A pathologist, Dr. Warren Chapin (played by Vincent Price), discovers that the tingling of the spine in states of extreme fear is due to the growth of a tingler—a spinal parasite which can kill the host unless it is destroyed by screaming.
When a group of scientists developing an engine for interstellar travel see their funding cut after a fatal disaster, the disgraced group must resort to criminal activity to finance their operation as they rebuild their space time device.