Byron Orlok (Boris Karloff), an aging, embittered horror movie actor, abruptly announces his decision to retire and return to his native England to live out his final days. Orlok considers himself outdated because he believes that people are no longer frightened by old-fashioned horror, citing real-life news stories as more horrifying than anything in his films. But after much persuasion, particularly from young director Sammy Michaels (Peter Bogdanovich), Orlok agrees to make a final in-person promotional appearance at a Reseda, Los Angeles drive-in theater before leaving Hollywood for good.