Billy Halleck (Robert John Burke) is an upper class lawyer with a weight problem. He lives with his wife Heidi (Lucinda Jenney) and his daughter Linda (Bethany Joy Lenz) in Connecticut. He defends Mafia Boss Richi “The Hammer” Ginelli (Joe Mantegna) in court and gets an acquittal. Ginelli swears loyalty to him in gratitude. Heidi, disturbed by Billy’s weight, gives him a blowjob in the car and, distracted, he runs over a Romani woman named Susanne Lempke (Irma St. Paul), killing her. He is tried for manslaughter, but his friends Judge Cary Rosington (John Horton) and Police Chief Duncan Hopley (Daniel van Bargen) get him acquitted.
Outraged by this injustice, the head of the Romani Camp and Suzanne’s father Tadzu Lempke (Michael Constantine) touches Billy’s face and whispers, “Thinner!” Soon, Billy begins to lose weight despite continuing to eat like a pig. His wife, worried that it may be cancer, sends him to Doctor Mike Huston (Sam Freed). But Billy is certain his wife is having an affair with the doctor. Both Judge Rosington and Chief Hopley have been cursed as well, and they are decaying quickly. Eventually, they commit suicide. Billy finds the Romani camp and tries to get Tadzu to lift the curse, but he refuses, and Billy swears revenge.
Billy gets “The Hammer” Ginelli to try the same. He poisons the Gypsy’s dogs, kidnaps his daughter Gina (Kari Wuhrer) and threatens her with acid, then he tricks the Romani into killing Gina’s husband. Tadzu finally meets with Billy and gives him a strawberry pie mixed with his blood. Whoever eats of the pie will get the curse instead of Billy. He takes it home for his cheating wife and gives it to her. In the morning, she is horribly dead. Then he discovers that his innocent daughter has eaten some for breakfast. He is ready to eat the rest, but the Doctor shows up and Billy offers it to him.
The film was directed by Tom Holland, written by him and Michael McDowell based on Stephen King’s 1984 novel. It received largely negative reviews, and I can see why. For one thing, there is nobody to like in the movie except Billy’s innocent daughter, whose ironic death was the shocker ending of the novel, but here it is glossed over quickly. Second, the fat suits are not very convincing, and the supernatural thinning body could have been shocking with a bit of special effects. It won the Saturn Award for Best Makeup, but it was a bit disappointing. Consider for a moment Jeff Goldblum’s transformation in The Fly. That was body horror.