Opera

As Mara Cecova's (star of the avant-garde production) tumultuous tenure as Lady Macbeth comes to a close due to a devastating accident that leaves her injured and out of commission, her understudy Betty finds herself thrust into the spotlight. Despite initial trepidations, Betty's performance is met with widespread acclaim, earning her instant recognition within the theatrical community.

However, an enigmatic opera enthusiast slips into the opera house on opening night, taking his seat in an empty box to bear witness to Betty's triumph. When a zealous stagehand interrupts his reverie, he responds with brutal efficiency, dispatching the man by impaling him on a coat-hook.

As the curtain closes on the night's performance, Betty's boyfriend Stefan arrives at her dressing room, beaming with pride and inviting her to join him for a post-show celebration. As they retire to his apartment, the unseen killer seizes the opportunity, striking without warning. The hooded figure overpowers Betty, binding her to a pillar as she helplessly watches the gruesome murder of Stefan, who returns to the bedroom only to meet his maker at the hands of the merciless assailant. A row of needles is strategically placed beneath each of her eyes, ensuring she remains transfixed by the horror unfolding before her.

Shaken by the traumatic experience and its eerie connection to a long-buried childhood memory of her mother's brutal murder at the hands of a hooded figure, Betty chooses not to involve the authorities in Stefan's tragic demise. Instead, she confides in Marco, the director of Macbeth, about the incident, sensing that the killer may possess intimate knowledge of her own troubled past.

The next day, Inspector Alan Santini arrives at the opera house to investigate Stefan's murder and probe a seemingly connected attack on the production's beleaguered ravens, whose three lifeless bodies are discovered following the show. As Betty prepares for rehearsals, she chooses to lay low, hiding in her dressing room where she reaches out to her agent, the maternal Mira, seeking guidance on how to navigate this treacherous landscape.

As the day wears on, Betty finds herself entwined in a sinister plot after a wardrobe seamstress named Giulia discovers a cryptic gold bracelet sewn onto her costume. The two women's investigation is abruptly interrupted by the killer, who returns with malice in his heart. As Giulia fights back with an iron, she inadvertently reveals the killer's face, prompting him to strike down his victim with ruthless precision. In a desperate bid to reclaim the crucial clue, the killer resorts to gruesome measures, cutting into Giulia's throat to retrieve the bracelet. With her dying breath, Giulia inadvertently swallows the bracelet, forcing the killer to flee, leaving Betty bound and helpless once more.

Later that evening, Betty finds herself beset by uncertainty when Inspector Santini sends a detective named Soavie to guard her apartment. As she struggles with blurred vision after applying eye drops, the supposed Inspector Soavie arrives, only for Mira to reveal that another man claiming to be Soavie had approached her in the lobby earlier. The tension mounts as Betty and Mira hide from the impostor, who receives a phone call and departs. In a moment of panic, Betty tries to call the authorities, but Mira's attention is diverted by a knock at the door. Despite the would-be visitor's claims of being a police officer, Mira remains skeptical, and as she peers through the peephole, she becomes the killer's latest victim.

Trapped and half-blind, Betty must rely on her wits to evade the hooded assassin, who has infiltrated her apartment. In a heart-pumping game of cat-and-mouse, Betty trades gunfire with the killer using Soavie's gun, but her escape is only facilitated by the timely intervention of a resourceful little neighbor girl. The girl's mother, however, is less than welcoming, demanding that Betty depart immediately. As she flees down the hallway, Betty cannot help but wonder if she has merely traded one form of danger for another.

As Betty steps foot back into the opera house, she's reunited with Marco, who lays out a calculated plan to ensnare the killer. Meanwhile, her mind wanders back to the dark connection between the murderer and her own troubled past, specifically the abusive mother she never knew. The very next night, Betty dons the persona of Lady Macbeth once more, but her performance is brutally interrupted when Marco unleashes a flock of vengeful ravens into the audience. Like a harbinger of doom, the birds zero in on their target - Inspector Santini, who's revealed to be the true culprit. As the ravenous creatures descend upon him, gouging out one eye, Betty recognizes the face of her tormentor from the previous night's chaos.

Santini, now blind-sided and enraged, attempts to take aim at Betty on stage, but she dodges his bullets with ease. The inspector, however, manages to evade capture and instead pounces on an unsuspecting Betty in her dressing room. Dragging her to a secluded corner of the opera house, he reveals the shocking motive behind his relentless pursuit: Santini was once the young teenage lover of Betty's sadistic mother, who would orchestrate gruesome murders for her twisted pleasure. When Betty's mother grew increasingly demanding and bloodthirsty, Santini took matters into his own hands, murdering her as well, with Betty bearing witness to the carnage from behind a partly open door.

Years later, Santini's dark desires have been rekindled by Betty's resemblance to her mother - a doppelganger in his twisted mind. Blindfolding and restraining Betty, Santini stages his own gruesome demise, setting fire to the room and seemingly taking his own life. But Betty refuses to become another victim, breaking free from her bonds and escaping the inferno to find solace in Marco's arms.

As the tranquil landscape of the Swiss Alps unfolded before them, Betty (character) and Marco set out from Rome to escape the turmoil that had beset their lives. The serene atmosphere was a welcome respite for Betty, who sought refuge in the secluded home owned by Marco - a haven where she could lay her weary head and mend her shattered spirit. However, their peace was short-lived, as Marco's attention was suddenly piqued by a radio broadcast that sent his world crashing down around him.

The revelation that the charred remains thought to be those of Santini were, in fact, merely a life-sized mannequin, sparked a primal scream from Marco, urging Betty to flee with all haste. His desperate cry was not unfounded, as Santini himself appeared at their doorstep, his malevolent presence accompanied by an unsettling stillness that hung heavy in the air.

Betty's attempt to escape into the nearby woods only led her further into the heart of darkness, as she found herself pursued by the relentless Santini. Meanwhile, Marco's valiant efforts to confront the murderous policeman ended in tragedy, as he fell victim to a brutal stabbing. His demise left Betty alone and adrift, forced to rely on her wits to outsmart the pursuer.

In a bold display of cunning, Betty lured Santini into a false sense of security, allowing her to strike back with a rock, rendering him insensible. The authorities then arrived on the scene, dispatching Santini in a violent and chaotic struggle. As the nightmare finally came to an end, Betty wandered aimlessly through a vacant meadow, seeking solace in nature's peaceful rhythms.

It was here that she chanced upon a sorry-looking lizard trapped in the underbrush, its pitiful struggles for freedom eliciting a sympathetic response from Betty. With a gentle touch, she freed the reptile, bidding it "go free" as if imparting her own longed-for liberation to the humble creature. In this moment of quiet contemplation, Betty found a fleeting sense of peace, tempered by the harsh realities that had forever changed the course of her life.