His weakness for food, however, inspires a terrible curse that is placed on him after he negligently, though accidentally, runs down an old Gypsy woman and conspires with influential friends to sidestep responsibility for the deed. Billy may have evaded punishment in the courts, but he can't escape justice at the hands of the victim's ancient father, Tadzu Lempke, who lays a Gypsy curse on him that shrivels not only his body but his heart as well.

As Billy begins to waste away, he pleads with Ginelli to help him force Lempke to life the curse. The gangster's brutal way of dealing with Lempke and his fellow Gypsies, however, pushes the increasingly emaciated Billy farther down the path of spiritual decay. 

Setting his sights on weight-obsessed America, the ever-prolific King penned this chiller about an obese attorney who hits and kills a Gypsy woman with his car. Cleared of any wrongdoing, he is cursed by the woman's father and begins dropping pounds...and dropping...and dropping, until he must gorge himself to stay alive. Robert John Burke, Michael Constantine, Joe Mantegna, Kari Wuhrer and Joie Lenz star. 92 min.