Thad Beaumont is the author of a highly successful series of violent pulp thrillers written under the pen name 'George Stark,' but when he decides to 'kill-off' his alter-ego in a mock ceremony, it triggers a string of sadistic murders similar to those in his pulp novels, which are soon revealed to be the work of Stark himself. Stark, who resembles a maniacal version of his counterpart, is unwilling to give up the writing game – even if it means going after Thad's wife and their child.