flirting with men. They're sitting in a bar when Pippo the Clown (Mickey Shaughnessy) walks in, distributing balloons that advertise a traveling circus. The young blonde lets the childlike mute pet her silky hair, but the volatile husband is jealous even of a clown. Enraged, he cuts off a piece of her hair and hands it to Pippo. She runs off in tears and winds up in Pippo's trailer. The husband finds her there and uses his scissors again—this time to deadlier effect.
Later we find out how this story fits into a series about psychic phenomena, while the on-screen host (John Newland) chides us for comfortably disbelieving in it. The husband said Pippo was in the river with him, right? The clown never left the trailer, right? He was soaking wet, right? And you still don't believe in the paranormal? You poor deluded fool.
This episode of "One Step Beyond" has one memorable image: every time the husband looks into a mirror he sees the clown drawing near to throttle him. Otherwise, this stinks of a small budget and inexperienced filmmakers. The dialogue is awkward; the main cast is only adequate, while the bit players are awful; and the music is wacky and light-hearted when it should be ominous. Little things irritate the viewer. How did the husband happen to have a pair of scissors in his jacket pocket? John Newland may have a condescending answer to that one, too.
