The Big Scare

When a homicidal forger, Mickey-le-Bénédictin, goes on the run after evading his execution, Inspectors Triquet and Virgus hasten after him to prevent him from committing any further crimes. Convinced that the forger will return to the scene of his former exploits, Triquet heads for the provincial town of Barges, whose inhabitants are strangely reluctant to cooperate with him. The town-dwellers live in constant fear of a mythical beast that roams the area after dark and regard Triquet with a mixture of suspicion and loathing. In the course of Triquet’s haphazard investigation, people suddenly start to die – first Franqui, who has been spying on his neighbours, then the pharmacist. Even when Triquet has exposed the beast of Barges as a fake, the killings continue. Just what terrible secret does this most insular of French towns conceal…? —Filmsdefrance.com