After his four siblings mysteriously die in their first weeks of college, a paranoid freshman must put his fears aside when a masked killer picks him as her next victim.

影片改编自爱尔兰作家克莱尔·吉根的同名小说。讲述1985年的圣诞节，尽职的父亲、煤炭商人比尔·弗隆（基里安·墨菲 Cillian Murphy 饰）发现了镇上修道院里的惊人秘密，和关于他自己的一些令人震惊的真相。

　　A boy is haunted by terrifying nightmares where a monster lurks inside the closet. To his relief, his father appears in the middle of the night helping him to face his fears. But the boy will begin to question the true nature of these apparitions, having to face the truth about his father's destiny and the evil force that threatens to consume him.

After his four siblings mysteriously die in their first weeks of college, a paranoid freshman must put his fears aside when a masked killer picks him as her next victim.

　　冷酷粗暴的流浪汉约翰尼（大卫·休里斯 David Thewlis饰）来到伦敦寻找自己的前任女友路易丝·克兰西（莱丝莉·夏普 Lesley Sharp饰），从一座失业问题严重的工业城市曼彻斯特来到交织在光鲜与黑暗中的大都市伦敦。约翰尼结识了路易丝的室友索菲（凯特琳·卡特利吉 Katrin Cartlidge饰），两人当天就在公寓做了爱。一觉醒来，已经爱上约翰尼的索菲得到的却是约翰尼一副玩世不恭的冷面拒绝。愤世嫉俗的约翰尼不仅仇视女性，也痛恨着自己与他身处的一切。他冷漠地与陌生女人做爱，绝望地与这个世界暴力相向。　　本片荣获1993年第46届戛纳电影节主竞赛单元-最佳导演大奖，男主角大卫·休里斯凭借此片荣获最佳男演员奖，本片也同时入围第46届戛纳电影节主竞赛单元-金棕榈奖。