One evening, Hammer gives a ride to Christina, an attractive hitchhiker on a lonely country road, who has escaped from the nearby lunatic asylum. Thugs waylay them and force his car to crash. When Hammer returns to semi-consciousness, he hears Christina being tortured until she dies. Hammer, both for vengeance and in hopes that "something big" is behind it all, decides to pursue the case.
| Directing | Robert Aldrich | Director |
| Writing | Mickey Spillane | Novel |
| Writing | A.I. Bezzerides | Screenplay |
| Production | Robert Aldrich | Producer |
| Production | Victor Saville | Executive Producer |
| Sound | Frank De Vol | Music |
| Camera | Ernest Laszlo | Director of Photography |
| Editing | Michael Luciano | Editor |
| Art | William Glasgow | Art Direction |
| Art | Howard Bristol | Set Decoration |
| Costume & Make-Up | Robert J. Schiffer | Makeup Artist |
| Sound | Jack Solomon | Sound Designer |
| Directing | Helen Gailey | Script Supervisor |
