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.
The plot of the movie revolves around a U.S. Marshal, on a snowy Christmas Eve, who seeks refuge from her judgmental family by immersing herself in work. However, her plans take an unexpected turn when she gets snowed in with an unlikely companion – a cheerful and heavily pregnant fugitive. To complicate matters, she finds herself tasked with keeping this soon-to-be mom safe from both labor pains and a merry band of bumbling goons led by a trio of hitmen who couldn’t find a reindeer in the North Pole.
