Cul-de-sac 1966

Dickey and Albie are trapped on the causeway as the tide rises

Dickey pushes his broken-down car along a causeway while Albie lies inside, bleeding from a gunshot wound. The rising seawater blocks their escape toward the mainland, leaving them stranded on the road to Lindisfarne. This claustrophobic, doomed predicament sets the tone for the night’s siege.

Dickey breaches the castle and takes Teresa and George hostage

Dickey breaks into the dark castle on a hilltop and uses a phone call to Katelbach to send someone to collect him and Albie. He disconnects the telephone lines to prevent outside interference. He then holds Teresa and George hostage while awaiting Katelbach's arrival the next day.

Albie dies; the trio holds a wake on the beach

Albie succumbs to his injuries during the siege. Dickey and George dig a grave for him and hold a makeshift wake. Teresa swims nude in the ocean as the grim events press in from all sides.

The next morning, guests arrive; chaos at dinner

A car with George's obnoxious friends arrives at the castle, mistaken for Katelbach’s party. Dickey poses as a servant while Teresa flirts with Cecil at the dining table. A child fires Cecil's shotgun during dinner, blowing out a stained-glass window and triggering a hurried departure by the guests.

Dickey reconnects the phone; Teresa steals his pistol

Dickey removes his jacket, reconnects the telephone, and tries to contact Katelbach again. Teresa furtively pockets Dickey's pistol, heightening the tension between the captors and their guests. The uneasy dinner ends with the sense that something explosive may happen.

Katelbach won't come; plan to escape in George's car

Dickey learns that Katelbach will not come, and he plans to take George's car to the mainland. George refuses to relinquish the car, sparking a violent struggle between them. Teresa hands Dickey's pistol to George, escalating the confrontation.

Dickey is shot; the Tommy gun is retrieved; car explodes

George shoots Dickey several times; Dickey collapses but manages to retrieve his Tommy gun from the chicken house. Too weak to fire effectively, he discharges the weapon at George's car, which explodes in flames.

Dickey dies and fear of discovery sets in

Terrified of being implicated in the killing and of reprisals, Teresa frantically insists that she and George abandon the castle. The two grapple with how to vanish as the siege lurches toward its end.

A misread arrival: they fear Katelbach but encounter nothing of the sort

They see a car approaching and assume it is Katelbach’s, though they know his boss has abandoned them. Teresa hides in a cupboard, overcome with fear as the car draws near.

Cecil returns with the shotgun; offer to take them to police

The approaching car turns out to be Cecil returning to retrieve his shotgun. He offers to take them to the police, but George refuses to leave the castle with him. Teresa remains hidden as the situation teeters on a knife-edge.

Cecil and Teresa drive off; George rages amid ruin

Cecil and Teresa drive off into the night, leaving behind the unstable George. George then goes on a rampage, destroying his art studio before running down to the beach in a final act of despair.